The Abundant Blessings of the Tama Region and Islands of Tokyo

Tokyo is globally renowned for its iconic landscape. The skyscrapers and neon signage are legendary, defining a visual identity that fuses the traditional and the contemporary. But the true genius of Tokyo lies in its rare urban geography: the core city is linked to rich natural areas by a 60-minute train ride.

This ability to move seamlessly from the heart of the city to lush nature is a distinct, invaluable characteristic that sets Tokyo apart.

This access to nature is best exemplified by the Tama Area, located in the west of Tokyo. Due to its vast and pristine environment, Tama is the perfect place to witness the Shiki: Japan's celebrated four seasons.

The Tama Area harnesses its rich natural bounty, fostering high-quality produce and a unique food culture. Chefs across the area are dedicated to ensuring both environmental and food sustainability by forging partnerships with local producers and implementing a Farm-to-Table model. This offers a compelling experience, entirely different from anything found in central Tokyo.

Tokyo's Hidden Culinary Treasure: Ingredient Diversity and Traditional Food Heritage Enrich Tama's Gastronomy

The Tama Area is a paradox: though it is part of the world's largest metropolis, this region occupies nearly half of Tokyo’s total land area and is defined by its rich natural landscape. The seasonal transitions here are truly breathtaking.

This natural wealth sustains the Tama Area’s high-quality produce. The area boasts a rich variety of seasonal vegetables. Crucially, rare native varieties such as Norabouna (a type of rapeseed greens) and the highly valued Suzuno soybeans, along with locally grown Wasabi, are still cultivated here using traditional methods.

But the gastronomic landscape of the Tama Area is not limited to vegetables. The area has several beautiful rivers, and freshwater fish is a beloved, local cuisine. A highlight is the Edomae Ayu, a freshwater fish famous throughout the area and historically prized as a delicacy.

The sheer variety of unique ingredients found here is impressive, including Tokyo brand meats (Tokyo Wagyu beef, Tokyo X pork, and Tokyo Shamo chicken), fresh, free-range Silkie eggs, local goat cheese, and locally crafted drinks.

Edomae: A culinary style and term that originated in the Edo period.

The New Face of Tokyo Gastronomy: Tama Pioneers Local Sourcing for Sustainability

The remarkable fusion of urban functionality and extraordinary nature in the Tama Area has spurred a Farm-to-Table initiative, directly connecting local producers with consumers. This ability to enjoy both a deeply rooted local food culture and world-class culinary experiences defines Tokyo’s incomparable value and enables a premium experience of time well spent.

The Tama Area hosts numerous restaurants specializing in various cuisines, all highlighting high-quality, local ingredients. The superior quality of the produce increasingly draws talented chefs from across Japan.

The culinary ecosystem is vibrant and accessible: local vegetable farms and ethically managed livestock operations are nearby, supporting a range of specialty bakeries, dairies, tofu shops, and local breweries. The result is a culinary scene in the Tama Area where innovative new flavors are created.

Diners can enjoy dishes that showcase the quality of the ingredients, and the sophisticated expression of first-rate master chefs.

L'Arbre: French Gastronomy Meets SDGs in Tokyo's Tama Area

One prime destination is the French restaurant ”L'Arbre,” located in Akiruno City, Tokyo.

L'Arbre's exterior. Built around 1875, this Tokyo-designated Tangible Cultural Property blends Western and Japanese architecture, now repurposed as a distinctive restaurant.

The restaurant focuses on local gastronomy, achieved by fusing French culinary techniques with the culture and environment of the Tama Area. The menu extensively features Tokyo-sourced ingredients.

By sharing the deliciousness of these local products, the restaurant seeks to promote a new facet of Tokyo's charm to a wider audience, thereby connecting essential regional culture to future generations.

Owner Chef Naoki Matsuo honed his skills as a chef for 21 years at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. His impressive resume includes studies at a three-star restaurant in Paris recognized by a world-famous dining guide, and serving as Sous Chef at the Imperial Hotel’s main dining room, “Les Saisons.”

He opened L'Arbre in October 2023 with the desire to make it a central hub that connects the area and expands awareness of the rich food culture unique to his native Tama Area and the Tokyo Islands.

