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ОглавлениеEATING OUT
Japanese food is one of the truly great achievements of the Japanese. Its current popularity overseas is no surprise to the locals who even when traveling abroad will search out the neighborhood sushi bar (which is never quite as good as in Japan). But there is a lot more to Japanese cuisine than sushi and tempura. Most versions, however, do not appear outside of the country. For anyone interested in food, Tokyo can be a source of endless culinary experimentation.
For more than two thousand years the Japanese diet has been based on rice, a fact often pointed out by the Japanese as a reason for the myriad differences between "us" and "them," meaning Western meat-eaters. For the common people, expensive white rice was never a main part of the meal. Rather a mixture of white and brown rice, millet, and greens was consumed while the white rice crop was paid in land rents to the aristocracy. It wasn't until after World War II that perfectly white rice was democratized and became standard fare for all.
As meat consumers, the Japanese have a history of only just over one hundred years. Considered unclean by the adopted Buddhist religion, meat eating was outlawed in 675 by the emperor Temmu. Hunted animals such as deer and wild boar were allowed on occasion as a sort of medicinal food. In the Edo period, the practice of eating meat to increase strength became somewhat more common, though it was still disliked by the general public. In 1872, the emperor Meiji made headlines by declaring publicly, "I shall eat meat." In the country's attempt to become as powerful as the invading Westerners, meat eating seemed like a possible means of increasing Japanese strength. Gyunabeya, beef restaurants, suddenly became popular especially among the Meiji-period liberals. The beef was prepared Japanese style, boiled in a broth with vegetables.
The basic diet of the people remained as before, the main part of every meal being the rice, miso soup and pickles served with side dishes of cooked vegetables and sometimes fish. Meals have always been seasonal in Japan. Today, one of the most difficult parts of ordering in restaurants is keeping up with the ever-changing menu of what is particularly great at a particular time of the year.
EATING OUT IN TOKYO
There are almost too many restaurants in Tokyo, over 80,000 at the last official counting. The majority of these establishments tend to be small and moderately priced. The best of them, as anywhere in the world, are the most expensive.
Aside from the sheer numbers, the variety of types of food is mind-boggling. Not only are there the numerous styles of Japanese cooking, but every imaginable kind of international cuisine is represented in some form somewhere in the city. We've concentrated on Japanese food and tried to provide good explanations of the food, how to order, and where to eat. Hopefully, after using this book at one of these recommended restaurants, you can venture off on your own. Restaurants included here range in price from dirt cheap to top of the line, but all offer good, if not excellent, quality for the price.
For international cuisine, we've primarily selected restaurants with a good reputation for quality. While excellent Japanese food can be had in a broad range of prices, Western food doesn't come cheap. It is, however, generally quite refined.
While French and Italian restaurants have been plentiful for years now, other non-Western and more exotic cuisine flourished in the late eighties. African, Mexican, Balinese, Middle Eastern—just about every country with an embassy here has restaurants to match. Much of the food is excellent and inexpensive.
The average seating capacity of Japanese restaurants is somewhere around fourteen persons, which accounts in part for the astonishing numbers. Many of the less expensive restaurants do not take reservations or credit cards. The more expensive ones, Japanese and Western, often require reservations, and most accept at least American Express, Visa, and Diners' Club. Travelers' checks are only rarely accepted. Many restaurants close early, often by 9:00 or 10:00 P.M.
Following is a brief description of the general categories of eating places in Tokyo.
• Very Expensive but High Quality
Ryotei—offering full course Tokyo- or Kyoto-style cooking, usually accompanied by traditional Japanese geisha entertainment, these are the most expensive places to dine, with the prices easily ¥40,000 or more per person. Sand-colored Japanese style buildings with discreet signs, shuttered windows, and a pervasive air of secrecy, ryotei are frequented by parties of politicians and businessmen. One wonders what goes on behind those walls—unfortunately, an introduction is usually required.
Kaiseki-ryori is a meal traditionally served at the tea ceremony. The most expensive restaurants, as with ryotei, are patronized mainly by businessmen with expense accounts. There are also several moderately-priced kaiseki restaurants that attract a more average crowd.
• Expensive to Medium-Priced
Tempura, sushi, sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, etc., can be quite expensive or reasonably priced depending on the restaurant, what part of town it's located in, the decor, and the service.
• Cheap Food
Katei-ryori—Most restaurants in this category are called shokudoor meshiya (meshi means rice and, by implication, the meal itself). These places serve food just like mom used to make. Students and ordinary working people are the main clientele. Many of the smaller home-cooking restaurants have an actual mother figure, who both cooks for and entertains the often-regular customers.
Nomiya—Yakitori, robatayaki, and oden restaurants usually fit into this category. These restaurants are usually small places located near train stations so the businessmen who stop off after work don't have to stumble too far to catch a train back to the suburbs. Nomiya literally means "drinking place." Theoretically, what they serve are snacks to go along with the drinks, but the snacks can be a full meal depending on how much you order.
Noodle Restaurants—Serving soba, udon, and Chinese ramen, another inexpensive type of food. Even the best noodle restaurants are still relatively cheap.
