Hanagasumi at Meiji Kinenkan is serving a limited summer noriben from June to July 2026
A historic Tokyo kaiseki restaurant is spending this summer perfecting something unexpectedly humble: the noriben.
From June 1 to July 30, 2026, Hanagasumi (花がすみ) at Meiji Kinenkan will release Natsu no Sachi (夏の幸), a limited-edition takeaway bento that transforms the classic seaweed rice lunch box into a carefully layered seasonal meal. The price is ¥4,000.
At the center is glossy grilled eel, charred until fragrant and packed into the first tier alongside simmered ayu sweetfish, fried corn shinjo, Manganji peppers, grilled lotus root, chikuwa tempura, kinpira burdock and tamagoyaki omelette. It’s colorful without feeling showy. Rich without tipping into heavy.
The second tier softens things a little. Rice cooked with dadacha-mame soybeans and clams comes topped with shredded egg, kinome leaves, seaweed, bonito flakes and lightly pickled myoga ginger — the kind of sharp, herbal finish that makes sense in Tokyo’s humid summer.
Noriben are usually simple, comforting lunch boxes built around rice and nori seaweed. Hanagasumi’s version keeps the nostalgia intact, then quietly upgrades nearly every part of it.
The restaurant itself sits inside Meiji Kinenkan near Meiji Jingu Gaien, where private dining rooms, stone-paved walkways and formal kaiseki meals lean more old Tokyo than trend cycle.
This season, one of the city’s most luxurious summer meals may come neatly stacked in a box.
Seasonal limited-edition noriben Natsu no Sachi
・Sales period: June 1–July 30, 2026
・Pickup hours: 11:30am–7pm
・ Reservation deadline: By 5pm the day before
・Pickup location: Hanagasumi / Meiji Kinenkan
Inside Meiji Kinenkan, 2-2-23 Motoakasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-3746-7733
・ Reservations site (Japanese only): https://www.tablecheck.com/shops/meijikinenkan-hanagasumi/reserve
Notes: Limited quantities available; in-store pickup only; delivery not available
Hanagasumi / Meiji Kinenkan
・Official site (Japanese only):https://www.meijikinenkan.gr.jp/restaurant/hanagasumi/
