Yabu: A Beloved Set-Meal Diner in Fujiyoshida, by Mt Fuji

Yamanashi · Fujiyoshida

By Nobu · Updated June 2026 · Verified against the shop, Fujiyoshida city tourism and Tabelog

Fujiyoshida, on the Yamanashi side of Mt Fuji, is best known for its fiercely chewy Yoshida udon — but the meal I keep coming back for is a plain set lunch at Yabu, a neighbourhood diner that has been feeding locals here since 1971. A ginger-pork set, a tonkatsu set, rice, miso soup, pickles and, a little unexpectedly, a small dish of fresh fruit — honest, generous food for somewhere in the low thousands of yen.

The kind of place every town should have

A teishoku is a set meal — a main dish brought together with rice, miso soup and a few small sides on one tray — and it’s the everyday backbone of how Japan eats lunch. Yabu is a taishu-shokudo, a plain people’s diner, the sort of place where the menu runs long, the portions are big, and the room fills with regulars. It has been going since 1971, makes most things in-house, and builds its dashi from a blend of dried bonito. None of that is rare or precious. It’s just done properly, day after day, and that is exactly why locals keep coming.

I had two sets across visits. The shogayaki teishoku — pork glazed in a sweet ginger-soy sauce, with shredded cabbage and a little scrambled egg — and the tonkatsu teishoku, a crisp panko-breaded cutlet over cabbage. Both came with rice, soup, pickles and that small bowl of fruit that quietly tells you someone cares. I’d budget the low thousands of yen for a set; the prices move, so check the board when you sit down. A quick honesty note: ginger pork and tonkatsu are nationwide diner staples, not a Fujiyoshida specialty — Yabu just does the standards well.

Getting there, and when not to go

Yabu is in the Shimoyoshida part of Fujiyoshida, roughly a 15–20 minute walk from Fujisan Station (or Gessoji Station) on the Fujikyu line, and about ten minutes by car from the Kawaguchiko interchange. The one thing to get right is the day: the shop’s own notices list it as closed on both Wednesday and Thursday, even though some older listings still show Wednesday only. If your heart is set on it, time it for any other day, and call ahead, because a diner this loved can keep its own hours.

On the map

Good to know

Sources: Yabu official site; Fujiyoshida City tourism guide; Tabelog. Prices, hours and closing days change — confirm with the shop before going, especially the Wednesday/Thursday closure.