Irori Sanzoku Kuga

Fantastic restaurant in building built to look like old Japanese Castle.... Expect to wait to be seated in winter but just the look and feel is worth coming in

Great atmosphere. Yummy chicken on stick, soba middle, and omusubi.

Great food with an amazing atmosphere. Takes only yen though. That’s why it isn’t a 5 Star.

Eating next to the water fall is a wonderful experience that everyone should try when coming here.

Absolutely the coolest place Ive visited so far in Japan. Highly recommend

Excellent place for groups! The chicken and soba was fantastic. The atmosphere was one of the best restaurants in Japan. There is a lot of outdoor seating with lamps and a creek. They also have indoor seating. It’s mostly floor seating FYI. You’ll order at a booth in the front next to the parking lot and then you can go sit anywhere. A worker will come take your ticket and bring you your food when it’s ready.

The cherryblossom season is the best time to come here!!! Especially dinner time. Available all through the season. Lunch time is nice and interesting where u can see the nature n dine at the same time but the night lights are my favourite. Full of people every night. But plenty of seats for almost 100 people im guessing. The foods there are filling and tastey. Roasted chicken leg "Sanzoku-yaki" n "Sanzoku-nigiri" are one of the famous must eat dishes. There are seats both inside and outside. Inside there you can experience what it was like back in the old days where people gather around the fire place called "the Irori", used for keeping the food, drinks, n body warm. The outside seats are something you can not experience anywhere else. If you go during the cool or cold season, the seats outside called the "Kotatsu" which is a table that has a heater inside the a quilt covered on top!Gotta a experience this!!!!

This place was really cool love the stone and water and the cozy feeling. They have fresh wasabi for sale that is local and really good !!! This food is ok but the atmosphere is very memorable!!!!

Taste is nice and udon is better than soba. But the rice ball taste so so.

Amazing place, delicious food

Food was incredible and the ambiance was very homey and comfortable. I ordered their special set consisting of chicken leg, rice wrapped in seaweed paper, and an udon soup. Everything was absolutely delicious! My husband ordered yakiniku and we had the great experience of grilling our own meat! Definitely recommend it to anyone visiting the chicken shack!

Just beautiful with a great food!

Food was good as usual. Atmosphere is great for groups. Great place to bring visitors to the area.

Amazing food and great atmosphere!!! They also have Ramen, Udon noodles and chicken breasts!!!!

The place is pretty incredible in terms of scope. The restaurant is the size of a village et spawns across two massive buildings and a gigantic garden that's designed to look like a bandit village. Great fun with kids and family. The food is average for Japanese standards but excellent in any other. I'd highly recommend the experience.

Beautiful landscape and lovely food. Would recommend the chicken.

Unique chicken BBQ and beef bbq at your table. Rice wrapped in seaweed with flavoring. Excellent place to eat and tour around.

Love going here for the food and the atmosphere! I love their gyoza! Whenever I have someone visiting, i make sure this is one of our stops. It’s a must visit when in Iwakuni. Kind of hard to get here without a car, but not impossible. There is a very small train station in Kuga, but it’s quite a walk to Sanzoku. Maybe worth taking a cab if there are some at the station. If you drive, they do have quite a bit of parking available. It can get very busy so go early, or be prepared to wait. Also be sure to walk around the whole area. It’s beautiful during cherry blossoms and in the fall.

Talk about a great place love the views and food, a little gift shop magic as well and supper big beers. Go all out when you visit and get a little of everything you can and of course the Teriyaki Chicken on the stick. At one point they had horse meat not sure if they still do but if so get it. From what I was told it was a training facility that might have burnt down, a must go at night time.

Great food and a very interesting place, that's only found in Yamaguchi...just a reminder that it can be really busy, but if you're patient it can go pretty quick...but if you want the same exact experience and are willing to drive a bit further the Nishiki San Zoku is less busy

Experience the chicken, really delicious taste and the chicken meat so firm and soft. It is a must try food when u are here..

Very interesting place. Enjoyed the waterfall and koi pond. The food experience was unique. It is a bit difficult to order if you don't speak Japanese.

This restaurant is so cool. It is like a village during a matsuri. I visited only for sightseeing and not the actual food but was amazed by attention to detail of the design of the whole place. It is very big but when I went there was a 2 hour wait so maybe make a reservation if you want to come. There were cars all the way from Kyoto and Hiroshima.

Enjoyable to visit. It seemed like theme park.So busy that we had to wait for an hour before eating.

