Nirvana I

Although I've posted on Nirvana II already, I decided to do a separate post for Nirvana I because I recently had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the owner of these fine places.

Nirvana I - Mikasa Mall location

Nirvana I is a basement restaurant in Mikasa Mall. It's hard to miss this popular place as you're walking toward the train station along Blue Street. It's also hard not to smell that deliciousness coming from the kitchen exhaust as you walk by.  On a recent visit for lunch they completely filled up not long after we took our seats.  If that happens to you and you find yourself waiting, walk a few more blocks to Nirvana II which is just east of the train station.  They are all on the blog map.

B Set

Small and cozy interior at Nirvana I - 10 minutes later it was completely full

The owner of the Nirvana chain here is Loknath Wosti. He is a true entrepreneur. Not only does he operate the two Nirvana locations, but also the recently opened Lotus restaurant near Shiori Station and next door to Bamiyan. (This revelation does explain my suspicion in the Lotus post that the same workers had been spotted at both Nirvana and Lotus).  It doesn't end there either. He is also the Executive Chairman of a few trading companies, the the Director of a safari resort in Nepal, a tour and travel agency, and a remittance company in Japan for people to transfer money overseas.  He is quite the businessman I learned as I sat down with him for lunch recently at his Lotus restaurant.

Loknath Wosti - Owner

 Loknath took care of ordering for us at Lotus. We had a table full of wonderful nan and curry which completely filled us up.

I learned that Loknath came to Japan 14 years ago. Back then he operated a tour agency up in Shinjuku. He opened Nirvana here in Yokosuka about seven years ago and decided to live in Yokosuka too three years ago.  He found Yokosuka to be a bit more relaxing than Tokyo. He is originally from Gorkha, Nepal, which is about 100 km west of Kathmandu.

He explained that all of his cooks are from the hotel industry in Nepal and India. One of his chefs in fact worked for an Arab Prince in Saudi Arabia. Lotus is more of an Indian influenced restaurant while Nirvana is more Nepalese. Nepalese tends to be less spicy. He has adjusted the flavors to suit the local tastes though, finding that most of his customers enjoy the toned down (but still flavorful) Nepalese style of food.  One of the most difficult things about operating in Japan, he said, was that Japanese customers will not speak their minds, like the Americans or other cultures might. Americans will be very up front with him. The Japanese on the other hand, even if they don't like it will thank him for the great meal but then may never come back. He strives to get that feedback though, emphasizing that he wants to meet customer's expectations - and if you let him know ahead of time what you like he will certainly try to accommodate.  He brings in shipments of over 60 different kinds of spices from both Nepal and India in twice monthly shipments so that he can keep delivering authentic food.

When Hillary Clinton visited Nepal in 1995 Loknath was the General Manager of Temple Tiger Jungle Lodge where she visited. It was on this trip that she got to meet Sir Edmond Hillary, whom Hillary Clinton was named after.  Loknath in general seems very well connected. He casually talks to us about a meeting with Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and he has good relations with the Yokosuka Mayor and promoting Nirvana from Yokosuka city offices too. 

As a result of our meeting I also received an updated menu for Lotus which I have posted.

Loknath and his staff at Lotus

I hope you get a chance to try the Indian and Nepalese food here in Yokosuka. It's authentic, tasty, and personal. With Lotus and Nirvana you can't go wrong. And say hello to Loknath! or "Lok" as he calls himself.

Writing on the wall at the entrance to Nirvana

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