2020 Fall - Winter - Journal #01 2020 Fall - Winter - Journal #01

DILL eat,life. - 山戸浩介、山戸ユカ DILL eat,life. - Kosuke Yamato , Yuka Yamato

ご縁とタイミング。慣れない山道を歩きながら、ふとそんな言葉が思い浮かんだ。人間関係に限らず仕事や趣味など、あらゆるものとの出会いは全てこの2つに尽きる。そしてそれは、土地、いや山との出会いだって例外ではないはずだ。
都内から車を走らせること2時間。山梨県北杜市へ移住し、レストランを営んでいる山戸浩介さん・ユカさんを訪ねた。

“Fate and timing.” While hiking on the unfamiliar mountain trail, those were the words that popped up in my mind.When it comes to human relationships, whether it is for work or a hobby, any encounter comes down to these two things. And a chance meeting with a piece of land or a mountain is no different.
Visiting Kosuke and Yuka Yamato requires a two-hour car drive from central Tokyo to their home in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture.

Interview 「山暮らしの魅力を届けるレストラン」

「自分のお店を出すことがずっと夢で」と話すのは、料理研究家であるユカさん。開業資金を貯めるために都内の飲食店で働いていたが、浩介さんと知り合って、多趣味な彼にとても刺激を受けたという。「それまでの自分はごく狭い世界しか見えていなかったんです。そんな人の出すお店なんてきっとつまらないだろうなって」。そして2人はそれぞれ仕事を辞めて、なんと8ヶ月間の海外放浪の旅に出る。それまでの貯金は旅で使い切った。

帰国後、浩介さんはアウトドア用品の会社へ再就職。アウトドアスポーツが新たに趣味として加わり、またユカさんのご両親が山梨へ移住したこともあって、週末は自然の中で過ごすことが増えた。そんな矢先に起こった東日本大震災。きっと多くの人がそうであったように、2人がそれまでの暮らし方や住まいへの疑問を抱いたのもこの頃だった。「僕たちが東京で生活しているのは、仕事とか、もともと住んでいた場所っていうだけの理由なんじゃないかと気付いたんです。彼女のご両親もいるし土地勘もあったので」と、退職と山梨への移住を決心した2人。そうして遂に、温めてきた夢を実現させるタイミングが巡ってきた。

Interview “The restaurant that delivers the allure of mountain life.”

Yuka, a culinary researcher, explained to us, “It was always my dream to run my own restaurant.” She worked at a Tokyo eatery to save enough money to open her own place, but when she met Kosuke, his wide and varied interests helped open her eyes. “Until I met him, my perspective of the world was very narrow. Thinking back now, the sort of shop that kind of person would run might be quite boring.” They each quit their jobs and spent eight months traveling the world. They used up every last yen they had saved on the road.

After returning to Japan, Kosuke took a new job with an outdoor equipment company. Outdoor sports was added to his list of hobbies, with weekends increasingly spent in nature—enhanced by the fact that Yuka’s parents had just moved to Yamanashi. It was just then that the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster struck. Like many other people, this made them rethink their lifestyle and living arrangements. “We realized that we were living in Tokyo because of our jobs and because that is where we had always lived.” The couple made a decision to move to Yamanashi, given that “her parents were there so we knew the area quite well.” Then, suddenly came the opportunity to realize their dream.

2013年、レストラン「DILL eat,life.」が八ヶ岳の麓にオープン。名前の由来は、リラックス効果のあるハーブのディル。またディルの語源には人を和ませるという意味があり、「お店に来てごはんを食べて、景色を楽しんだり、リラックスしてゆっくり和んでもらえるような空間に」という想いも込めた。「生きることの基本である食＝eatと、山での暮らし＝life。それが感じられるライフスタイルレストランにしたかったんです」。ウェブサイトにも料理の写真に混じってクライミングの1シーンが並んでいたりと、山の暮らしの魅力が散りばめられているのが窺える。

ユカさんが振舞う料理には、地元の有機農家さんから直接仕入れた野菜をメインに使用。「その季節、その日に1番おいしい食材を選んでいます」とこだわりを語る。朝に農家さんが持ってきてくれた野菜を見てからメニューを考えるので、同じものが次の日も食べられるとは限らない。

そしてお店づくりは浩介さんの担当。数ヶ月間大工さんに付きっきりで作業をともにした分、愛着もひとしおだ。「田舎で暮らしていくことを選んだのは、自分の手で自分の暮らしをつくっていきたいっていう気持ちもあって。何でも自分でできるというのが理想です」。

The restaurant, “DILL eat,life.”, opened in the foothills of the Yatsugatake Mountains in 2013. Its name is derived from dill, the herb with known relaxation effects. The word itself is derived from the Old Norse word for “soothing,” so the idea was that “when people come to eat at our restaurant, they can have a calm moment, relaxing and taking in the scenery.” Then, “‘eat’ is the basis of life and ‘life’ means living beside the mountains. That is the feeling we wanted for our lifestyle restaurant.” The website features attractive morsels of mountain living, with mountain climbing photos mixed with photos of food.