The Circular Bounty: How Tokyo's Ingredients Captivate the World's Gourmets

Let's look at the restaurant's course lunch menu, where the presentation itself tells a story of the abundance found in Tokyo's Tama Area and Islands.

The appetizer features three bite-sized delights.

The appetizer is titled “Tama and Islands,” featuring three kinds of finger food.

The upper right is inspired by Shima Zushi (a type of sushi), a traditional island dish. L'Arbre uses island chili peppers (bird’s eye chili) instead of wasabi.

The upper right is inspired by Shima Zushi (a type of sushi), a traditional island dish. L'Arbre uses island chili peppers (bird’s eye chili) instead of wasabi.

The upper left features a tart showcasing roasted Suzuno soybeans, a traditional local variety cultivated by Mr. Matsuo himself.

"Local Goat Cheese and Tomato."

The second dish is “Local Goat Cheese and Tomato.” A scoop of smooth, fresh goat cheese ice cream is placed on ratatouille, complemented by tomatoes treated in three ways: semi-dried, smoked, and fresh.

The creamy texture of the melting ice cream combines beautifully with the tangy acidity and deep richness of the tomatoes, offering a superb sensory experience.

A modern take on Namerou of Hachijo Island Mackerel Scad.

The next dish features Namerou (a type of fish tartare). This is traditionally prepared by Japanese fishermen cooking freshly caught fish on their boats.

The restaurant uses Mackerel Scad sourced from Hachijo Island and first wraps it in kombu, infusing it with umami (the fifth basic taste discovered in Japan), before searing it over a rice straw fire. This smoky fish is artfully placed over a unique Japanese-Peruvian sauce, a reimagined Leche de Tigre.

Tokyo successfully maintains quality and bolsters food sustainability in dishes requiring freshness, such as this namerou. The secret lies in the efficient logistics provided by the nearby Chofu Airport, which can deliver fresh ingredients—including fish from islands like Hachijo—in just 60 minutes.

Overnight-Dried Ayu Sweetfish.

The fourth dish is “Akigawa Ayu Ichiyaboshi” (overnight-dried sweetfish). The ayu, Japan's representative freshwater fish, is a product of the clear Akigawa River, which runs through Akiruno City, L'Arbre’s location.

The fish is marinated in a blend of house-made ayu soy sauce and the Italian liqueur Limoncello before being dried overnight.

The dish is served alongside sudachi (a Japanese citrus) from the restaurant's field, a thin crispy sandwich with Tokyo Shamo (Tokyo brand chicken) liver pâté, and a salad of cucumber, roasted paprika, and onion.

The fish dish features Longtailed red snapper.

The fish dish features longtailed red snapper sourced fresh from Hachijo Island. The fish is cooked to ensure the skin is perfectly crispy while the flesh remains tender and juicy.

It is accompanied by two sauces: a Japanese-style arrangement of baba ghanoush (a popular Middle Eastern dip) made with the traditional Tokyo vegetable Terashima eggplant; and a green paste made from the Japanese wild vegetable warabi (bracken) and shungiku (edible chrysanthemum leaves).

The main dish features the Tokyo X brand pork.

The main dish features the Tokyo X brand pork, sourced from a traditional 400-year-old farm in the Tama Area.

The dish offers the pork cooked in two ways and is accompanied by smooth Japanese scallion bulbs (rakkyo) simmered in chicken bouillon, and grilled Manganji chili peppers.

A sauce made from green Japanese peppercorn (sansho), a native spice in Japan, enhances the meat’s flavor.

Mont Blanc featuring Japanese chestnuts.

The dessert is a Mont Blanc featuring premium waguri (Japanese chestnuts) from a local organic farm.

The waguri is prepared shibukawa-ni style (simmered while keeping the inner skin intact, a unique Japanese technique) after being cooked with kuromoji (an aromatic native Japanese plant) and hojicha (roasted green tea). This rich base is transformed into a Mont Blanc with rum-infused chestnut cream.

The plate is completed with dark beer ice cream from a historic 1863 brewery and a compote of locally grown black figs simmered in red wine.

