不思議な夜のプリズナー : Sansho.

This is a story from last summer.

I have been going out for drinks with a certain TV station employee, whom I met by chance at a small Japanese restaurant in Akasaka over a decade ago, about two to three times a year.
This time, it was my turn to choose the restaurant.

He enjoys drinking at the counter of small eateries. The place where we first met has already closed down a few years ago, so I researched to find a restaurant with a similar concept and ended up choosing this one, "Sansho."
I sent him the location via LINE and we agreed to meet there on the day.

The restaurant is located in the basement of a building that is packed with bars, just a short walk from Akasaka Station. It has a nice hidden atmosphere.
Inside, there are only eight warm and inviting counter seats, creating a calm and refined ambiance. My friend, who arrived earlier, praised the lovely atmosphere.

Behind the counter, there was a woman around our age. It seemed she was the owner, managing everything from service to cooking all by herself.
We started with a toast over beer and then decided to order food. The menu was written on a blackboard.
When I asked for recommendations, she mentioned they had some excellent Miyagi-produced silver salmon that day, so I ordered that as sashimi, along with some edamame and corn tempura as snacks.

After a while, the thick, bright orange slices of silver salmon sashimi arrived, looking just like the best silver salmon should. As soon as I tasted it, I was amazed by its rich flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture—it was truly exceptional.
All the other dishes were also carefully prepared with a delicate touch that reflected the owner's attention to detail, making them delicious and perfectly paired with our drinks.

Since there were no other customers that day and it didn’t seem too busy, I decided to strike up a conversation with the owner. I started with a casual question like, "How long has this restaurant been open?" It turned out that although she had been quiet at first, she was actually quite talkative.
From there, her lively chatter began, covering everything from her background as a Kyoto native, the story behind opening the restaurant, tales from the bubble era, past romances, and even health struggles. The conversation flowed endlessly.
At times, she would mix in some tasteful adult humor, swaying gently as she spoke, and her machine-gun style of talking showed no signs of stopping.
At that point, the two of us sitting in front of her felt like mere prisoners in this "Sansho." It was a strangely enchanting night, but the atmosphere was certainly not uncomfortable.
Honestly, I was just overwhelmed by her storytelling.
I was simply amazed that such a place existed in Akasaka.
In the end, we decided to try the restaurant's specialty, the egg sandwich. The fluffy eggs had a melt-in-your-mouth texture and were absolutely delicious.
I left the restaurant with a renewed appreciation that it wasn’t just the conversation that was excellent, but the food was top-notch as well.

The next morning, I received a thank-you message via LINE from the friend I had drinks with. Even though he frequents various establishments due to his job, the impact of last night’s restaurant seemed to have left a strong impression on him.
Finding a place that could surpass the impact of last night’s restaurant for his next turn would be a challenging task, but he vowed to search for a place that would be at least as impressive.
It seems the nights in Akasaka will continue to be exciting.