Japanese cuisine is one of my favourite style of food. From something as small as a street-side skewer to refined fine-dining dishes of art, Japanese chefs will always strive to achieve things in a level of perfectionism unique only to the Japanese culture. Depending on where you go in Japan and the season, the style of gastronomical delights will vary. As Japan’s capital, Tokyo is a treasure trove for foodies looking to explore traditional Japanese food. On my last visit to this bustling city, we made it a mission to try as many of the more historical and authentic local restaurants as possible. Here are our top picks.
Tendon at Tempura Daikokuya (大黒家天麩羅) – Asakusa
Located on one of the small shopping streets around Asakusa’s Sensō-ji Temple, Tempura Daikokuya Restaurant has been serving Tempura (天ぷら or 天麩羅) since 1887. This beloved local restaurant is one of the many Shinise (老舗) or old-shop businesses around the area. As hinted by their name, Tempura is their specialty dish. The place is also famous for its super reasonably priced and delicious Tendons.
Tendon (天丼) is a rice bowl consisting of steamed rice topped or served with a battered and deep-fried seafood, meat or vegetable dish named Tempura. Tempura’s batter and fry style date back to the influence of Portuguese missionaries and merchants in Nagasaki. The perfect Tempura should be delicately crunchy on the outside while the meat and vegetable remain soft and juicy on the inside. Tempura is best eaten freshly fried. Accompanying the dish is usually grated daikon, tentsuyu sauce (a mixture of three parts dashi, one part mirin and one part soy sauce), or salt (can be plain salt or salt mixed with powdered green tea or yuzu). We ordered a set that also came with sashimi (raw seafood); the combination of hot crunch and sweet cold fish was delicious.
Opening Hours: Sunday – Friday 11:10 – 20:30, Saturday and national holidays 11:30 – 21:00
Address: 1 Chome-38-10 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan
Getting There: Approximately 3 minutes walk from Asakusa Station (浅草駅) and 1 minute walk from Sensō-ji Temple (浅草寺)
Price: Tendon bowls costs approximately 3,500 – 5,000 Japanese Yen
Tip: This Tendon stop is very popular with both local and visitors so make sure you get in there early so you don’t have to wait in long lines.
Dessert at Umezono (梅園) – Asakusa
Taste a bowl of traditional Japanese dessert in this 160-year-old Japanese styled sweets cafe after visiting Senso-Ji Temple or after eating tendon at Tempura Daikokuya. Established in 1854, this Umezono runs like smooth clockwork amidst the endless streams of locals and tourists. Visitors must decide what they want to order according to the plastic food display outside the door and pay for their order once they get inside. After ordering, a food voucher will be provided to match the order to the patron. For visitors short on time, they offer on-the-go sweet snacks which can be purchase at the street shop section.
Awa Zenzai (あわぜんざい) is the founding dish and signature specialty of this store. This steamy traditional dish is perfect for a cold winters day. Lift the lid and the smell of red beans, millet and chestnuts welcome you in a soft hug. The soft chewiness of mochi with the sweet bitterness of the colourful paste is a match made in heaven. If you want to bring out more sweetness from the bean pastes, try sprinkling in some of the shiso leaves that come with the dessert. For those wanting to try a traditional dessert beloved by Japanese literary masters, Inaka Shiruko (汁粉) is for you. This dish consists of a soft, toasted mochi bathed in a smooth bowl of sweet red bean paste or anko soup. Umezono’s Inaka Shiruko is made famous by writer Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s “Shiruko” essay. The best way to enjoy this dish is to take sips of the silky soup with each bite of the slightly smoky mochi. Trust me when I say you will be going back for more!
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 19:00, closed each month on first or second Wednesday and forth Wednesday.
Address: 1 Chome-31-12 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan
Getting There: Approximately 2 minutes walk from Asakusa Station (浅草駅) and 1 minute walk from Sensō-ji Temple (浅草寺)
Price: Dishes inside the cafe starts from approximately 500 Japanese yen. The souvenir snacks starts from approximately 250 yen.
