Solitary Gourmet - Season 6

First aired: 4/7/2017 12 episodes

Episodes

1. Okonomiyaki Set Meal and Plain Kushikatsu of Bishoen, Osaka

Aired: 4/7/2017

Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) arrives in Osaka City for some business appointments. He is immediately invited by a barker (Namioka Kazuki) to try and have lunch at a kushikatsu shop. However, Goro has to regretfully decline for he has to leave for his appointment. During his meeting with real estate agent Shimazaki (Rokkaku Seiji), Goro cannot help but be amazed at how his Hokkaido-born friend/client sounded like a true-blooded Osaka native. After his meeting, Goro eats at an okonomiyaki/yakisoba shop called "Amakaraya". Although he is reluctant to eat okonomiyaki with rice (the Osaka way), he tries it out in the end, and was not disappointed... Later in the day, after another meeting with a client, Goro passes by a stall called "Kushikatsu/Doteyaki, Takeda" along a street. He finally can have the skewered goods that he had left behind earlier in the day...

2. Pan-Fried Pork Belly with Ginger Set Meal of Yodobashi Market of Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo

Aired: 4/14/2017

Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) has been up early in the morning helping a panicking client in a coffeeshop near Okubo Station, Shinjuku. The client, coffeeshop owner Takeuchi Sakura (Kochi Machiko) is very thankful to Goro for his service, and for providing the much--needed coffee cup items and accessories she needs for an exhibit set to take place that day. After the work is done, Goro sets out to find a shop where he could eat. However, it was eight o'clock in the morning, and what Goro needs is a heavy meal. He reaches Yodobashi Market, a wholesale market of fruits and vegetables, and assumes there must be a diner there. Sure enough, he finds "Iseya Shokudou", a diner frequented by the market workers. Inside, Goro is enticed by the menu of delectable set meals, and small side items...

3. Chicken and Vegetable with Herbs Soup Curry of Mita, Meguro Ward, Tokyo

Aired: 4/21/2017

Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) is feeling nervous and excited over a possible big project of renovating interiors of guest rooms at a hotel in Meguro. Despite feeling confident, he was shocked when hotel executive Kudo (Yamazaki Shigenori) did not like his proposal. Kudo asks Goro to do it all over again. After the meeting, Goro walks around a residential area of Meguro in a daze, reflecting on what went wrong. Suddenly struck with hunger, he goes in search of a shop. He finds one with a huge statue of a cat at the entrance. The shop is called "Shania", a restaurant specializing in healthy "medicinal" soup curry and other Hokkaido-inspired dishes. Once inside, the shop clerk (Tanimura Mitsuki) hands him a menu, that explains step by step procedure on how to order soup curry...

4. Special Salted Beef Tongue and Kainomi of Higashi-Yamato City, Tokyo

Aired: 4/28/2017

Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) who came to Kokubunji for work, stopped by a drapery and blinds shop in Higashi-Yamato City, Tokyo, to see how an old friend, shopowner Murayama Mariko (Tezuka Satomi) is doing. She has recently injured her leg, and has been using crutches in order to walk. After his visit, Goro contemplates on what might happen if he and Mariko ended up together... However, such useless thinking suddenly made him hungry, and so he goes off somewhere to eat. He sees a yakiniku shop called "Suien", and entered without hesitation. The shop's "Kanban Musume" (popular employee), Miyu (Shiraishi Sei) attends to him. Goro looks at the menu posters at the shop, and decides which ones to choose to make up his yakiniku feast: salted tongue, kainomi, pork jaw, zabuton, offals...

5. Conveyor Belt Sushi of Taishido, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo

Aired: 5/5/2017

Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) was trying to enter a stained glass shop near Sangenjaya Station, when he noticed that store manager Aya (Yamashita Rio) was crying. Surprised at this unexpected scene, he hesitated to enter. After that, Goro heard the cause of Aya's tears. Later, her grandfather, Jiro (Wakabayashi Go) showed up and invited Goro to go fishing but... After leaving the shop, Goro got hungry and began looking for a shop at Suzuran Street. Here, he saw a conveyor belt sushi shop called "Daidokoya". Goro went inside, and immersed himself in the fun, revolving seafood carnival. Sushi of all shapes and toppings came into view in a little merry-go-round as Goro sat back and chose his meal. But a fierce battle is about to unfold... Later, bungling and cheerful fishing enthusiast, Hamazaki Densuke (Hamada Gaku) came in, lugging his fishing gear. He asked Goro what good food to order...

6. Stir Fry Pork with Pickled Takana Mustard Greens and Beef Soup Soba of Takadanobaba, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo

Aired: 5/12/2017

When Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) got off at Takadanobaba Station, there was a sweet smell from somewhere. It was from a nearby melonpan specialty shop. Even though he was feeling hungry, he decided to go to his appointment first. He thought his meeting with karate instructor, Suzuki (Takahashi Tsutomu) will be over in a jiffy. However, Goro found himself waiting meekly as Suzuki finishes his intense training session with his students... After he left the dojo, it was already past 3 pm. Goro found himself in a predicament: he was starving but shops are closed at this time! Luckily, he spotted an open restaurant, specializing in Myanmar-Shan cuisine, "Nong Inlay". Inside, Goro was bug-eyed with surprise when he read the dishes listed in the "exotic zone" part of the menu. Nevertheless, there were other unknown dishes that caught his interest: fermented tea leaves salad, mouth-watering stir fry dishes, sticky rice dishes, delectable soup, etc...

