Irori Sanzoku Kuga in Yanai

Got to eat the chicken! Great atmosphere in the middle of nowhere.

You order your food at the entrance and after you seat yourself, an attendant will take your receipt. You can order with pictures and pay with yen, no credit cards. There is indoor and outdoor seating so check the weather. You will sit on traditional Japanese tables. One of the best restaurant experiences ever. The chicken is an obvious choice. There was a tempora/beignet side dish with green tea salt which was an excellent appetizer.

Great place for dinner with friends. Menu options are plentiful and we enjoyed every item we ordered. The chicken is a must, but you really won’t go wrong with anything you order. Reservations are possible, but must be made at least 3 days ahead. The traditional seating can be quite uncomfortable; you can reserve the seating where your legs hang into the floor, which is helpful for those of us that aren’t quite accustomed to kneeling. Definitely check this place out. The property grounds are beautiful and it’s a unique experience. In the winter, the tables are heated. Really fun place.

It is wonderful place. Japanese traditional food.

The sauce (tarewas a little too sweet for my liking but the chicken was very good! Went before dinner on a Monday so the place isn’t packed. Can’t make the same day reservation so you might wanna call them a day before especially if you plan to go on a weekend! The gyozas were pretty good as well! Not a fan of the musubi 😅

Beautiful place. The chicken was delicious, prices were fair, and staff was friendly. Wait times can be a bit long for ordering and getting food. The scenery is peaceful and calming. Some fun little shops with trinkets and treats. Enjoy a delicious meal and then take a little wall around to take in the sights and shops. Perfect little getaway for a couple hours.

First class joint all around! I miss Japan and Chicken on a stick!!!

Seriously just as good as I remembered from back in 2007. This place is a must! The food is amazing the experience is like no other we have experienced. The place offers great places to relax and capture memories and reflect on things.Make sure you bring cash, there is ice cream machine out side if you need a sweet after. There is parking across the street and there is a few shrines here too.The Americans named it Chicken shack because of how good the chicken is.

It was an amasing experience to have beautiful food under the traditional Japanese roof with irori in the room. We were there around 4pm and there was no wait.

Staff are extremely friendly, food was delicious and not terribly priced. I would recommend it. Not sure if they accept cards, I paid with Yen. Oh, dont forget a pair of socks as you are required to remove your shoes.

Outdoor restaurant on the mountainside where you can enjoy barbecued chickens and a variety of typical Japanese foods

Beautiful decor and ambience, tasty yummy food . It has got cozy atmosphere and gives you ancient and traditional vibes. It has got outdoor seating also. Beautiful view with the waterfall. A perfect place for family lunch. If going on weekends or holidays, get prepared to wait in long queue

Pretty good. Not sure why its called chicken shack by Americans. They only serve one chicken item. It tasted good though.

Good food. Good lunch if you are near the area. A bit crowded on the weekends. Right now, there are already Halloween themed designs 2 months before Halloween.

Great food, quick service. The chicken is fantastic but so are the Udon Noodles Bowls and the Gyoza. Highly recommend coming in the evening as the garden area is all lit up.

Festive atmosphere, lots of good food. Also known as the "chicken shack" by People from Iwakuni Base.

Really nice place. Theyre famous for their grilled chicken, so there is always a long line. If you can make a reservation, I highly recommend doing so. I really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. Definitely recommend trying!

Dining here was awesome! It was quite busy when I went so I had to wait a while for a seat. If youve never been here than theres a few things that could help your experience. They have an English menu and you pay before you sit down and they give you a receipt with your order on it. To get a seat you have to wait until someone gets up from their seat and sit down right after them (especially if its busy). If its not busy you can just find an empty table and sit down. After youve sat down you can wave down a waiter to have them take your ticket so they can start preparing your food. The tea in my experience was self serve. Once the food is ready they will walk near your table and call your name to make sure its you. This place was very romantic during the evening so if you looking for somewhere fun or interesting to eat this is the place.

