True Japanese home-style cooking and its relationship to Japanese history and culture was first written about by Domo Owner Gaku Homma 23 years ago in his acclaimed book “The Folk Art of Japanese Country Cooking; a Traditional Diet for Today’s World”. ISBN 1-55643-098-1Since opening 17 years ago, Domo Japanese Country Foods Restaurant has always served the authentic, traditional country foods of Japan. It is not sushi or tempura that reflect Japan’s cultural history; it is the same foods served at Domo Japanese Country Foods Restaurant.

Domo is the only restaurant in the Rocky Mountain Region to serve authentic, traditional Japanese country foods prepared by a Japanese owner and head chef. Domo serves over 20 kinds of side dishes prepared fresh daily so that our customers can sample a variety of Japanese country tastes.

Domo offers a true cultural experience in many ways. One simply way that Domo shares its cultural authenticity is that since its opening in 1996, Domo has never made condiments like soy sauce, salt and pepper etc available on the tables to customers. The purpose of this is that we want our customers to enjoy the true tastes of the foods as they were prepared to taste. A few of our customers do not understand the meaning of this policy and become angry or offer negative criticism if they cannot use condiments to suit their own tastes. Most people however understand this policy and respect its intent.

This Unesco designation of the cultural value of Japanese home foods reaffirms our purpose at Domo in introduce authentic tastes as a cultural experience. This makes all of us at Domo very happy and proud indeed.

When most people in the United States think of Japanese foods, they think only of sushi, tempura or maybe sukiyaki or shabu shabu. Japan has a long cultural history spanning thousands of years, and these foods, especially sushi, have played a very small role in the food history of Japan.

Think about it! In the centuries of Japan’s history, refrigeration has been a relatively recent development. When electric trolleys were a popular mode of transportation in US cities, Japan still did not have electricity.

Eating sushi therefore was limited historically in Japan to areas where the fish could be caught fresh and eaten readily without delay or transport. Most fish eaten in Japan had to be preserved first to be transported so most fish were dried, pickled or marinated. Therefore fish that are dried, pickled or marinated play a much larger role in the true traditional food culture of Japan than sushi.

Tempura is deep fried in oil. Historically, most working people did not have the luxury of using such a tremendous amount of oil just to make a special dish to eat. In the word tempura, “tem” means sky and “pura” means lightly fried. Since tempura was served more as a delicacy for the elite levels of Japanese society historically, tempura as well does not play a large role as a traditional food in Japan’s history.

Neither do sukiyaki or shabu shabu! Both of these dishes are made with the meat of four-legged animals like pork or beef. Historically, most people of Japan did not eat the flesh of four legged animals for religious reasons. In fact, meats were an extremely small part of the Japanese diet untill Admiral Perry came to Japan from the United States in 1852.

The reason Unesco has awarded this designation to Japanese home foods is that they are part of historical fabric of daily life in Japan; intrinsic with Japan’s beliefs about religion, the seasons, nature and culture. With ever increasing international influences, this food culture is disappearing in some parts of more urban Japan, especially among young people. This Unesco designation is meant to help preserve and protect the understanding of these foods as part of the historical, cultural heritage of Japan. Not only in Japan, Unesco is designating food cultures in other countries as well all around the world.

Looking at Japanese foods served in the United States, Denver in particular currently has over 200 restaurants that serve sushi. There is only one restaurant in Denver however that serves traditional Japanese country foods and that is Domo Japanese Country Foods Restaurant.

Japanese food was first introduced in the United States by US servicemen and women who had been to Japan during the war and stayed in Japan during the occupation era long enough to become familiar with Japanese foods.

More elite Japanese foods like tempura and sukiyaki were made popular in the United States by American luxury-level tourists. More recently, with a stronger yen and a weaker dollar, especially young travelers have returned to the US from Japan with a taste for more common Japanese foods like ramen noodles, beef bowls and curry rice. These Japanese foods are all fairly mainstream in the US these days.

