EVERY restaurant has its own story. This one has many.
Nakamura-ya, a bread shop at the time, moved to SHINJUKU in 1907, a deserted town at the far end of Tokyo city. In 1915, the shop owner met Rash Behari Bose, an Indian who unsuccessfully rebelled against his country and had fled to Japan.
The revolutionary was sheltered at the back of the shop, met the owner's daughter Toshiko, fell in love and later got married. Sadly Toshiko passed away at the age of 26, but he stayed in Tokyo and supported the owner.
In 1927, Bose passed down his wisdom on how to cook proper Indian curry, advising the owner to open a restaurant. The reputation of this genuine Indian dish quickly spread through Tokyo and Nakamura-ya started to flourish.
Now, Shinjuku is the busiest station in Japan, with ten train lines tangling together. Nakamura-ya operates three restaurants in central Shinjuku and many shops around the nation.
They serve Indian curry: The taste of "Love & Revolution" in a Shinjuku restaurant. It's hard to tell if it has the same flavour as it had in 1927, but you definitely taste the spice of "Love" in curry sauce and the boldness of "Revolution" in a chunk of chicken.
Nakamura-ya still sells bread, especially the Cream Pan is sold for 100 years.
English and Photos on the menu. Cards Accepted.