A very relaxing place to eat under the trees! Delicious chicken and the big rice ball is very yummy. I suggest to come in early to avoid long waits! Souvenir shops are also available in this area

I love this restaurant. The atmosphere in traditional style is lively and beautiful. The taste of food is good. Grilled chicken with teriyaki sauces makes me exciting. The skin is very crispy👍 must try!!!

Very tasty chicken and giant onogiri. You can see many beautiful views.

Amazing food and service only issue I have is if it is slightly busy it gets confusing on where to go and who to hand off your stuff to. But besides that me and my wife will definitely return. Food tasted amazing and was relatively priced well. The area is huge and is managed well. I really loved how the tables had little warmers/heaters underneath so even though it was slightly chilly you still were warm. I would advise walking around either before or after you eat. Just to see all the lights and areas. I cant wait to come back.

This place is amazing! Had the best chicken on stick and onigiri! My husband had yakiniku and he enjoyed it very much! It is a very cool spot to come to with friends and will definitely give you an authentic Japanese experience. The wait was a bit long, but thats a good sign. You sit on a tatame mat on the floor which I absolutely loved! Highly recommend venturing out here on a weekend.

This restaurant is so cool. It is like a village during a matsuri. I visited only for sightseeing and not the actual food but was amazed by attention to detail of the design of the whole place. It is very big but when I went there was a 2 hour wait so maybe make a reservation if you want to come. There were cars all the way from Kyoto and Hiroshima.

Awesome, like traveling back in time! Will definitely try to return on our next trip!

Locally known as the “Chicken Shack” to the expats in the area, this location of the “mountain pirate” chain of restaurant / experiences (there are three total Sanzoku locationsis perched on the hillside.Beautiful location, beautiful views, and amazing food.The “chicken on a stick” is their staple dish, but you’ll find the onigiri, edamame, and pork cutlet (to name a feware additionally excellent choices.This place only accepts cash, and I don’t believe they have an ATM so come prepared.Parking isn’t too bad! If the immediate area is full they have overfill parking about 750 meters up the hill.Lastly, this place is PACKED on Japanese holidays. Wait times can be upwards of two hours on those occasions.

The place we went was very affordable, outside seating. Decent food. There are many places to go, some you need an interpreter or someone who can speak/read Japanese. Im sure we will go back to explore some more.

AKA CHICKEN SHACK! food was pretty good and the setting was tradtional japanese style. Scenery was cool looking. We ordered the chicken on a stick and that was great!

Experience- 5 stars. A must go once for anyone visiting Iwakuni. You will need a car to get there. Walk around and explore the grounds - trippy is all I can use to describe it! It’s a weird mix of traditional temples and shrines but with dinosaurs, space aliens, and sometimes Santa Clause! But I only give it 3 stars because the food is decent, not exceptional. The grilled chicken is pretty good, but everything else I’ve had there is below average for Japan. Additionally, the comfort is only 2 stars. Almost all floor seating with no back support. Tough for people not used to sitting on the ground. And The seating is mostly outside or in thin-walled buildings. I went once in winter and it was very very cold. Went again in summer and it was hot! But you should check it out!

Amazing food and great atmosphere!!! They also have Ramen, Udon noodles and chicken breasts!!!!

Experience the chicken, really delicious taste and the chicken meat so firm and soft. It is a must try food when u are here..

Love going here for the food and the atmosphere! I love their gyoza!Whenever I have someone visiting, i make sure this is one of our stops. It’s a must visit when in Iwakuni. Kind of hard to get here without a car, but not impossible. There is a very small train station in Kuga, but it’s quite a walk to Sanzoku. Maybe worth taking a cab if there are some at the station.If you drive, they do have quite a bit of parking available. It can get very busy so go early, or be prepared to wait.Also be sure to walk around the whole area. It’s beautiful during cherry blossoms and in the fall.