Tip: Apart from the mentioned signature dishes, the anmitsu (あんみつ) and Mitsumame (みつまめ) here are also delicious. If you are wanting to get some yummy souvenirs from here, try their dorayaki (ドラ焼き) pancake sandwiches.
Tonkatsu at Katsukura Shinjuku Takashimaya (かつくら 新宿高島屋店) – Shibuya
A Tokyo branch of a famous Tonkatsu restaurant in Kyoto, Katsukura is located at the upmarket shopping mall in Shinjuku – Takashimaya Times Square. Visitors will need to take one of the designated lifts to the 14th floor to sample this deliciousness. The staff here are very welcoming, and they have English menus for foreign tourists. While waiting for their meal to arrive, each patron gets a set of jars with the restaurant’s homemade sauces, a bowl of fresh sesame seed and a bamboo mortar to mix their unique sauce for the Tonkatsu. Don’t forget to crush the sesame seeds thoroughly before mixing in the liquids sauces. Freshly ground sesame adds a layer of fragrant nuttiness that will help bring out the golden-crusted meat’s sweetness.
Tonkatsu is a traditional Japanese dish consisting of a thick slice of deep-fried, Panko (パン粉) bread crumbs coated pork. Like Tempura, this dish was also an interpretation of late 19th-century European dishes. The perfect Tonkatsu should have a fluffy, crunchy golden coating while the pork remains soft and juicy on the inside. This dish will usually come with the pork already cut into 2-4cm wide slices; steamed white rice, shredded cabbage and sauce are the most common accompaniments served. Katsukura serves their Tonkatsu in the most straightforward, traditional way, but this delicious fried pork can also come in the form of a sandwich, curry, or noodles.
Opening Hours: 7 days, 11:00 – 23:00 (last order at 22:00)
Address: Takasimayataimuzu Square Bld.14F, 5-24-2, Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 151-0051, Japan
Getting There: Approximately 4 minutes walk from Shinjuku-sanchome Station (新宿三丁目駅) and 6 minutes walk from Shinjuku Station (新宿駅)
Price: Dinner starts from approximately 2800 Japanese yen. Bentos start from approximately 1500 Japanese yen.
Tip: This place is quite small, seating are usually grouped in pairs for tables or by individuals for benches. If you go in as a large group you are better off splitting into pairs to get a seat. The store will also have Bentos if you prefer not to eat there and instead take it on the go with you.
Sushi and sashimi at Tsukiji Itadori Bekkan (築地虎杖 別館) – Tsukiji Outer Markets
Is it truly a foodie visit to Japan if one have not sampled sushi and sashimi at one of the many seafood markets? Japan is an island country; hence fish and seafood are naturally a large part of their everyday diet. One of the popular traditional ways of eating fish is in the form of sashimi. On my visits to Tokyo, getting fresh seafood directly from Tsukiji fish market is a must. Although there is now a new version of Tsukiji fish markets, the old Tsukiji outer market is still the place to go if you want authentic, fresh seafood served the traditional Japanese way. Located in one of the narrow alleyways and manned by a small group of grandpa like Japanese sushi chefs, Tsukiji Itadori Bekkan offers more than your average sushi and sashimi. You will also be able to sample some rare and sometimes questionable traditional Japanese seafood delicacies.
Sashimi (刺身) is a traditional Japanese delicacy made from half-adult-palm-sized, thinly sliced fresh raw fish, seafood and sometimes meat. The fish or meat is usually eaten dipped with soy sauce. Sashimi is often draped over freshly shredded daikon (aka Asian, white radish) or rolled next to Shiso (aka perilla) leaves and accompanied by wasabi paste, pickled ginger or grated fresh ginger or garlic on a serving plate. For sashimi using meat, ponzu shōyu(ポン酢醤油), a mix citrus-based sauce with soy sauce will often be the condiment of choice served. This traditional Japanese dish can be consumed both as an entree or main meal. Rice will usually come with it when served as a main.
