Binod: The curry we serve is waterless curry, which uses no water at all. The water comes from tomatoes, onions, and other vegetables. We also offer vegetable-only curries that are vegetarian-friendly and contain no meat. I grow some of the vegetables myself, but as that's not enough, I also buy local vegetables, and quite often receive them from others.

Most overseas visitors who come to the Tosa Reihoku area stop by the restaurant. Afterall, places to eat around here are few and far between (lol). As our restaurant is at the top of a mountain, customers come by car, but it’s quite a drive as you must park on a narrow, steep road. Considering this, please be sure to take extreme care when driving! In fact, when I first moved here, I was driving down the mountain road on my way to drop off my kids at school, and my car skidded on the carpet of fallen leaves on the road, causing an accident. Thankfully my kids were fine, but my car was a complete write-off (lol). 

I prepare the curry at night after the restaurant closes around 5:00 p.m. and after picking up my kids and running various errands. It’s quite time-consuming, so it's hard work. Even so, I want to serve delicious curry to my customers, so I refuse to cut corners.

―――― You mentioned that many overseas visitors dine at your restaurant, but do you provide services in English as well?

Binod: Yes, we do. However, since I don't have much opportunity to speak English in my daily life these days, there are times when I find myself inadvertently switching into Japanese when I’m in the middle of speaking English (lol).

―――― By the way, where did you and your wife meet?

Binod: I think we met in 2008, when my wife was traveling in the north of India. At the time I was running a local restaurant, bar, and guesthouse. A year later, we got married and in 2010 we welcomed our first child into the world. Our child was born in Japan, but I was living in India at the time. It was the birth of our child that led me to make a life for myself here in Japan.

―――― What brought you to the Tosa Reihoku area? 

Binod: We moved to the Tosa Reihoku area in 2017. We came here just before our oldest daughter started elementary school. We originally lived in Saitama Prefecture, where my wife and her family are from, but I’d long dreamed of living in a place surrounded by mountains and an abundance of nature. With this in mind, we attended an emigration event in the Tokyo metropolitan area, got some information, and then took a month off work to visit Miyazaki, Kumamoto, Ehime, and the Tosa Reihoku area with our three kids. When the realtor showed us the property where the restaurant is located, I thought, "This is it!" The area reminded me of the Himalayan landscape of India, where I spent much of my life.  I fell in love with the area immediately and decided to move to here.

―――― Do you have any recommendations for must-visit spots in the Tosa Reihoku area?

Binod: To be honest, I’ve hardly been to any touristic spots around here. On days when the restaurant is closed, I’m busy with various things such as grocery shopping or mowing the lawns at home or around the restaurant. Recently, my youngest son helps out quite a bit, which takes some weight off my shoulders. He also helps stoke the wood-burning stove (lol). One thing I can say for sure is that in India, most mountain roads are inaccessible by car, and you must travel on foot. However, this area is very convenient because all the roads are sealed, and you can get around by car.

―――― Last but not least, what are your plans for the future?

Binod: I’d like to work hard to attract more customers to the restaurant. With plans to open an inn in the near future, I’m currently looking for the perfect property. Even if it’s an old property, I’d like to renovate it myself as much as possible. Well, I’ll fix it up slowly. I just wonder how many more years I can hang in there...my body won't be able to move when I get old (lol). Please come and stay at the inn once it opens. Also, twice a year (in May and October) we hold a bazaar featuring various clothing, food, and other stalls. Nearly 100 people gather in this mountainous area to enjoy the event. If you're in town at either of these times, you should definitely check it out.  

Shanti

Address: 548 Nagafuchi, Otoyo-cho, Nagaoka-gun Kochi, Japan

Cell phone: Intl +81-80-3550-5554

Cell phone: 080-3550-5554

Business Hour: 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

LO 3:30 p.m. / Service ends as soon as plates are sold out)

Menu: 
Non-vegetarian plate: 1,300 yen
Vegetarian plate: 1,000 yen

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