One in two diners at Heianraku, a Chinese restaurant in the city of Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, is non-Japanese, drawn by the chef's reputation for trying to meet the most difficult off-menu request.
The restaurant is so popular with foreign tourists that it topped a June 21 ranking on the Japanese edition of TripAdvisor, a travel ratings website.
Operated by Hiroshi Furuta, 54, and his wife, Naoko, 51, Heianraku has about 30 customers each day — half of them non-Japanese. It usually allows up to three groups of customers at once, so that the staff can treasure conversations with each guest.