Where to Eat Breakfast in Kanazawa: Komejirushi's Hagama-Pot Rice Set, Steps from Kanazawa Castle

A Husband-and-Wife Morning, Set Around a Hagama Rice Pot and Fermented Sides

Kanazawa, in Ishikawa Prefecture, is a former castle town of the Kaga Domain — one of the wealthiest feudal domains during the Edo period. With Omicho Market and Kenrokuen Garden (one of Japan’s three great gardens) within walking distance, it’s a city where travelers naturally want to start moving early.

In March 2026, Kanazawa’s morning food scene gained a new option: a Japanese set-meal restaurant focused on Hagama-pot rice, just a one-minute walk from the Otemon Gate of Kanazawa Castle.

Its name is Komejirushi. A Hagama — a traditional thick-walled rice pot crafted by a potter on Notojima Island — cooks Koshihikari rice grown by farmers in Nomi City. Both the pot and the rice come from within Ishikawa Prefecture, embodying a true farm-to-table approach. I dropped in to try the breakfast in person.

Komejirushi

Komejirushi is a breakfast and lunch spot in Otemachi, Kanazawa, serving Japanese set meals. Built around Koshihikari rice cooked in a Hagama pot, the menu pairs the rice with fermented foods and seasonal vegetables — all run by a young husband-and-wife team.

A Sleek, Glass-Fronted Storefront Right by Kanazawa Castle

It’s a one-minute walk from the Otemon Gate of Kanazawa Castle. On the ground floor of a residential building lined with brown-toned tiles, a calm storefront with a wide glass facade comes into view.

The glass beside the entrance displays a poster with photos of the day’s breakfast menu. Both the “Asagohan” (morning rice set) and “Ohayo Inari” (morning inari sushi set) look beautifully composed and immediately whet the appetite.

Step inside, and the space is mortar-toned floors, white walls, wooden tables, and chairs with black steel frames. It feels less like a traditional breakfast diner and more like a stylish, considered cafe.

In addition to two-person tables, there’s a round table at the back that seats four, plus counter seats facing the windows.

Look across the counter into the kitchen, and the star of the show sits quietly in place.

A thick, rounded Hagama pot finished with a green glaze. Crafted by Doppoen, a pottery studio on Notojima Island, it has become the visual icon of Komejirushi. Each morning’s Koshihikari is cooked over a gas flame in this very pot.

Two Fixed Breakfast Sets, with Daily-Changing Small Dishes

The breakfast lineup is kept simple — just two sets. The main components are fixed, but the side dishes, miso soup, and salad rotate daily.

You can also choose your rice portion — large, medium, or small — which is a thoughtful touch.

From 11:00 the menu switches to lunch, with the lineup rotating every one to two weeks.

Trying the “Asagohan”: Shirasu, Egg Yolk, and a Fermented Side to Start the Day

I went with the Asagohan. On a silver tray, a bowl of rice, miso soup, an assorted plate of side dishes, and a small fermented dish are arranged in a quietly composed setup.

The star is the rice: a bed of shiso leaves on top of fluffy white rice, then shirasu (boiled whitebait), and finally a single glossy raw egg yolk — a traditional Japanese way of enjoying fresh, top-quality eggs. Because it’s so simple, each ingredient gets to stand on its own merits.

Break the yolk with your chopsticks and a stream of golden yolk runs over the rice. The first bite brings the gentle saltiness of shirasu and the crisp aroma of shiso to the nose. Then the clean richness of the egg yolk wraps around the rice, and finally the sweetness of Koshihikari — each grain standing distinctly thanks to the Hagama-pot cooking — comes through at the end. A single bowl of rice carries a clear stack of flavors, aromas, and textures.

The miso soup is a gentle, generously filled bowl with green onion, mushrooms, and leafy greens.

Three different textures — crisp, soft, and silky — coexist in a single bowl, and the dashi seasoning is carefully restrained. It’s the kind of taste that gently wakes up the stomach and seeps into your morning body.

The side plate brings a fermented small dish combining rice koji (a traditional Japanese culture used in making sake, miso, and soy sauce) with natto (fermented soybeans), a root vegetable salad, grilled kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), mentaiko (spicy cod roe), and fresh leafy greens. The colorful arrangement wakes the appetite through the eyes alone.

The fermented small dish leads with the soft sweetness of koji. It’s a dish made with gut health in mind, but the flavor is gentle and approachable — never insistent for a morning meal.

Leafy greens, root vegetables, and kabocha — appearing twice, both grilled and in the salad — make the vegetable presentation genuinely varied. Small portions of many ingredients keep the meal balanced almost effortlessly.

After the meal, a cup of warm tea finishes things off, and a soft warmth settles in the body. Rather than feeling stuffed, you’re left with a quiet sense of completeness — exactly the right kind of breakfast to start the day with.

Notojima Pottery, Nomi Rice — A Morning Set Meal That Settles Both Body and Mind

Koshihikari cooked in a green Hagama pot, supported by daily-changing small dishes built on fermented foods and seasonal vegetables. The combination of Notojima ceramics and Nomi-grown rice — a complete, locally sourced pairing within Ishikawa — is what makes Komejirushi’s breakfast feel special.

And above all, it’s genuinely good food. Being able to enjoy something this nourishing — first thing in the morning, while traveling — is a real gift.

It’s just steps from the Otemon Gate of Kanazawa Castle, and opens at 8:00 in the morning, so it’s a strong recommendation if you want a quality breakfast before heading out to sightsee.

When you visit Kanazawa, consider starting your day with a bowl from Komejirushi.