Sushi (すし or 寿司) is the jazzed up cousin to sashimi. This bite-sized traditional Japanese dish consists of hand-shaped vinegared riced accompanied by various seafood, meats and vegetables. If you want to taste the authentic flavours of a fish or seafood, Nigirizushi (握り寿司) aka. hand-pressed sushi is the winner. In this sushi-style, a slice of fresh sashimi or seafood covers the small oblong rice mound, which means no fancy garnishes or outside flavours are distracting your tastebuds. Similarly, Gunkanmaki (軍艦巻) or warship rolls, will have the same oblong rice mound but with an additional strip of Nori (海苔) aka. edible seaweed wrapped around the outside. The seaweed forms a small bowl at the top to assist in holding soft, loose or finely chopped ingredients such as sea urchins, diced octopus and fish roe.
Now, for those foodies who love living on the edge and trying questionable foods (aka, me). This place has two “interesting” Japanese delicacies for you to try. Somehow with my broken Japanese, we got on a friendly yet passionate discussion about local seafood and specialty sashimi with one of the sushi chef grandpas preparing our meal. He offered two these delicacies for free. Conclusion, fish and sea squirt guts are a unique taste that needs to be acquired. I would still recommend giving a go if you are after a one-of-a-kind taste-test of courage.
Opening Hours: Open 7 days. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday – Saturday 7:00 – 21:00. Wednesday 7:00 – 15:00. Sunday and holidays 7:00 – 20:00
Address: 4-10-16 Tsukiji , Chuo-ku, Tokyo Tsukiji 4-chome Town Association Building 1F
Getting There: Approximately 4 minutes walk from Tsukijishijo Station (築地市場駅) and Tsukiji Station (築地駅). Approximately 8 minutes walk from Higashi-ginza station (東銀座駅).
Price: Can pay by card here. Meals starts from approximately 3000 Japanese Yen.
Tip: Itadori (築地) has a series of small seafood restaurants scattered throughout the Tsukiji Outer Markerts. If you are after more general seafood rather than sushi and you don’t want to wait in line here you can also check out Unitora Nakadori (築地うに虎中通り店) for specialty regarding sea urchins and Harenohi Shokudo (築地ハレの日食堂) for their seafood bowls. Both of these other stores will have sashimi and at times limited pieces of sushi.
Omoide Yokocho (思い出横丁) – Shinjuku
Some call it Memory Lane while others fondly nickname it Piss Alley. This narrow yet crowded lane is filled with paper lanterns, lit-up signage, hungry visitors (locals and tourists), hazy smoke and a symphony of clinking beers, dripping pipes, sizzling foods and laughing conversations. This lane has initially been an illegal drinking quarter during the late 1940s. As popularity grew, it evolved to be a place for cheap drinks, yakitori and hostess cabarets. The name of “Piss Alley” resulted from patrons relieving themselves on nearby train tracks due to the lack of restrooms. Today, visitors see a cabaret free, rebuild of the original Shōwa era street as the original burnt down in a fire. Some of the business here has been here since the beginning.
For visitors looking to explore the traditional Izakaya (居酒屋) food, this is the place for you. Here you will find traditional Japanese pub food such as yakitori (焼き鳥) (aka grilled chicken skewers), Kushiyaki (串焼き) (aka grilled food skewers), Motsuyaki (もつ焼き)(aka grilled organ skewers such as liver, heart, intestines etc.), Yakiniku (焼き肉) (aka grilled meat), ramen (拉麺 or ラーメン) noodles, soba (そば or 蕎麦) noodles and even sushi. For my fellow daring and adventurous foodies, restaurant Asadachi (朝起) is the specialist in all things weird. They have anything from horse meat to frog penis to salamander to deer and wild vegetables. If you plan on going, take a local Japanese speaker with you as they do not serve tourists, foreigners or non-native speakers. Many of the restaurants here may not have English menus or speak English, but most welcome tourists and foreigners.
Opening Hours: Varies depending on the restaurant.
Address: 1 Chome-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan
Getting There: Approximately 4 minutes walk from Shinjuku Sanchome Station (新宿三丁目駅) and Shinjuku Station (新宿駅)
Price: Most places are cash only.
Tip: Regardless of how you try to avoid it, the flavoured smoke will make everything you wear smell like charcoal skewers. Hence, I recommend wearing clothing that you don’t mind getting ruined and are easy to wash clean for your visit here.
