You are standing in front of what used to be a little slice of Zen in Manhattan. This was Kajitsu, a Japanese restaurant that moved to Murray Hill in two thousand and thirteen. They specialized in shojin ryori, which is traditional Japanese Buddhist cuisine. These highly seasonal, meticulously prepared vegetarian dishes earned them a coveted Michelin star, plus four out of five stars from Time Out New York. Legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto was a regular here, and he actually curated their background playlist! Imagine a world-famous musician picking the perfect soundtrack for your dinner. Downstairs at Kokage, they served handmade soba, which are thin buckwheat noodles. They also had a cafe for wagashi, or traditional Japanese sweets. This building even hosted New York's only Ippodo tea room for full tea ceremonies. If you glance at your screen, you can see a chasen, the intricate bamboo whisk they used to prepare their frothy matcha. It was a true culinary oasis in the concrete jungle. Whenever you are ready, let us stroll to our next destination.
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