Japanese traditional home foods are still not as well known in the United States. Exchange students possibly who have lived with Japanese families in Japan would know about them but otherwise these Japanese foods are still unfamiliar. Every once in awhile I get a request for an unusual Japanese traditional food that we do not offer on our menus. There are an unlimited number of possible home food preparations depending on the location in Japan and the season.

Today in the US, Japanese food is SUSHI…PERIOD! Sushi is popular in Japan, but it is only a very small part of the traditional Japanese diet. No one in Japan has sushi for dinner every night!

Domo has always and will continue to offer traditional Japanese home cooked foods that are outside of the mainstream sushi culture we see today in the US. Domo offers an authentic experience, not only in its foods but in its cultural environment and the activities it supports.

Domo Japanese Country Foods Restaurant offers our customers an experience in Japanese culture with our Japanese folk art museum, Japanese gardens and through our classes and community activities. Domo has provided over 70,000 meals to those in need in Denver and volunteers with the Denver Parks Dept in cleaning up and planting trees in Denver parks and trails. Domo also supports our world-wide humanitarian activities and has helped to build 4 orphanages and 6 learning centers for children in Asia through its “Dine at Domo and Feed the World” campaign.

So it is not only the foods we serve, but a sharing of culture within our own community here in Denver and out into our world that makes up the Domo experience.

We hope that you enjoy the foods, the history and the cultural experience we offer at Domo Japanese Country Foods Restaurant, especially knowing that your support of Domo is given back to support others in the world who need it.

A unique place, a unique concept, a unique experience at Domo.

I will continue to share with everyone that comes to Domo something new from my culture and heritage in Japan.

Gaku Homma
Domo Owner and Head Chef
December 2013

It has been almost 3 years now since the largest natural disaster in Japanese History; the great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami disaster of March 11^th, 2011. Mere minutes after the disaster began, United States military and civilian forces gathered to send rescue and recovery missions like Operation Tomodachi. NORAD (North American Aerospace Command) in Colorado Springs also played a vital role in monitoring the effects of the disaster and international aerospace activities for the Japan region. As a Japanese citizen living in the United States, I felt and still feel deep appreciation for all of the help rendered by the USA at that time of such devastating destruction in Japan.In 2012 Domo Restaurant and Nippon Kan sponsored a Thank You Concert Tour performed by the Kyougaku Taiko Drummers from Nagano, Japan. A concert series was performed at Peterson Air force Base and the Newman Center at DU in Denver to thank America for their help in such a time of great need. The people of Japan will never forget and are grateful for the bond between the US and Japan.

We would like to commemorate this anniversary by showing the video that was used for opening presentation at the drumming concert series in March of 2012. Please link here to view this moving tribute from the peoples of Japan to the United States of America.

Link to video http://youtu.be/n27pQQPDcOE

Gaku Homma
Domo Owner and Head Chef 

Top of the Town 2013

categories: Dining

Best Japanese

Editor’s Choice — Domo Restaurant
The swanky sushi spots around town typically catch our attention, but when we want to truly immerse ourselves in Japanese culture, we head to Domo. The rustic, country-style space is the consummate setting for flavorful spreads of traditionally prepared noodle bowls and donburi (a boiled rice dish) accompanied by soup, rice, and family-style sides such as namasu (daikon radish and carrot salad) and nikujaga (stewed carrots, potatoes, and pork)-all washed down with flasks of hot sake. Enjoy your meal on the garden patio, which will whisk you right to the Japanese countryside.

1365 Osage St.   |   303-595-3666   |   domorestaurant.com

Mayors Design Award; “Home is Where the Art is”
November 10, 2010

Domo Restaurant has been named in
Zagat’s National Restaurant Review’s America’s Top Restaurants 2009!

*Etown’ E-Chievement Award Gaku Homma Aikido Humanitarian Active Network February 2009

Celebrating those who are making a positive difference in their communities and beyond.

Other recent awards
Zagat’s # 1 Japanese Restaurant in décor in the USA
Zagat’s Top Japanese Restaurants in Colorado 2008