Yoshokuya—These are restaurants serving Japanese-style Western food. Many of these places started in the Meiji period (1868-1912) when the country was reopened to Western influences. Because English food was the first official import, much of the food is typically British. Other favorites were food from Holland, Portugal, Spain, and France. This kind of food is also popular for home cooking. The food is very basic, but can be quite good. Typical items are hamburger steak and various kinds of croquettes.
Department Store and Arcade Restaurants—Perhaps the easiest and the cheapest way of eating in Tokyo is to go to one of the big underground arcades or the department store restaurant floors. The restaurants all have plastic food models which make ordering ever so simple. There is usually a wide variety of restaurants to choose from, all in one concentrated location. Although generally not haute cuisine, these places are sometimes worth it for the sheer simplicity.
Street Food—Yatai are small moving carts equipped with a stove and counter. Serving yaki-imo (roasted sweet potatoes), yakitori, oden, ramen, okonomi-yaki, yakisoba, or tako-yaki, the stalls are always set up at festival sites, and on weekends and holidays at the major parks. At night they're found in busy night club areas like Ginza, Roppongi, Akasaka, and Shin-juku.
Fast Food—Aside from McDonald's and its various Japanese spinoffs, there are forms of fast food indigenous to Japan. Tachigui-soba and tachigui-udon (stand-up noodle restaurants) are the main ones for people who want to "slurp and go" on a budget. Another favorite is kaiten-zushi, or sushi restaurants where a moving belt carries plates of very cheap sushi along in front of a counter. Take-out sushi shops are also popular.
Hoka-hoka bento is another recent fast food hit. A home-made meal packed in the shop, it's still warm when you get it home. And the price is a mere ¥300-¥500. A photo display panel will show the variations available. The big customers here are office workers, students, and housewives.
Another common packaged meal is the eki-ben, a packaged meal available at most train stations. The larger stations, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Ueno, and Shinagawa have their own name-brand eki-ben.
• International Cuisine
There are an increasingly wide range of choices for non-Japanese food. Restaurants specializing in Western cuisine such as Italian and French are plentiful, but the best are not cheap. Other restaurants specializing in Asian and non-Asian cuisine are now proliferating and are often surprisingly reasonable in price.
Districts
While restaurants can be found in every Tokyo neighborhood, they tend to be concentrated in the major commuter train station areas. These are just a few of the most important areas:
Roppongi is the most international dining area of Tokyo. Some of the best Japanese and foreign food is found in this area. Restaurants here tend to stay open later than in other parts of town. Just southwest of Roppongi are the Hiro-o and Azabu neighborhoods where more and more restaurants are locating.
Ginza is one of the traditional places to go for a nice dinner. Many of the oldest and most prestigious restaurants are found here. But since Ginza land price are among the highest in Tokyo, you're helping pay the rent with the considerable extra cost attached to the price of your meal.
Akasaka is where you'll find the largest concentration of ryotei in the city. Other Japanese-style restaurants cater to the night clubs and nearby Tokyo Broadcasting System television crowd.
Yurakucho is notable mainly for the rows of tiny yakitori-ya (nomiya serving yakitori) found along the back streets near the train tracks.
Downtown areas such as Asakusa and Ueno are full of restaurants with a shitamachi (downtown) feeling and atmosphere, good food, and prices that are very reasonable. The distance is intimidating to many foreigners who tend to keep to the south-western fringes of the city. Surprisingly, once you get there, you begin to wonder why it seemed like such a problem in the first place.
Etiquette
Strict rules of dining etiquette do exist in Japan, but as in the West they are rarely followed in real life. The saying "ignorance is bliss" is doubly true here where as a foreigner you're forgiven for almost any embarrassing breach of etiquette you might unwittingly commit. The best policy is to watch the people around you, but here are a few generalizations:
• The Japanese do not usually put sauces (particularly soy sauce) on their rice.
• Do not rest your chopsticks vertically in your rice. This is associated with death.
• Do not pass food to each other from chopsticks to chopsticks. Put the food on a plate. At Buddhist funerals, the bones of the cremated deceased person are passed this way.
• Sauces often come with condiments such as sliced green onions, grated radish, etc., which are meant to be mixed in, not eaten separately.
• Sauces are generally intended for dipping, not dunking and soaking the food. Doing so risks destroying the flavor of the often delicate Japanese cooking.
• When drinking beer or saké, one person will usually pour for the others, who will hold up their glasses while the drink is being poured. People take turns, which can sometimes become a bothersome ritual. As the night wears on, and the level of intoxication rises, it's everyone for themselves.
• When starting your meal say Itadakimasu, which means "I receive." At the end you can say Gochiso-sama deshita, which means "That was a lovely meal, thank you."
JAPANESE FOOD
Ordering
Ordering Japanese food can be a rather intimidating job. English menus are rare, and even when you know the main type of food being served (or can at least order by the "show and tell" method), ordering appetizers and side dishes is always difficult. The simplest solution is to order a set menu, called a kosu (course) or teishoku. Most restaurants will offer some sort of course. Ordering this way also gives you a general idea of how much your meal will cost.
If you want to order a la carte, the general practice is first to order an appetizer (often sashimi), then a few side dishes, followed by the entree, with soup and rice finishing the meal. We have listed a few common appetizer and side-dish menu items, and explained some general cooking terms. Following is a list of seasonal fish.
The restaurants have been divided by type of food. We've included entree menus and listed a few side dishes common to that particular type of cooking. Restaurant prices are as of Summer 1993.
• General Menu
| Kosu | A full-course meal, as in Western restaurants. |
| Teishoku | Set menu—including a main dish with rice, soup, and pickles. Home cooking, tempura, tonkatsu, and unagi are usually offered this way. Teishoku sometimes is offered in three grades: nami (regular), jo (choice), and tokujo (deluxe). |
| Tsumami | Starters and side dishes. |
| morokyu | Cold cucumber served with a thick miso sauce. |
| itawasa | Sliced fish cake, served with soy sauce (add wasabi—green horseradish, if you wish). |
| sashimi | Raw fish |
| kinpira | Fried burdock root and carrots in a sauce seasoned with soy, sugar, and red pepper. |
| hijiki | Seaweed simmered in a soy and sugar sauce. |
| hiyayakko | Cold tofu served with chopped leeks, grated ginger, and soy sauce. |
| Gohan | Rice |
| onigiri | Rice balls (often triangular in shape) wrapped in dried seaweed. The center will be filled with ume (pickled sour plum), saké (salmon), or tarako (cooked codfish roe). |
| yaki-onigiri | Grilled onigiri seasoned with soy sauce. |
| ochazuke | A bowl of rice with tea or sometimes fish stock poured over it. Comes with saké, tsukemono (pickles), or nori (dried seaweed). |
| kamameshi | Steamed and seasoned rice with vegetables and a choice of chicken, crab, salmon, etc. |
| zosui | Rice that has been boiled in a seasoned soup, with kani (crab), kaki (oysters), egg, and various vegetables mixed in. |
| Shiru | Soup, usually with chopped leeks, bean curd, and seaweed. |
| misoshiru | Made with yellow (white) or brown (red) fermented soybean paste. |
| osuimono | Clear soup made with dried bonito flakes and konbu (seaweed.) |
| Yakimono | Fried or grilled foods. |
| robata-yaki | Usually, food cooked over an open grill. |
| sumibi-yaki | Food grilled over a charcoal hearth. |
| teppan-yaki | Food grilled over a flat grill. |
| ishi-yaki | Food cooked on hot stones. |
| shio-yaki | A grilling method using salt. |
| teriyaki | A grilling method for meat or fish that has been marinated and basted with sweet sauce. |
| Nimono | Usually fish or vegetables that have been boiled with soy sauce, sugar, and saké. |
| Mushimono | Foods that have been steamed. |
| chawan-mushi | Steamed egg with fish stock, similar to a custard. |
| -don (or -donburi) | Don means a pottery bowl, and by association any meal served in a bowl with rice. These are common lunch meals: tendon (tempura on rice) or oyako-donburi (chicken and egg on rice). |
| -ju | Means food served in a lacquered box, usually a small box with rice and something on top, such as tenju (tempura on rice). |
| • Seasonal Fish | |
| Spring | |
| hirame | halibut/flounder |
| mutsu | bluefish |
| hamachi | yellowtail (young) |
| sayori | halfbeak |
| tai | sea bream |
| shira-uo | whitebait |
| nishin | herring |
| Summer | |
| kuruma-ebi | large prawn |
| isaki | grunt |
| aji | horse mackerel |
| kisu | sillago/smelt |
| awabi | abalone |
| anago | conger eel |
| ayu | river trout |
| masu | trout |
| ainame | rock trout |
| ika | squid |
| katsuo | bonito |
| Autumn | |
| saba | mackerel |
| iwashi | sardine |
| sanma | mackerel/pike |
| saké | salmon |
| Winter | |
| ise-ebi | spiny lobster/crayfish |
| karei | turbot |
| tako | octopus |
| sawara | spanish mackerel |
| kani | crab |
| akagai | red clam |
| kaki | oyster |
| buri | yellowtail (mature) |
| maguro | tuna |
| aoyagi | round clam |
| tara | haddock/cod |
| hatahata | sandfish |
JAPANESE RESTAURANTS
Kaiseki-ryori
When the tea ceremony became popular in Kyoto during the Ashikaga period, kaiseki-ryori was a light meal of three or four dishes served to help protect the stomach from the strong green tea. Kaiseki literally means a "warm stone on the stomach," a reference to the heated stones monks placed in their robes during meditation to help them forget their hunger pains.
Kaiseki is one of the most expensive kinds of Japanese cooking with haute cuisine prices that can be easily over ¥15,000 per person. Some restaurants do offer less expensive courses, others have a bento box that will give you the general idea of what kaiseki is like. While the best kaiseki meals in Tokyo are extremely expensive, for just a little more money you can stay in a beautiful ryokan an hour or so outside of the city where a fabulous kaiseki meal will be included with the room charge. Menu—Kaiseki restaurants usually serve a set menu.
How to Order
• Since kaiseki usually comes as a set meal, you can order according to the price.
• There is a set of very formal rules for eating kaiseki-ryori, but since even most Japanese don't know them, you should just follow the basic rules we mentioned before.
Asakusa's Tatsumiya. The restaurant's noren is hung out in front of the door announcing to customers that it's open for business. © 1984 Tobias Pfeil
KOCHO
Shin Yurakucho Bldg., B1-2, 1-12-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku. Tel: 3214-4741 (B-2), 3214-4746 (B-1). Hours: 11:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M., 5:00-9:00 P.M., closed Sun. & hol. If you can't manage to wrangle the introduction necessary for dining at the prestigious, exclusive and very expensive
KITCHO (8-17-4 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tel: 3541-8228.), Kocho is a very acceptable alternative. Deep in the basement of a central Tokyo building, your excellent kaiseki meal will be served in a thatch-roofed dining area surrounded by bamboo groves and a pond full of majestic carp. Here lunch is from ¥25,000, dinner from ¥52,000. On the B1 floor is a more casual area serving slightly less refined kaiseki cuisine. [M-10]
TAKAMURA
3-4-27 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 3585-6600. Hours: noon-3:00 P.M. (reservations only, four people or more), 5:00-10:30 P.M., closed Sun. Lunch courses from ¥10,000. Dinner courses from ¥15,000. With an absolutely wonderful and very Japanese atmosphere, this restaurant looks and feels like a teahouse in the mountains. There is a lovely garden and each room has a hearth. [M-1]
TSUKIJI TAMURA
2-12-11 Tsukuji, Chuo-ku. Tel: 3541-1611. Hours: noon-3:00 P.M., 6:00-10:00 P.M. daily. This famous restaurant has recently been rebuilt, and is now in a seven-story building. On the first floor you can have kaiseki-ryori at a table with chairs: lunch from ¥6,000, dinner from ¥8,000. On the second and third floors you can sit on tatami mats and have lunch from ¥10,000, dinner from ¥30,000. [M-22]
HANNYAEN
2-20-10 Shirogane-dai, Minato-ku. Tel: 3441-1256. Hours: 6:00-10:00 P.M., closed Sun. & hol. In lovely grounds shared with the Hatakeyama Collection, Hannyaen is a sprawling, traditional Japanese-style estate. Your kaiseki meal will be served in a room overlooking the garden and an evening will include a performance by koto players. Although the food is not absolutely top grade, the atmosphere is suitably intriguing to justify the costs. ¥40,000 per person. Lunches are possible for groups of over five people. [M-19]
HOUMASA
3-2-21 Moto-azabu, Minato-ku. Tel: 3479-2880. Hours: 6:00-10:30 P.M., closed Sun & hol. Houmasa is ideal for perfect kaiseki cuisine without the formality of most top-ranked restaurants. You can sit at the counter and watch the chef, or on tatami at the two tiny tables along one wall. It's best if you can order a la carte in Japanese, but they also offer an omakase course (chef's choice) for ¥13,000. [M-2]
KISSO
Axis Bldg., 5-17-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, B1. Tel: 3582-4191. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-2:00 P.M., 5:30-10:00 P.M., closed Sun. Kisso serves excellent, but simple kaiseki in one of the most pleasant contemporary settings in Tokyo, which probably explains why this restaurant is a favorite with the local design elite. Lunch from ¥2,500, dinner from ¥8,000. [M-1]
Shojin-ryori
A traditional form of vegetarian cuisine, shojin-ryori was developed in Buddhist temples where eating meat, fish, or any animal product was against the tenets of the religion. The style of cooking was brought from China to Japan by the Zen monk Dogen (1200-53) after his training in the Chinese monasteries. The meal was rearranged to suit Japanese tastes and is now rather like a humble version of kaiseki.
Shojin-ryori is served in restaurants or at temples, where it is a special meal for guests. The monks themselves usually eat one bowl of rice in the morning, a bowl of rice and one of soup for lunch, and nothing for dinner.
Menu
• Shojin-ryori is usually as a set course of several dishes with rice and soup.
• In place of meat and fish, they have devised numerous ways of preparing soybeans, one of the main ones being tofu.
How to Order—Just ask for kaiseki.
DAIGO
2-4-2 Atago, Minato-ku. Tel: 3431-0811. Hours: noon-3:00 P.M., 5:00-9:00 P.M., closed Thurs. Charming building and gardens in this restaurant attached to a Buddhist temple. Meals served in traditional private rooms. Lunch from ¥12,000, dinner from ¥14,000 [M-11]
BON
1-2-11 Ryusen, Taito-ku. Tel: 3872-0375. Hours: noon-1:00 P.M., 5:00-8:00 P.M., closed Tue. This is a wonderful restaurant, but slightly out of the way. Lunch from ¥6,000, dinner from ¥7,000, prepared in a style that originated in Manpuku-ji temple in China. Tables are all in simple, Japanese-style semi-private rooms. [M-40]
SANKOIN TEMPLE
3-1-36 Honcho, Koganei-shi. Tel: (0423) 81-1116. Hours: noon-2:00 P.M., 2:00-4:00 P.M., closed Tues., Aug. 1-31, and Dec. 25-Jan 10. (Located a ten-minute walk from the north exit of Musashi Koganei Station on the Chuo Line.) This convent, built in 1934, is the most famous temple serving shojin-ryori. Reservations are accepted up to one month in advance; during the busy spring and autumn seasons, you should book early. Courses from ¥2,000 [off Map]
MURYOAN
6-9-17 Akasaka, Minato-ku. Tel: 3585-5829. Hours: noon-3:00 P.M., 5:00-9:00 P.M., closed Mon. Like Bon, Muryoan offers a type of monk's food that originated in China: fucha-ryori. All meals are served in private tatami rooms. Lunch ¥11,000, dinner ¥17,000 [M-6]
Sushi
A favorite question of the Japanese to the foreigner used to be "Can you eat raw fish?" While in years past about seventy-five percent of the answers were a definitive (if not disgusted) No, most visitors now look forward to their first real Japanese sushi meal. Raw fish has been demystified, and chances are that now you'll be asked "Can you eat natto?' which is a sticky kind of fermented soybean that half of the Japanese population won't eat themselves.
During the Heian period, a primitive form of sushi was a favorite delicacy of the aristocracy. Sliced raw fish was soaked in a salt brine that naturally fermented and preserved it. The slightly sour sushi became so popular that demand for the fermented fish exceeded supply. The solution was to put fresh sliced fish on vinegared rice. In the Edo period the art of sushi reached its current form as nigiri-zushi and became the favorite meal of the city-wise Edokko.
Ideally, sushi is prepared by thinly slicing only the choicest parts of the freshest of fish, and serving it on a bed of specially prepared, vinegar-flavored rice. Sometimes a dab of wasabi, green horseradish, is spread between the two. The sushi chef trains for years, spending two or three on just the rice balls, before he is considered a master. Menu-These are the types of fish most commonly served as sushi:
| maguro | tuna |
| torn | tuna belly |
| hamachi | yellowtail (young) |
| ika | squid |
| tako | octopus (boiled) |
| anago | conger eel (cooked & served with a sweet sauce) |
| ikura | salmon roe |
| uni | sea urchin roe |
| katsuo | bonito |
| ebi | shrimp (boiled) |
| ama-ebi | shrimp (raw) |
| awabi | abalone |
| akagai | red clam |
| hotate | scallop |
| tamago | cooked egg |
| norimaki | raw fish and various fillings rolled in dried seaweed |
| kappamaki | norimaki with cucumber |
| tekkamaki | norimaki with tuna |
| chirashi-zushi | raw fish with various other ingredients scattered on top of a bowl of rice (good for lunch) |
| gari | pickled ginger served as a sushi condiment |
| wasabi | green horseradish that is mixed in with the soy sauce when eating sashimi (use sparingly or you lose the flavor of the fish). |
How to Order
• As an hors d'oeuvre, sashimi is usually eaten with saké before the sushi.
• If you sit at the counter, you can order your sushi by pointing at or naming the fish. At a table you can also order piece by piece, but the best and easiest way is to order a set course such as matsu (expensive), take (medium), or ume (inexpensive). If you want more after the course, you can then order more of your favorites.
• When you make an order, the sushi will usually come in a pair.
• Certain fish are particularly good at certain times of the year. See the list of seasonal fish, or order by asking for "Shun no sakana."
• To eat the sushi, use your hands and dip it, fish side down, in soy sauce you've poured into a small dish. Cooked fish such as anago shouldn't be dipped since they will already be sauced.
TSUKIJI FISH MARKET Go early in the morning and have the freshest fish possible at one of the sushi shops in the area. [M-22]
KIYOTA
6-3-15 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tel: 3572-4854. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-8:00 P.M., closed Sun. & hol. If you checked in any Japanese restaurant guide, this famous sushi bar would probably be given top ratings for food, service, and atmosphere. There is no need to order here, the chef will just present you with possibly the best fish in town. Its list of regulars is also impressive: assorted politicians, captains of industry, and other celebrities. A minimal sushi meal will start at ¥25,000. [M-8]
FUKUZUSM
5-7-8 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 3402-4116. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-2:00 P.M., 5:30-11:00 P.M., closed Sun. Considered by some to be the best sushi restaurant in town. Very good sushi in a sleek, modern setting. Courses from ¥6,000. [M-1]
ICHIKAN
9-5 Daikanyama-cho, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 3461-2002. Hours: 11:30 AM.-2:00 P.M., 5:00-11:00 P.M., closed Mon. An excellent classic sushi bar, rather on the spacious side, so it is particularly good for larger groups (it gets crowded so try to make reservations). A meal here will cost upward of ¥10,000. [M-20]
KIKAKUZUSHI
3-7-2 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku. Tel: 3401-3880. Hours: noon-3:00 P.M., 5:00-10:00 P.M., closed Mon. Small and intimate, Kikakuzushi has the feel of a friendly neighborhood sushi bar. A basic meal here runs from about ¥5,000. [M-5]
SUSHI SEI
Ginza: Dainana Kanai Bldg., 1F, 8-2-13 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tel: 3572-4770. Hours: 11:45 A.M.-2:00 P.M., 4:45-10:40 P.M., closed Sun. & hol. [M-81 Aoyama: Bell Commons, 5F, Tel: 3475-8053. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-2:30 P.M., 5:30-10:30 P.M. Sat., Sun., & hol.: 11:30 A.M.-9:30 P.M. [M-5] Roppongi: 3-2-9 Nishi Azabu, Minato-ku. Tel: 3401-0578. Hours: 11:45 A.M.-2:30 P.M., 4:45-10:45 P.M., Sun. & hol.: 11:45 A.M.-9:30 P.M., closed second and third Wed. [M-11 A reputable, medium-priced sushi restaurant, there are numerous branches throughout the city. The restaurants have good basic sushi-bar interiors and good food. About ¥4,000 per person.
TSUKIJIEDOGIN
4-5-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku. Tel: 3542-4401. Hours: 11:00 A.M.-9:30 P.M., closed Sun. This old shop, located near the fish market, is famous for the size of their sushi as well as its taste and low prices. Their tamago-yaki is huge. About ¥3,000 per person. [M-22]
MATSUKAN
3-4-12 Azabu-juban, Minato-ku. Tel: 3455-4923. Hours: noon-2:00 P.M., 5:00-11:00 P.M. (Sat.: noon-10:30 P.M., Sun. & hol.: noon-9:00 P.M.), closed Mon. The food, service, and interior is just like a sushi bar should be. Cost is about ¥7,000 per person. For a side dish, try their hotate no shioyaki (grilled scallop) or other shioyaki-style fish. [M-1]
SAKAEZUSHI HONTEN
3-6-2 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku. Tel: 3351-2525. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-11:30 P.M. daily. Kohaku-don, maguro, and ika on sushi rice are their specialties. About ¥2,000 per person. [M-7]
SUSHI BAR SAI
Rambling Core Andos Bldg., 2F, 1-7-5 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 3496-6333. Hours: 5:30 P.M.-1:00 A.M. daily, hoi. 4:00-10:00 P.M. Western-influenced sushi bar serves California-maki, (rolled sushi with avocado) and tofu-zushi using tofu instead of rice. Courses only, from ¥1,200. [M-3]
GENROKUZUSHI
5-8-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 3498-3968. Hours: 11:00 A.M.-9:00 P.M. daily. Fast-food sushi by this chain of sushi restaurants. A conveyor belt moves plates of sushi along in front of the customer. You just pick out what you want. Cost is ¥120 per plate. There is a branch of this shop in most major districts. [M-4]
Tempura
While some people claim that tempura was originally a Portuguese recipe, others will say the Portuguese stole the idea from China. Whatever the case, tempura has become one of the mainstays of Japanese cooking. Many tempura fanatics claim the secret to the tempura lies in the oil. The best Tokyo restaurants will use expensive sesame oil, that leaves no after-taste. In Osaka a lighter vegetable oil is preferred. Most tempura restaurants also serve sashimi.
| Menu | |
| teishoku | A set menu that usually consists of ebi (shrimp), kisu (light, white fish), ika (squid), anago (Conger eel), piman (small green peppers), kakiage (shrimp in balls of batter), rice, pickles, and miso soup. |
| tendon, tenju | These two are usually prawns and vegetables served on rice, with a sauce poured over the top. |
You can also order a la carte:
| kaibashira | shell ligament |
| nori | dried seaweed |
| tamanegi | onion |
| shiitake | mushrooms |
| shiso | perilla |
| shishito | a very small green pepper |
| nasu | eggplant |
| kabocha | squash |
| satsumaimo | sweet potato |
| tentsuyu | dipping bowl of soy sauce and dashi fish-stock soup base to which is added grated daikon (white radish) and ginger, the usual accompaniment to tempura |
How to Order
• You can order the set meal teishoku and if you want more, then order a la carte. This is the best and cheapest way.
• Tempura should be eaten while it's hot. The tentsuyu sauce will be in a small pitcher, pour it into the empty bowl you're given, and mix in the ginger and radish. Dip the tempura into the sauce. Don't let it stay there and soak or it will not only lose its taste, but will look disgusting.
TEN'ICHI
6-6-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tel: 3571-1949. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-10:00 P.M. daily. One of the best and most famous tempura restaurants in Tokyo, Ten'ichi has more than ten branches throughout the city. Lunch is from ¥7,000, dinner from ¥8,500. Tendon served until 4:00 P.M. is ¥4,000. [M-8]
TSUNAHACHI
Shinjuku: 3-31-8 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku. Tel: 3352-1011. Hours: 11:00 A.M.-10:00 P.M. daily. [M-7] Shibuya: Daiichi Kangin Kyodo Bldg., 6F, 2-23-3 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 3476-6059. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-10:30 P.M. daily. [M-3] A reasonably priced tempura restaurant with over thirty-six branches in Tokyo, their teishoku set is only ¥1,050. Try a la carte if you still have room for it: hashira no norimaki (shellfish wrapped in seaweed), tamago no kimi (egg yolk), or ice cream (fried!) for dessert.
MIYAGAWA
6-1-6 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku. Tel: 3400-3722. Hours: noon-2:00 P.M., 5:00-11:00 P.M., closed Sun. & hol. This small and unpretentious restaurant right in the middle of Tokyo's most fashionable district serves excellent Osaka-style tempura. Lunch from ¥1,500, dinner courses from ¥6,000. [M-5]
NAKASEI
1-39-13 Asakusa, Taito-ku. Tel: 3841-4015. Hours: noon-3:00 P.M., 4:00-8:00 P.M., closed Tue. Pleasant restaurant preserving the atmosphere of old Tokyo. Situated near Asakusa Kokaido Hall. Teishoku set ¥2,800. [M-12]
TENSHICE
Daisan Seiko Bldg., 2F, 3-6-10 Akasaka, Minato-ku. Tel: 3583-3230. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-2:00 P.M., 6:00-8:30 P.M., closed Sun. & hol. The master of this small and friendly restaurant will personally fry your meal of authentic Edo-style tempura. The lunch special is tendon or kakiagedon at ¥1,300. Dinner courses from ¥7,000. [M-6]
UKIYO
2-1-1 Azabu-juban, Minato-ku. Tel: 3455-2254. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-2:00 P.M., 5:00-10:00 P.M., closed Tue. A simple neighborhood restaurant, the tempura is great and the staff very friendly. Lunch from ¥1,100, dinner course from ¥4,000. [M-1]
Yakitori
A favorite hangout for the Japanese salariman on his way home from work, most yakitori restaurants are technically not restaurants, but nomiya. The art refined is served in more sophisticated restaurants for those who find the under-the-tracks yakitori spots not quite to their taste. Yakitori at its best is skewered bits of chicken, charcoal broiled to the perfect crispy on the outside, succulent on the inside stage.
| Menu | |
| sei-niku | chicken dark meat |
| sasami | chicken breast meat |
| negima | chicken and leeks (other combinations of chicken and vegetables are also served, depending on the restaurant) |
| reba | chicken liver |
| tsukune | meatballs |
| kawa | skin |
| tebasaki | wings |
| piman | green peppers |
| shiitake | large mushrooms |
| negi | leek |
| ginnan | ginkgo nuts |
| uzura | quail eggs |
| Side Dishes: | |
| oroshi | grated white radish with a raw quail's egg on top to be used mixed with soy sauce or as a dip for yakitori |
| nikomi | stew of pork, tripe, etc. |
| kamameshi | steamed seasoned rice with vegetables and a choice of chicken, crab, salmon, etc. |
How to Order
• Order a side dish to eat while you're waiting for the grilled items.
• The grilled food is usually served meat first and vegetables last. You can usually see what's available since seats tend to be at a counter surrounding the grill.
• Some of the dishes are good with fare (a slightly sweet sauce), others are best with just lemon and salt. There will be a small jar of shichimi, a hot combination of seven spices that can be sprinkled at will.
• You can bite the food right off the skewers or slip it off with your chopsticks.
TORICIN
4-12-6 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 3403-5829. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-2:00 P.M., 5:00-10:30 P.M., closed Sun. One of the best known yakitori restaurants in town, this is just one of a chain of many Torigins spread throughout the city. The restaurants are all comfortably casual, and the food is basic but good. Courses from ¥940. [M-1]
Other branches are at Shibuya: Kakugin Bldg., B1, 1-13-9 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 3486-9831. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-10:00 P.M. daily. (11:30 A.M.-9:00 P.M. Sun. & hol.) [M-3]
Ginza: 5-5-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tel 3571-3333. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-9:30 P.M. daily. (11:30 A.M.-9:00 P.M., Sun. & hol.) [M-8]
TORICHO
7-14-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 3401-1827. Hours: 5:00-11:00 P.M. daily. This rather classy yakitori restaurant even made it into the Town & Country list of recommended Tokyo restaurants a few years back. It is very good, the setting very relaxed. Omakase course ¥4,000. [M-1]
NANBANTEI
4-5-6 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 3402-0606. Hours: 5:30-11:30 P.M. daily. (MII Shibuya branch: Tokyu Bunka Kaikan 2nd Fl., 2-21-12 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 3498-0940. Hours: 11:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M., 5:00-10:45 P.M. daily. [M3]. Try their nanban-yaki—beef dipped in hot miso and grilled. The asupara-maki is green asparagus wrapped in thinly sliced pork. Dinner course from ¥3,500.
ISEHIRO
1-5-4 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku. Tel: 3281-5864. Hours: 11:30-2:00 P.M., 4:30-9:00 P.M., closed Sun. & hol. In this nearly sixty-year-old restaurant, you can eat an entire hen, bit-by-bit, for ¥4,500. If you can't make it through the whole bird, just say you've had enough, and you'll only pay for what you've eaten. Lunch costs around ¥1,500. [M-9]
GANCHAN
Okaue Bldg., 1F, 6-8-23 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 3478-0092. Hours: 6:00 P.M.-2:O0 A.M. daily, until midnight on Sun. & hol. This place can best be described as pure Japanese funk. The interior is classic yakitori-ya style, the music is either enka or California surfer tunes. The crew is amicable and casual. Food is great. Course meal ¥2,500. [M-1]
Robata-yaki
Probably the noisiest restaurants in the world, robata-yaki restaurants are known for the lively shouting of the staff welcoming the guests and calling in orders. Though some first-time foreigners mistake the shouts for anger, it's all in good fun. Robata-yaki is country-style cooking, a variety of simple and hearty dishes of mostly seafood and vegetables prepared over a robata grill. The atmosphere is usually postcard perfect with Japanese decor and a restaurant crew in provincial costume. The food is great, very simple, and filling.
Menu—Just about anything can be ordered in a robata-yaki restaurant, but the specialty is the food grilled on the open robata in front of the counter.
| Shio-yaki: | a whole fish grilled with a bi |
| nishin | herring |
| karei | flounder/turbot |
| sanma | pike |
| aji | horse mackerel |
| ika | squid |
| shishamo | smelt |
| ebi | shrimp |
| Vegetables: | |
| nasu | eggplant |
| piman | green peppers |
| negi | leek |
| shiitake | mushrooms |
| ginnan | ginkgo nuts |
| atsu-age | deep-fried tofu |
| satsuma-age | deep-fried ground fish |
| Side dishes: | |
| nikujaga | a stew of meat and potatoes |
| jagabata | grilled potatoes with butter |
How to Order
• Because grilled foods take time to cook, order sashimi first, or a couple of side dishes along with the grilled fish. The fish will be displayed in front of you so you can just point. Finish the meal with onigiri and oshinko (pickles).
• There will usually be some special seasonal fish. To order, just ask Kyo wa nani ga oishii desu ka? or "What's good today?"
• Eat the grilled fish and vegetables with a bit of soy sauce. Onigiri are eaten plain.
INAKAYA
Roppongi: 7-8-4 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 3405-9866. Hours: 5:00 P.M.-5:00 A.M. daily. [M-1] Akasaka: 3-12-7 Akasaka, Minato-ku. Tel: 3586-3054. Hours: 5:00-11:00 P.M. daily. [M-6] One of the most picturesque robata-yaki restaurants in town, the cooks sit on a platform right in front of the counter. Dinner will cost about ¥10,000 per person.
OKAIOKI
3-59-3 Nakano, Nakano-ku. Tel: 3228-1239. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-1:00 P.M., 5:00-11:00 P.M., (4:00-10:00 P.M., Sun. & hol.). A huge hearth and kitchen, surrounded by an equally huge counter, they serve food in appropriately huge portions. A single onigiri is enough for two. Cost is about ¥3,000-¥4,000 per person. [M-26]
GONIN BYAKUSHO
Roppongi Square Building, 4F, 3-10 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 3470-1675. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-2:30 P.M., 5:00-10:30 P.M., closed Sun. & hol. At the entrance you'll find lockers. Just like in the public baths, put your shoes in and lock them up. The restaurant is run by a famous sushi company called Kyotaru, and they have the usual robata-yaki menu plus specialty items like cbakin-shumai—steamed minced meat wrapped in a thin egg casing. Courses start at ¥4,000. The name means "the five farmers," and the atmosphere is suitably rural. [M-1]
TORA
3-49-1 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 3440-0917. Hours: 6:00 P.M.-midnight, closed Sun. & hol. A rather fashionable, newer restaurant, with simple but good food. [M-2]
OKAJU
1-26-3 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku. Tel: 3717-0781. Hours: 5:00-11:30 P.M. daily. This shop has some interesting additions to the usual robata-yaki menu: manju, minced chicken wrapped with mashed potato and served in a soup; kintoki-guratan, a sweet potato gratin, etc. About ¥5,000 per person. [M-21]
Kushi-age
Originally an Osaka specialty, kushi means skewer and age means deep fried. Fish, meat, or vegetables are skewered, dipped in batter then bread crumbs, and deep-fried. This is a delicious, but comparatively little-known Japanese meal.
| Menu | |
| Set Course | Usually consists of salad, six to ten skewers of kushi-age, rice or noodles, miso soup, and pickles. |
| ebi | prawn |
| kani no tsume | crab claw |
| tori | chicken |
| gyuniku | beef |
| shiitake | mushroom |
| asupara | asparagus |
| imo | potato |
| konnyaku | arrowroot gelatin |
| Side Dishes: | |
| soba | Japanese buckwheat noodles |
| kayaku gohan | seasoned rice |
| ochazuke | a bowl of rice covered with hot green tea or fish broth |
How to Order
• Ordering the set menu is the easiest and usually cheapest way.
• The chef will tell you if the kushi-age skewer needs sauce (sosu de dozo=please use the sauce), salt (shio de dozo=please use salt), or if it's best plain (kono mama de dozo). When you are almost through with your kushi-age, the chef will ask Gohan to soba no dochira ni shimasu ka? or "Will you have rice (gohan) or noodles (soba)? You decide.
CHISEN
4-12-5 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 3403-7677. Hours: 5:30-11:00 P.M., closed Mon. Another branch in Roppongi is at 7-16-5 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 3478-6241, closed Sun. They have a great course for ¥4,500, then another "flexible" course where you get all of the side dishes, but pay only for as much kushi-age as you can eat. [M-1]
HANTEI
2-12-15 Nezu, Bunkyo-ku. Tel: 3828-1440. Hours: 5:00-10:30 P.M., closed Sun. & third Mon. This three-story wooden structure looks like an old country house. Part of the restaurant is a converted storehouse with a small tatami seating area. Kushi-age course menus start with twelve skewers for ¥4,000. