The Zen saying “seiten hakujitsu” (“blue skies, white sunlight”) is a metaphor for innocence and purity. In naming his new tempura restaurant in Shinjuku’s Arakicho neighborhood “Arakicho Tenpaku,” prolific Chef Akihiro Kondo chose “tenpaku” by borrowing the kanji character “ten” (天) from “seiten,” as it also appears in a slightly different pronunciation in “tempura.” “Paku” is another pronunciation of “haku” (白), and he borrowed this kanji from “hakujitsu.” The name reflects that the restaurant uses only pure, light taihaku sesame oil to deep-fry its tempura.

The exclusive use of taihaku sesame oil, along with Chef Kondo’s uncompromising use of fresh produce and seafood, gives Arakicho Tenpaku dishes a characteristic lightness and flavor. The heavy cloying aftertaste that one might expect from deep-fried food is absent, leaving only a delicate crunch that allows the original flavor of the seasonal ingredients from Japan's mountains and seas to shine through.

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