Motsushou

Rating: Very good
Meal: Dinner
Price: 2700 yen
Payment: Cash only (pretty sure)
Dishes: Awamori, raw beef liver, pork offal soup, 6 piece offal set
English Menu: Yes
Smoking: Yes (pretty sure)

Last night I finally made it to a local joint I've passed by many a time.  I was actually trying to review a new spot that recently opened up, but it was closed so I searched around and remember Motsushou.  Typically when you see "motsu" in the title or description of a restaurant you are looking at a place specializing in offal.  This place was no exception, and is very similar to another place just around the corner.  Actually there are 3 motsu type spots on this block, one of which is yakiniku style.

Pork offal soup

At first it looked like they didn't have an English menu, but then one appeared, along with a waitress who spoke perfect English.  So, pretty easy if you can't decipher the menu, and honestly deciphering specialized Japanese kanji for weirdly specific intestinal items is difficult even if you've been here a while.

Raw beef liver

I ordered the two main specialties, raw beef liver and pork intestine soup, along with the 6 piece set of offal on sticks, and an awamori (drink).  The raw beef liver came with a hot stone to sear the outsides of the liver and it stayed surprisingly hot throughout the meal, still searing when I was done.  The liver tasted delicious of course.  The pork offal soup was ok, but a bit bland, and most of the offal was very chewy, not my favorite.  The sticks varied between chewy and delicious (especially the chicken hearts).  I would just order lots of chicken hearts next time probably, they are only 150 yen a pop.

Various sticks

Overall, pretty good stuff and I wouldn't mind going back.

More sticks