Michinoku Japanese Restaurant

01/08/2025

On behalf of our family, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who joined us on January 7 to celebrate the life of our mother, Chikako Okabe.

Your presence at her memorial service brought us immense comfort during this difficult time. The stories, kind words, and memories you shared reminded us of the profound impact Chikako had on so many lives. It was heartwarming to see how deeply she was loved and appreciated.

We are truly touched by the outpouring of support, prayers, and love from friends and family, both near and far. Your kindness and compassion have helped lighten the weight of our grief, and we are forever grateful.

As we continue to honor Chikako's memory, we take solace in knowing she lives on in the hearts of all who knew her. Thank you for standing by us and celebrating the beautiful legacy of her life.

With deepest gratitude,
The Okabe Family

01/05/2025

Whilst this page is no longer active, we wanted to share some news with our local community regarding former Chef Okabe’s family as some of you may have met his wife at the restaurant.

[cross posting]

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Chikako Okabe, who succumbed to a two-month battle with COVID pneumonia on January 4, 2025, at the age of 61.

Chikako was born on July 3, 1963, and her life was a testament to kindness, care, and tireless dedication. She was deeply loved as a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. Her selfless spirit always put the well-being and happiness of others first. Even at the age of retirement, she continued to work tirelessly to bring joy to her cherished grandchildren, whose smiles brought her immense happiness. Her love, generosity, and strength will be forever missed.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who prayed for Chikako, reached out with comfort, and supported our family during this difficult time. Your kindness has meant the world to us, and we are deeply grateful.

A celebration of Chikako’s life will take place on:
- January 7, 2025
-1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
- Patterson Funeral Home
- 6062 Main Street, Niagara Falls, ON L2G 5Z9

We warmly invite all who knew and loved her to join us in honoring her memory. Please share this announcement widely with your friends and community.

Though we miss her deeply, we find comfort in knowing she is now in a place free from suffering. Her love will forever live in the hearts of those she touched5

04/13/2023

We’ve received a few messages on our social media regarding the restaurant and wanted to clarify that Chef Koji has no affiliation with the current restaurant labelled under Michinoku…

I also want to add that the name Michinoku has a special place to Chef Koji and his family 🇯🇵💛

Michinoku refers to the northern region of Japan, also known as Tohoku region, where Chef Koji and his wife, Chika, were born and raised.🗾

Moreover, I remember the day that my father announced that he was going to call his restaurant “Michinoku” in homage to his homeland (furusato). I remember looking at him in disbelief, saying: “Are you kidding?! Nobody is going to be able to pronounce it. Nobody will come because they won’t remember who we are.” Of course, my concerns went in one ear and out the other, and my father carried on as most (stubborn) fathers often do 🤣🤣

Fast forward 13 years and I couldn’t have been more wrong.

To my surprise, everyone remembered “Michinoku,” and the name became associated with authentic Japanese food and outstanding service. It was a cozy little mom-and-pop’s kind-of-restaurant where you knew you’d be treated like family.

(And ohhh those eggplants!) 😋😋

We hope you never forget Michinoku for what it was🥰 despite the name being appropriated against our wishes. Thank you for believing in my father’s vision from the start.

Our social media accounts are still active as we would like to share the recipe book once it is ready! So stay tuned!

Now on to writing more recipes…

02/27/2023

Today we officially turned our keys in🔑🎉🎊

It’s a bitter-sweet moment but Chef Koji is looking forward to his retirement with his wife, Chika. Once things get settled, he’ll start working on the cookbook (most likely in the late spring/summer!) We’ve received many requests for the eggplant dish so that will be included for sure! It may take some time before it’s published, but we’ll keep everyone updated through our social media!
We also want to give a huge thanks to our realtor, .realtor for her unwavering support. She handled everything with such care and professionalism, allowing us to sell the restaurant with peace of mind. Thanks also to Lou!! We really recommend McGarr Realty Corp 🔑💛
Thank you everyone and let’s give a round of applause to Chef Koji! お疲れ様でした👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

02/13/2023

Thank you for an amazing 13 years!

01/30/2023

01/30/2023

Thank you to everyone who came by this week! Chef Koji's and his wife, Chika's, hearts were filled with so much joy! They wanted to express their gratitude for everyone's patience. The wait time can be long, but they will do their best in the meantime. Thank you for understanding!

01/28/2023

📣Hello friends!📣

Some of you may have already had a hunch, but we are happy to make the announcement official.🎉

Chef/owner Koji Okabe will be retiring, and the last day that Michinoku will be in operation is Saturday, February 11th, at 9:30 pm.👏👏

Since opening Michinoku thirteen years ago, Chef Koji has worked effortlessly to feed hungry souls in the Niagara region and beyond.🍣🍶

As one of his daughters, I couldn’t be happier to see our locals loving our food and always coming back for more. My family is so thankful, especially to Anestos and Mike, our staff, the City of Niagara Falls Fire Department and the Regional Police, the nurses at Niagara general hospital, Niagara Helicopters, Morgan Animal Hospital, the Niagara Kung Fu Academy, our friends at Chateau des Charmes, local chefs, members of the community, and everyone who stepped foot in our restaurant from afar for making Michinoku such a successful restaurant and for allowing us to share our tradition and comfort Japanese food. A very special thanks to Chanel Grotolla at McGarr Realty Corp., Brokerage for just everything. We couldn’t have asked for a more professional, trustworthy and kind realtor. Thank you. Arigato. 心から感謝。🙏🏻 💛💛

I still remember the first day we opened…my father and I were so nervous, but we’ll never forget all of the support and love we received from our community. Since opening, we have made many close friendships, and I hope it stays that way. It’s really quite something. And, I hope that you won’t be shy to say hello if you see Chef Koji out and about in your local grocery store or somewhere else. 🥰🥰

❗❗ We apologize for the short notice, as we also had to wait until everything was made official. For those who have a gift certificate with us, please come in and ruse it before OR on February 11th at 9:30 pm. ❗❗

🎉🎉Thank you, everyone, for 13 years of business!
We will miss you all so much, but let’s all celebrate Chef Koji’s, our dad’s, hard-earned retirement.🎉🎉

Once things have settled, our family will be helping Chef Koji create a cookbook so you can enjoy Japanese food at home. So please keep your eyes peeled for that.

💛💛

xx Michinoku family!

12/25/2022

We will be closing a bit early for the rest of the night (Saturday 24 2022) so that Chef Okabe can spend time with his grandchildren. Wishing everyone a happy and safe Christmas✨🎄🎅🏻

12/23/2022

‼️ Due to severe weather conditions, we will be closing today (December 23,2022). We apologize for any inconvenience and wish everyone a safe commute ‼️