7. Sara Udon and Spring Rolls of Dogenzaka, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo

Aired: 5/19/2017

Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) who visited a club in Shibuya for business negotiations, is bewildered by the unfamiliar atmosphere of blaring loud music, mirror balls and dancing lights. Meeting with the club manager Saejima (Kubozuka Shunsuke), while surrounded by his staff members, Goro found it difficult to negotiate since they were all speaking in modern slang that only young people could understand. Feeling out of touch with today's youth, a frustrated Goro became hungry afterwards, and began searching for a shop. However, he had a hard time finding a place that piqued his interest, that is, until he found a Chinese restaurant called "Nagasaki Hanten" in a small alley in Dogenzaka. The shop's appearance reminded him of the old Shibuya. Plus, looking at the shop's display of gyoza and spring rolls, Goro felt he had found the right shop...

8. Stir Fry Lamb with Leeks and Spareribs of Okachimachi, Taito Ward, Tokyo

Aired: 5/26/2017

Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) was visiting the jewelry district of Okachimachi. Takeuchi (Okada Koki), president of a jewelry and gem-processing store, asked Goro to handle the interior decoration of their first product exhibition at a department store. Goro admired Takeuchi's work philosophy of infusing their thoughts into their jewelry. After the meeting, Goro suddenly got hungry, and started searching for a shop. After a bit of searching, the character of "sheep" caught his eye. Fascinated by the shop's name, "Yangshang Ajibo," he believed his intuition and went inside the shop. The menu was full of the character for "sheep". He assembled his order, with much planning and thought. He ordered lamb meat stir-fry, lamb shumai, lamp soup, plus different condiment sauces, making up a superb "Lamb Meat Festival"...

9. Zarzuela and Squid Ink Paella of Hatanodai, Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo

Aired: 6/9/2017

Inogashira (Matsushige Yutaka) who was at a shopping district in Hatanodai, entered a traditional cafe called "Attic" to check his email messages. He reads one from a Finnish friend who requested him to look into how a particular old bathhouse in Tokyo was reused for other business purposes. After having thoroughly enjoyed a good old "cream soda", he arrived at the bathhouse. The owner Todo (Kamio Yu) showed him around the place while Goro took pictures to send to his friend in Finland. While reviewing the photos on his digital camera, he chanced upon old pics of the time he spent in Paris. It also reminded him of Sayuki, who once confessed to him before... Then, Goro felt hungry. He saw a shop with the Spanish national flag in front. Its red signboard said "Spanish Diner, Ishii." Wile Goro was ushered in by the wife (Hitomi Sato), he got startled by loud popping sounds from the kitchen. He looked at the menu and was pleased to see that there are offers of half-sized dishes, too...

10. Aji Fry Set Meal of Kanaya, Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture

Aired: 6/16/2017

Inogashira Goro arrived in the seaside town of Kanaya, Futtsu in Chiba Prefecture via Hama-Kanaya Station. He met with Kurokawa (Ishii Masanori) executive managing director of a well-established onsen ryokan called "Kajiya Ryokan". Kurokawa thought to start offering coffee service in the ryokan lobby for foreign guests which have increased recently. Goro happily presented samples of European made coffee cups. After the meeting, Goro felt hunger pangs and decided to try out a nearby shop called "Hamabe", enticed by its offer of "fishermen's meals". Inside, regular customer Matsuda (Satoh Gajiro) told Goro that the shop's proprietress (Matsumoto Akiko) is a great cook and that the food is delicious. So Goro, with high expectations, ordered a set meal that included Aji Fry, pickles, seaweed miso soup, meat and potato stew, sangayaki...

11. Chilled Dandan Noodles and Twice Cooked Pork of Myogadani, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo

Aired: 6/23/2017

Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) was reluctant at first to take on a request from a client to accept a magazine interview on European interior design trends. In the end, he agreed and went to Myogadani in Bunkyo Ward to meet with editor Kawashima Hideki. The interview began right away at a cafe. However, he did not expect them to take his picture as well, so an awkward and stiff Goro had a difficult time posing for the camera... Afterwards, apart from feeling hot on a humid day, Goro also felt suddenly tired and hungry. He searched around downtown until he found "Houei" which serves Chinese cuisine. After he was greeted by clerk Hamada (Mizusawa Erena), Goro immediately ordered chilled dandan noodles which was perfect for the early summer heat. He also scanned the menu, and saw a number of unusual, unheard of items. After much pondering, he decided on twice cooked pork, chawanmushi, and steamed avocado to make up his one-man Chinese midday banquet...

12. Deep Fried Corn and Beef Rice of Gotanda, Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo

Aired: 6/30/2017

Inogashira Goro (Matsushige Yutaka) arrived at Gotanda Station, to meet with his last client for the day, Watanabe Masayoshi (Hasegawa Tomoharu), the president of a certain packing company. However, as soon as Watanabe saw him, he pulled Goro behind some crates to hide him from his mother. Goro was confused and bewildered... After the meeting, Goro stopped for a moment to watch the flow of Meguro River. He suddenly felt hungry and looked for a shop. He saw a signboard that said, "Fureai Eat and Drink Shop Area". It was located inside a building full of snack bars and pubs. Being a non-drinker, Goro at first, hesitated but when he saw the sign, "Shokudou Todaka", he decided to give it a shot. Inside, the master of the shop (Tsuyoshi Muro) asked him to choose a drink which comes with a side nibble. Disappointed, Goro felt uneasy since it seemed it was mainly a pub. But he looked at the menu, and realized that there were Beef Rice and miso soup available, too...