Kirasse — Utsunomiya's gyōza house

photo by keyaki · CC BY-SA 2.0

Five long-standing restaurants under one roof, plus a counter rotating 30 flavours of gyōza.

Run directly by the association of Utsunomiya gyōza restaurants (宇都宮餃子会), the place brings together in one space five of the city's best-known names (among them Minmin and Kōran) in the permanent section, plus a rotating section that serves up to 30 different kinds of gyōza in turn. It is where, without touring the city restaurant by restaurant, you can taste in one go why Utsunomiya has earned its fame as Japan's gyōza capital.

Since the '90s Utsunomiya has claimed the title (contested with Hamamatsu) of Japan's most famous gyōza city, a fame born when soldiers stationed in Manchuria returned after the war and brought the recipe back with them. The name ‘Kirasse’ comes from the local dialect and is an informal invitation meaning ‘come and see us’.

ℹ️ Permanent section: weekdays 11:00–20:30 (last order 20:00), Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 11:00–21:00 (last order 20:30). Rotating section: 11:00–21:00 (last order 20:30). Souvenir area 10:00–21:00. There is also a second outlet, Kirasse Paseo, inside JR Utsunomiya Station, with different hours (8:00–21:00).

🚉 Tobu-Utsunomiya · 7 min walk

Sources: gyozakai.com · tochigiji.or.jp

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