Yuka mostly uses vegetables sourced directly from local organic farmers in her dishes. “I choose the produce that is most delicious in that season, and on that day,” she said. Yuka comes up with the menu after looking at what farmers have brought in that morning, so the dishes available one day may not be on the menu the next.

Kosuke took charge of building the restaurant premises. His affection for the place is reinforced by the months he spent working side by side with the builder. “One of the reasons for choosing to live in the country was that we could build our own living space with our own two hands. Being able to do everything by ourselves is the dream.”

最近では家で過ごす時間が増えたことで、やりたくても手が回っていなかったことにじっくり時間をかけられたそうだ。「家の外壁を2人で塗装したり、コンポストを始めたり、それはすごく楽しかったですね。今までは、やっぱり休日でも天気が良かったら山に行ってばかりだったので」。こんなに長い間山に行かずに過ごしたのは初めてだと聞いて、思わず笑顔がこぼれる。

お店は6月から営業を再開したが、以来ディナータイムは予約制に。それまではお客さんが誰もいない夜でも、閉店時刻まで店は開けておかなければと固定観念に縛られていたそうだが、「食材のロスは、まぁ食べちゃえばいいから問題ないとして。それよりも誰も来なかった時の気持ちや時間のロスが辛かったので、それが解消できてほっとしました」。

心と時間にゆとりができ、トレイルフード作りに力が注げたのも新たな収穫だった。化学調味料などは使わず素材の味を生かした料理を、山やトレイルでも手軽に食べられるよう仕上げたドライフードなのだが、おうち時間が増えたことで通販の需要が高まっていた。「これまではレストランのことで手一杯だったんですが、今ではお店が開けなくてもトレイルフードがあることで気持ちに余裕も生まれていて。今後も、その時々に自分たちがいいと思えるものを選びながら、どんどん新しいことにもチャレンジしていこうと思います」。

Lately, he has spent more time at home, which means he can devote time to long-neglected tasks. “The two of us painted the walls of the house and we started a compost, which was great fun. Before, if we ever had a day off with decent weather, we would have just gone into the mountains.” Hearing this was the longest they had ever gone without a trip to the mountains, Kosuke’s face broke into a smile.

DILL eat,life. opened again in June, but dinner is now by reservation only. Until the pandemic, they had been tied down by the idea that a restaurant had to stay open until a certain time regardless of whether any diners were there. “We thought that food loss was not a problem as long as all the food eventually got eaten. Rather, it was the lost time and regret when nobody showed up that was hard, so getting rid of that has been a relief.”

With more free time and relaxation, they also tried something new by putting their energy into developing trail food. This is food dried for eating as a ready meal in the mountains or on a trek, cooked without the use of chemical seasonings or other additives while accentuating the flavor of the ingredients. With the increased time people are spending at home, online demand is up. “We were always so busy with the restaurant, but now even if the restaurant is shut, the fact we have the trail food business puts our minds at ease. In the future, we would love to take on new challenges, perhaps picking up something that sounds good from time to time.”

さて、取材の至る所で2人の仲の良さは感じていたのだが、「ボーダーデザインのIcebreakerが欲しかったんですが、僕が間違えてXSサイズを買ったことがあって。ごまかしながら何度か着ていたけど、ふと彼女に渡したらちょうどいいサイズ感だったので譲りました」というエピソードにも心が温まった。ユカさんは、今では山に行く時にはそのボーダーシャツをよく着ているそうだ。「首回りがゆったりしているレディースものは普段着として愛用しています。さらっとして着心地がいいのと、濡れても肌が冷えにくい保温力が同居しているのがIcebreakerの魅力ですね」。

2020 Fall - Winter - Journal 特設ページはこちらより
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Now, while working on this story, I was able to sense the strength of their relationship wherever we went, but my heart was warmed by one story in particular. “Once, I wanted a border design Icebreaker, but I accidentally bought one in an XS size,” related Kosuke. “I tried to make it fit a few times, but I suddenly realized it was the perfect size for her, so I gave it to her instead.” Yuka often wears that striped shirt when she goes to the mountains. “I love the collar of the women’s shirt that is loose enough to wear around casually. The comfort is excellent, and the great thing about Icebreaker is that it is also insulated so you don’t get cold, even if you have wet skin.”

2020 Fall - Winter - Journal
Click here to visit our special page
icebreaker/journal04