


DUBAI: The first Japanese restaurant specializing in Okonomiyaki in the Middle East, JIMOTO, held its grand opening ceremony on Dec. 7, featuring multiple guests from Japan and a koto show.
“It’s been three months since the restaurant opened. We have been fortunate to welcome many customers to JIMOTO,” Shun Kawakami, the restaurant’s head chef, told Arab News Japan. “To show our gratitude, we decided to host an opening event.”
“In addition, we wanted everyone to experience a “Japanese festival,” so we invited special guests from Japan, including a sushi chef and a traditional Japanese koto musician,” he added.
Kawakami said about the challenges of organizing the opening ceremony: “This was our first event since the opening of JIMOTO. We faced various challenges, such as deciding how to attract guests, preparing for the event, creating the menu, determining the amount of food to source, and selecting the guest performers. However, overcoming these challenges helped strengthen our teamwork.”
The chef mentioned that many of the guests truly enjoyed the event.” It’s rare to have the opportunity to listen to a live koto performance up close or to enjoy free okonomiyaki, so we noticed a lot of interest from our guests. As a Japanese person, I feel nothing but gratitude for being able to create and witness such an experience.”
Regarding JIMOTO’s upcoming activities, Kawakami said, “We didn’t expect so many guests to attend the event. Therefore, we are considering creating a JIMOTO festival that allows even more opportunities to experience Japanese culture for next time.”
The restaurant is located in Damac Hills and offers three varieties of Okonomiyaki, chicken, beef, and vegetables.