English translation follows Japanese text.

避暑地軽井沢の歴史は、明治時代中期に外国人宣教師が別荘を建てたことから始まると言われている。それ以降の日本有数の観光地としての発展は周知のとおり。現在は交通網の整備により都市部からのアクセスが容易となり、休日には大型ショッピングモールに多くの人が集まる一方で、由緒ある別荘地としての町の文化はしっかりと守られている。

レストランJをクローズして１年半。「商業主義に偏りがちな東京を出て、澄んだ空気のもと思い切り自分の料理を表現してみたい。」という思いを具現化するべく、植木将仁が新たな出発の地として選んだのがこの軽井沢である。店名（MASAA’S）に自らの名前の一文字（将＝まさ）を入れたことからも、彼の強い思い入れが表れている。

地元の新鮮な大地の食材、そして植木の生まれ故郷である金沢の海の幸を使った料理は、フレンチの基本をベースに彼の自由な発想を加えたもの。単に良質な素材を使ってその良さが活かされているだけではなく、食材同士の絶妙な組み合わせ、そして料理の妙によって、食する時にはその良さが何倍にも拡がっていることを実感出来る。

「新しいものと古いものがお互いを刺激しあいながら共存する。」これは軽井沢という町を描写する際にも、植木の料理の根幹にあるものを説明する際にも相応しいフレーズである。「ゆっくりと時間を掛けて町を代表する一軒になって欲しい。」という希望を込めて、軽井沢滞在中やこの辺りをドライブした際に質の高い食事が出来るスポットとしてはもちろん、このレストランで食事をする為に軽井沢を訪れるだけの価値がある一軒として、お薦めしたい。

最後に：「シェフズテーブルでの特別な時間の為に、仕事を少し早目に切り上げて新幹線に乗り込む」というちょっとドラマティックなアプローチが、スムーズに決まる店である。

ミシェラドーロ（MASAA'S）のオリジナルサイトへ

It has been approximately a year and half since maestro of the kitchen Ueki played his last notes at Restaurant J in Omotesando. Since then, Chef Ueki has diligently but very selectively been searching the country for the ideal location to create his next restaurant where his fans can enjoy the symphony of flavors only he can create. He is now very excited to announce that he has chosen the quiet but very popular mountain resort town of Karuizawa. In choosing this location he found exactly what he had sought in this beautifully relaxed setting with its backdrop of serenity and clean crisp air. Karuizawa proved to be just the right counterpoint to the excessively frenetic metropolis of Tokyo, and a place where he could focus on what he loves best, creating masterpieces in the kitchen. In having found the perfect location, he has now planted roots in Karuizawa, and his newly born restaurant there even bears his name, called in perfect simplicity, Masaa’s.

The ties go even deeper as Chef Ueki insists on using all fresh local ingredients, together with seafood sourced from his native Kanazawa. He feels that only with this strict control over what he uses in his kitchen can he create the authentic French dishes infused with the creativity and imagination for which he has justifiably achieved national public acclaim.

The history of the town that is home to Chef Ueki’s new restaurant is indeed a long one and also bears some introduction. Karuizawa began as a summer retreat half way through the Meiji era as Christian missionaries arrived there to build their cottages. Since that time, it has grown and developed, and is in fact one of the most popular sightseeing areas in Japan. Access from Tokyo is only a short ride on the Shinkansen, and while the large outlet shopping mall attracts many visitors daily, the venerable culture of Karuizawa as a retreat is still maintained.

Karuizawa can perhaps be most appropriately described as a town where the old and the new coexist harmoniously with one drawing inspiration from the other. The various dishes that Chef Ueki sends forth from his kitchen can be described in this manner as well. His fondness for and founding in the traditional French culinary methods are mingled with his own innovative methods and exciting ingredient choices in such a way that true harmony of flavor, color, and texture is achieved. Such is the degree to which he seamlessly merges fundamentals with creativity in his cuisine that patrons are often at a loss to decide if any one dish is more accurately described as simply traditional or innovatively modern.

It may seem extreme to say that Chef Ueki’s new restaurant, Masaa’s, is enough reason to jump on a train to Karuizawa for dinner, but this is exactly the position this restaurant holds. Patrons of Restaurant J have been waiting, and now the wait is over. You may want to pack your tennis racket or golf clubs and make a weekend of it, but it is even worth the effort to escape Tokyo in the late afternoon on a weekday to savor Chef Ueki’s creations surrounded by the beauty of Karuizawa. Bon Appetit!