The selection of petit fours.

The final plate is a selection of petit fours. The custard pudding uses Tokyo-sourced milk, local free-range eggs, and vanilla beans from the Ogasawara Islands. The financier is flavored with Tokyo Sayama-cha, a rich Japanese tea grown in northwestern Tokyo. The snowball cookies are infused with kuromoji, kinako (roasted soybean powder), and orange.

Mr. Matsuo is meticulous in his selection of ingredients. The concept guiding L'Arbre's menu is a culinary journey of the Tama Area (mainland) and its islands (Hachijo, Ogasawara, and Oshima). Placing strong emphasis on the unique geographical characteristics and environment, the restaurant ensures that diners can enjoy a comprehensive course largely composed of ingredients grown and raised within the prefecture.

“We want to spread awareness that Tama and the islands, though part of Tokyo, possess cultures entirely different from central Tokyo,” says Mr. Matsuo. He believes that cuisine must be fundamentally “delicious and safe.” When he pursues delicious, carefully grown ingredients, he encounters local producers whose dedication he conveys through his dishes.

He notes his natural approach to sustainability: “We have no specific goal to focus on local sourcing or sustainability. By offering nearby, high-quality ingredients that taste great, we naturally practice a Farm-to-Table. Furthermore, using food scraps to nourish the soil naturally creates a cycle where they return as vegetables.”

In addition to connecting local culture through cuisine, Mr. Matsuo is committed to running the restaurant with minimal impact on the environment. He values communication with locals and sharing the abundance of food. By reviving and practicing traditional local methods, he has established a self-sustaining, natural resource cycle.

Mr. Matsuo extends local collaboration with specialized shops in the area.

Mr. Matsuo consciously integrates regional cooperation into the structure of his menu. The bread, cheese, and wine that accompany the courses are sourced from specialized local shops.

Through the dining experience at L'Arbre, he aims to motivate guests to explore the charm of the region’s artisans, creators, and shops.

The brick kamado in L'Arbre's kitchen.

In L'Arbre's kitchen, a brick kamado (traditional stove) stands beside the conventional gas stove. Cooking ingredients with wood, rice straw, and charcoal adds unique flavors.


This method is also a homage to the region’s history: during the Edo period, the local logging industry flourished, supplying wood and charcoal to the central city.

The guest room, designed in the traditional Japanese style with a view of the beautiful green courtyard.

The restaurant embodies “cultural sustainability” by reinterpreting the region’s traditional Edo-period lifestyle with modern sensitivity.

This dedication to local culture extends to every detail of the interior. For instance, the decor features handmade washi paper. The restaurant selects plates from local artisans to perfectly complement each dish.

Even the lampshades, custom-ordered by Mr. Matsuo to evoke the “Moon,” welcome guests with a warm light and reflect an ancient Asian legend. Staff uniforms feature Kuro Hachijō, a traditional silk dyeing technique, completing the cultural immersion.

Souvenirs, including specialties from Tama, are available inside L'Arbre.

“The best way to know the quality of ingredients fostered by the incredible nature of Tokyo, including Tama and the Islands, is simply to eat them,” says Mr. Matsuo. He emphasizes that this practical engagement is key to passing on the seeds of Tokyo’s traditional vegetables to the next generation, and naturally drives local sourcing.

L'Arbre (French for “tree,” “lineage,” or “axis”) embodies a philosophy of shared prosperity. Mr. Matsuo's desire is to see the restaurant’s cuisine as “fruit” that spreads regional culture, creating a cycle that allows L'Arbre to become a flourishing tree—one that shares its bounty with producers, the local community, and its guests.

He says, “The location serves as the entrance to Oku-Tama and Hinohara. I would be delighted if L'Arbre could be the starting point for people to access the deeper nature and culture of Tama, which extend further into the area.” He continues to seek new culinary challenges to support the development of the entire Tama Area.

Offering a counterpoint to the image of metropolitan Tokyo, the Tama Area showcases vast, preserved nature, enduring traditional lifestyles from the Edo period, and exceptional local ingredients. It is truly a new destination worth exploring for the discerning traveler.