A good place to stop when driving. Prices are a little high and there isnt as much variety of rice balls as there was years ago, but the chicken on a stick is still good.

The cherryblossom season is the best time to come here!!! Especially dinner time.Available all through the season. Lunch time is nice and interesting where u can see the nature n dine at the same time but the night lights are my favourite. Full of people every night. But plenty of seats for almost 100 people im guessing.The foods there are filling and tastey. Roasted chicken leg "Sanzoku-yaki" n "Sanzoku-nigiri" are one of the famous must eat dishes.There are seats both inside and outside. Inside there you can experience what it was like back in the old days where people gather around the fire place called "the Irori", used for keeping the food, drinks, n body warm. The outside seats are something you can not experience anywhere else. If you go during the cool or cold season, the seats outside called the "Kotatsu" which is a table that has a heater inside the a quilt covered on top!Gotta a experience this!!!!

Very good location, can enjoy owesome food at outdoor with fresh air. Share some picture other then foods

Excellent service and amazing food. The outdoor area is beautiful and the decor inside is wonderful as well.

Talk about a great place love the views and food, a little gift shop magic as well and supper big beers. Go all out when you visit and get a little of everything you can and of course the Teriyaki Chicken on the stick. At one point they had horse meat not sure if they still do but if so get it. From what I was told it was a training facility that might have burnt down, a must go at night time.

This place is amazing! I have been here twice and each time the food is awesome and the scenery is hard to beat. Prepare to spend a few hours here walking around the beautiful gardens. At night, the whole place is lit up and it makes for some great photos! The waterfall and ponds may be man-made, but they are still very pretty. I hope to go back next time I am in the Iwakuni area, definitely worth the trip!

Great atmosphere. Yummy chicken on stick, soba middle, and omusubi.

Excellent place for groups! The chicken and soba was fantastic. The atmosphere was one of the best restaurants in Japan. There is a lot of outdoor seating with lamps and a creek. They also have indoor seating. It’s mostly floor seating FYI. You’ll order at a booth in the front next to the parking lot and then you can go sit anywhere. A worker will come take your ticket and bring you your food when it’s ready.

This is place is one of those places that you can see in some of Hayao Miyazaki’s animes. The surroundings, the music, the food and all the small details will make your visit here an unforgettable memory.

Taste is nice and udon is better than soba. But the rice ball taste so so.

I used to go here all the time many years ago. Went for the first time since then today and it is just as I remember. The food was delicious. But it was funny because Japanese customers kept staring at us americans. Oops. But it was entertaining.They do have an English menu. All restaurants are shoes off and floor sitting.The grounds are gorgeous! There are a few 10 minute hikes around the area that lead to budahs and small shrines and stuff.I certainly suggest.

Great food with an amazing atmosphere. Takes only yen though. That’s why it isn’t a 5 Star.

I highly recommend. So delicious.

Sanzoku. A very atmospheric restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating. Not known even for many Japanese people living nearby. Has excellent chicken, grilled beef, and dessert. Just avoid ordering too much of their onigiri (rice ball). Its massive and hard to finish. Save your precious quota for their meat dishes. Bit of a drive from the nearest big city, but worth the time.

The place is pretty incredible in terms of scope. The restaurant is the size of a village et spawns across two massive buildings and a gigantic garden thats designed to look like a bandit village. Great fun with kids and family. The food is average for Japanese standards but excellent in any other. Id highly recommend the experience.

This restaurant is always enjoyable to visit. The decor changes often, and the food is always good.

Amazing atmosphere. Food is good. Expensive but there are reasonable options on the menu. If crowded you may wait upwards of half an hour.

Its a tourist trap, but still a great one. You will have to at least try the chicken and the udon. They also make a great rice ball. There are 3 different buildings with the one being marker requiring you to order before you sit down and outdoor seating. The other two allow you to order after you sit down (the castle and the tea house by the pond)Always great to go back as they change decorations with the seasons