I had a meal at Jigen Do, located just a short walk from Akasaka Mitsuke Station, with my best friend.Tabelog Rating: 4.14 Tabelog Award 2026 Bronze Selected as one of Tabelog's Top 100 Japanese Restaurants in Tokyo 2025.After a long wait of two and a half years, we finally got a reservation at this highly sought-after restaurant.- Abalone Somen made with black abalone from Bōshū, Chiba. Topped with grated yam, abalone liver sauce, and a dashi jelly. The rich umami of the abalone is incredible! The smooth somen, along with the refreshing dashi jelly and grated yam, was perfect for the muggy weather caused by the double typhoon.- Grilled Water Spinach with Straw. The stems of the water spinach have a hollow center, which absorbs the aroma of the straw during grilling. The crunchy texture of the water spinach combined with the smoky flavor that spreads with each bite is simply irresistible.- Kijihata (a type of sea bass) from Akashi, Hyōgo, and Purple Sea Urchin from Hokkaido. Topped with smoked caviar. The caviar is smoked using cold air, allowing it to absorb the smoky aroma without being cooked. First, enjoy the caviar on its own, then pair it with the kijihata. The caviar had a stronger rare texture than the smoked caviar I usually eat, resulting in a moist finish.- Chiba's Katsura's First Bonito, seared on the skin with wood fire, served with egg yolk soy sauce. The smoky aroma is stronger compared to other places, perfectly complementing the rich egg yolk soy sauce.- A bowl of conger eel from Amakusa, Kumamoto, and water shield from Akita. The dashi is made from 8-year-aged Rishiri kombu and freshly shaved katsuobushi, steeped for two days. The tender conger eel and the umami of the dashi match beautifully.- Steamed Rice with Flap Meat. The rice is made from glutinous rice from Niigata. The flap meat is grilled over charcoal, and finally, crushed whiskey barrels are placed on the charcoal to infuse a smoky aroma. Using whiskey barrels adds a sweet whiskey scent to the dish.- Hairy Crab from Funka Bay, Hokkaido, and Mozuku from Niigata. A refreshing vinegared dish to cleanse the palate.- Grilled Soft-Shelled Turtle from Nagasaki, served with sudachi lime. This dish emphasizes the rich umami of the soft-shelled turtle, making it a perfect match for chilled sake.- Kamo Eggplant from Kyoto and lightly grilled Torigai from Murotsu, Hyōgo. The dashi is made from the soft-shelled turtle. The rare torigai is incredibly delicious, and the kamo eggplant is juicy and sweet.- Rice with Manganji Pepper grilled over wood fire. The rice is flavored with wood in a clay pot. The smoky flavor of the rice is absolutely delightful.For refills, various toppings are added:- Refill 1: with shirasu (whitebait).- Refill 2: with mentaiko (spicy cod roe).- Refill 3: with simmered flap meat finished over wood fire.- Refill 4: with simmered flap meat finished over wood fire (second serving).In total, I had five servings. It was so delicious that I couldn't stop myself from getting refills!- Wood-fired Udon. This is not the udon from Maki. Both the udon and the egg yolk are infused with a wood aroma. First, enjoy the udon alone, then mix in the egg yolk. The wood aroma is abundant, making it easy to slurp down.- Jin Xuan Tea from Taiwan.- Water Yokan made with Hokkaido Azuki beans and wasanbon sugar.- Ice Cream made from Miyazaki Mango. This ice cream is freshly made and has never been frozen, resulting in a smooth texture and fresh mango flavor.It was a great meal! The dishes were structured differently compared to the same series restaurant, Suzu Da-shiki. My best friend seemed very satisfied as well.The aroma of wood-fired cooking lingered in my mouth until the next day.