Coming to Japan is exciting, but there's a huge cultural gap for many visitors. This can cause problems with the easiest things, like food. Where can you eat if you're vegetarian? What if I have a food allergy? If you're in a group, it might be hard to cater to everyone's preferences; some people may not enjoy certain Japanese food, while some people want to eat all the things that they've never tried before. You might not even know what Japanese food you like yet, and want to try a little bit before you buy a whole meal. Hinano Buffet is the answer to all these problems.
Hinano is centrally located, on Clis Road, near Higashi-Ni-Bancho Dori. This company was founded in 2007, but already has stores all over Japan. Its headquarters are in Sendai.
Going to a buffet involves making a lot of choices. The first one at Hinano is whether to go for lunch or for dinner. The main difference between the midday meal and the evening meal is the price, which is due to the type of food on offer. If you want sushi, you should go for the more expensive evening option (¥2000 for one adult without tax), but at lunchtime (¥1570 for one adult without tax) there are freshly baked breads. Whichever you choose, you won't be missing out.
The restaurant is on the second floor, and after climbing the stairs you'll find yourself in a very nicely decorated waiting area. At the weekend, and other busy times, you may have to wait to be seated. After showing you to your table, the waitress will tell you the main ground rule: don't waste food. At weekends and holidays, you also have a time limit of two hours. Other than that, you're free to buffet to your heart's content. Used plates are left on the table; they will soon disappear at the hands of the wait staff.
Walking into the buffet area is like walking into a wonderland. There is so much variety that one person will struggle to eat even a little bit of everything (I know, I tried). Some of the food rotates, so once one dish is empty, something completely new will take its place. There are hot and cold drinks, from juices to teas, dozens of salads, different styles of rice and curry and noodles. One of my favorites was the vegetable tempura, which I could eat with curry salt or green tea salt. I wasn't very keen on the part-cooked egg, but that's a personal preference. Barring that, everything is delicious and fresh.
Their aim is to provide seasonal and healthy food (if you eat ice-cream and use the chocolate fountain a little too much, that's your choice!). Everything is labeled, but it's only in Japanese. If you can though, it's a great chance to learn some Japanese that you can re-use.
Hinano is the perfect place to go for indecisive groups and anyone struggling to find something that they can eat. There's healthy, seasonal food and you can go back for more as much as you want!
