The story
SÉN holds one Michelin star (2026) for its high quality cooking, and it sits at 267 Kawai, Tenkawamura, Yoshino-gun, in Gojō, Nara. Chef Toshiharu Sunayama calls the food watershed cuisine, built around the Kumano River basin.
Tenkawa Village lies at the head of the 183-km Kumano River, ringed by the Omine mountains. The kitchen draws on the history of the valley: cedar rafted down to the sea, dried fish and fermented sushi carried back on foot, wild mountain plants foraged by ascetic priests. Sunayama treats local production for local consumption as the basis of this watershed cuisine. The menu follows the water from mountain to coast.
Sunayama was born in London in 1987 and trained in France. He was sous chef at La Grenouillère in the north and worked at Flocons de Sel in Megève. Back in Japan, he helped open Les Tonnelles in Kanazawa, and in 2021 he became the youngest and fastest chef to earn two stars and a green star in the Michelin Guide Hokuriku. He moved to Tenkawa in 2023, opened the gelato shop TENKARA GELATO, and then SÉN in 2025. Gault&Millau scores the restaurant 16 for 2026.
The dining room is in the hall of the inn Seseragi no Yado Misenkan and has its own entrance. Maple trees and the sound of a clear stream surround the building. The course runs to about ten dishes and costs 25,000 yen (27,500 with tax, service charge extra), with one drink included. Dishes change with the season and from day to day.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
Location