The Yamashita family has been setting the pace for Japanese cuisine in Barcelona since 1978

Yoshizumi Yamashita is the pioneer of Japanese cuisine in Spain. In 1978, he opened Yamadori and, eleven years later, Yashima on Josep Tarradellas Avenue, which has become one of the city's leading Japanese restaurants. Now formally retired, he still visits the restaurant regularly, ensuring that everything runs with the precision that has always characterized him. He went through the always challenging process of personal and professional integration in his adopted country. His children have grown up here, between two cultures they feel are their own. Rona manages the restaurant; Daisuke is the sushi chef. The second generation is at the helm of a project that maintains its unwavering commitment to authenticity.

The venue offers different spaces: conventional tables, private rooms with tatami mats (called koshitsu(where you eat barefoot and sitting on the floor), bar of teppanyaki and a sushi bar. Anyone who has traveled to Japan will recognize its authentic, understated ambiance, which has stood the test of time. A sense of calm pervades the place. Yashima means "eight islands" and symbolizes Japan. The Yamashita family wanted that symbol to have a tangible expression in Barcelona as well.

We were served by Carlos, a very attentive Ecuadorian who offered professional and unobtrusive service, with a thorough knowledge of the menu. We started lunch with a dish ofedamame spicy, accompanied by two Asahi Super Dry (possibly the beer) lager Japan's most iconic) and a Kirin Ichiban (mild, refreshing, and one of the best-selling in Japan). From there, a journey that combines classics and more refined pieces: butterfish carpaccio with salmon roe and fresh wasabi; tuna tartare Bluefin with soy sauce and garlic; eel tempura; assorted sushi platter and sashimiCalifornia shake salmon, cream cheese and avocado; flamed foie gras with eel and uramaki of tuna (with the rice on the outside acting as a wrapper). We close with a tataki beef tenderloin and a cheesecake to share.

The Japanese way of doing things

After starting the meal with Japanese beer, we continued with a bottle of Coma Vella, a Garnacha from the Mas d'en Gil winery, south of Priorat. Yashima, under the guidance of Rona Yamashita, is making a commitment to improving the wine list and... sake to make the gastronomic experience complete.

Once the bill was settled, we sat down with Rona while we tried a sip ofumeshu (Japanese plum liqueur). "We offer traditional cuisine. The things you eat in Japan can be eaten at Yashima without any embellishment. We use products from here and there, but always respecting the Japanese way of doing things," he tells us, with the responsibility of someone who has inherited his father's legacy. A pioneering father who opened the door in Barcelona through which many of his compatriots have entered to offer us excellent Japanese cuisine.

Our city enjoys excellent international cuisine, and Japanese food is among the most outstanding. Forty-eight years ago, Yoshizumi Yamashita embarked on a successful venture to offer a cuisine that was unfamiliar to a country eager to open itself to the world. Catalonia wanted to leave behind a dark period in its history, and initiatives like that of the Yamashita family contributed to this.