A brave new Year of the Rooster has dawned -- so what better way to celebrate it than by eating one? On such auspicious occasions as this, naturally, only the finest fowl will do -- and it's hard to find any that taste better than the variety known as Hinai jidori.

Japan has some 120 different kinds of chicken that are now recognized as jidori (local varieties). But few compare with the special breed from Hinai-cho, in the snow country of Akita. Reared in home-on-the-range bliss, with freedom to flap and plenty of dirt to scratch, they have a texture that reflects their healthy, outdoors environment and a flavor incomparably superior to flaccid, factory-farmed broilers.

There are plenty of places in Tokyo these days that serve these premium birds, but few have made them the central focus of their menus the way Imaiya Honten has. From humble beginnings, serving up yakitori and nabe hotpots in the back streets of Ebisu, Imaiya has expanded and now has 11 branches in Tokyo and Yokohama. The formula for its success is simple: top quality ingredients; a no-frills menu; and unpretentious settings that are always much brighter and cleaner than the average yakitori joint, but casual enough that you can sling your jacket over the back of your chair and make plenty of noise.