Lake Yogo is about as off the beaten track as you can go in Shiga Prefecture without actually heading into the mountains. Hidden away to the northeast of Lake Biwa, but separated by thickly forested uplands, this tranquil, pristine backwater draws little tourist traffic.
But for serious Japanese gastronomes, it's become a place of pilgrimage, warranting dedicated day trips from Kyoto or farther afield. The fortunate few even stay overnight. Their destination: the unassuming rustic restaurant-inn overlooking the lake run by Hiroaki Tokuyama and his family.
Tokuyama knows the area as well as anyone. His parents ran a minshuku lodging for visiting fishermen and, after training in high-end kaiseki cuisine in Kyoto, Tokuyama returned to offer his own cooking, based around the wild foods of this area.
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