True to the name of his restaurant, which means ‘to link’ or ‘to tie’, Chef Shogo Sugawara joins Nara ingredients and Italian cuisine. Persimmon-leaf sushi is topped with dry-cured ham; hand-made pasta combines with local Nara vegetables. A northern Italian dish of stewed pork, which Sugawara learned in Piedmont, is made with Yamato pork. Regaling his guests with anecdotes about regional products and producers, Sugawara links both them and Nara.