Amazing food and service only issue I have is if it is slightly busy it gets confusing on where to go and who to hand off your stuff to. But besides that me and my wife will definitely return. Food tasted amazing and was relatively priced well. The area is huge and is managed well. I really loved how the tables had little warmers/heaters underneath so even though it was slightly chilly you still were warm. I would advise walking around either before or after you eat. Just to see all the lights and areas. I can't wait to come back.

Excellent service and amazing food. The outdoor area is beautiful and the decor inside is wonderful as well.

Great chicken. Try their Ohagi aswell.

I went when there wasn't alot of people. Good food and alot to. Walk around and see after. great experience

An amazing place with delicious food.

Sanzoku. A very atmospheric restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating. Not known even for many Japanese people living nearby. Has excellent chicken, grilled beef, and dessert. Just avoid ordering too much of their onigiri (rice ball). It's massive and hard to finish. Save your precious quota for their meat dishes. Bit of a drive from the nearest big city, but worth the time.

This place is amazing! I have been here twice and each time the food is awesome and the scenery is hard to beat. Prepare to spend a few hours here walking around the beautiful gardens. At night, the whole place is lit up and it makes for some great photos! The waterfall and ponds may be man-made, but they are still very pretty. I hope to go back next time I am in the Iwakuni area, definitely worth the trip!

Pretty cool place. The chicken and onigiri were big and delicious.

Amazing atmosphere and food!

A good place to stop when driving. Prices are a little high and there isn't as much variety of rice balls as there was years ago, but the chicken on a stick is still good.

It's a tourist trap, but still a great one. You will have to at least try the chicken and the udon. They also make a great rice ball. There are 3 different buildings with the one being marker requiring you to order before you sit down and outdoor seating. The other two allow you to order after you sit down (the castle and the tea house by the pond)Always great to go back as they change decorations with the seasons

Very good location, can enjoy owesome food at outdoor with fresh air. Share some picture other then foods

Worth the visit, very romantic place.

This place has really good chicken, but the wait times can be really long. I recommend going in the middle of the week at around 1800-2200 the lights will be on and there will be very little people so service will be quick.

Amazing place great to take the kids or family on an adventure

Experience- 5 stars. A must go once for anyone visiting Iwakuni. You will need a car to get there. Walk around and explore the grounds - trippy is all I can use to describe it! It’s a weird mix of traditional temples and shrines but with dinosaurs, space aliens, and sometimes Santa Clause! But I only give it 3 stars because the food is decent, not exceptional. The grilled chicken is pretty good, but everything else I’ve had there is below average for Japan. Additionally, the comfort is only 2 stars. Almost all floor seating with no back support. Tough for people not used to sitting on the ground. And The seating is mostly outside or in thin-walled buildings. I went once in winter and it was very very cold. Went again in summer and it was hot! But you should check it out!

This is place is one of those places that you can see in some of Hayao Miyazaki’s animes. The surroundings, the music, the food and all the small details will make your visit here an unforgettable memory.

I used to go here all the time many years ago. Went for the first time since then today and it is just as I remember. The food was delicious. But it was funny because Japanese customers kept staring at us americans. Oops. But it was entertaining. They do have an English menu. All restaurants are shoes off and floor sitting. The grounds are gorgeous! There are a few 10 minute hikes around the area that lead to budahs and small shrines and stuff. I certainly suggest.

Awesome, like traveling back in time! Will definitely try to return on our next trip!

Awesome place... Must visit if you are near Hiroshima or yamaguchi....

Great food, no English menu. Chicken on a stick and gyoza were delicious!

AKA CHICKEN SHACK! food was pretty good and the setting was tradtional japanese style. Scenery was cool looking. We ordered the chicken on a stick and that was great!

The atmosphere is the best in the world. It used to be my favorite but lately the lines are way too long and the food isn't as good as it used to be.

Locally known as the “Chicken Shack” to the expats in the area, this location of the “mountain pirate” chain of restaurant / experiences (there are three total Sanzoku locations) is perched on the hillside.Beautiful location, beautiful views, and amazing food.The “chicken on a stick” is their staple dish, but you’ll find the onigiri, edamame, and pork cutlet (to name a few) are additionally excellent choices.This place only accepts cash, and I don’t believe they have an ATM so come prepared.Parking isn’t too bad! If the immediate area is full they have overfill parking about 750 meters up the hill.Lastly, this place is PACKED on Japanese holidays. Wait times can be upwards of two hours on those occasions.

The place we went was very affordable, outside seating. Decent food. There are many places to go, some you need an interpreter or someone who can speak/read Japanese. I'm sure we will go back to explore some more.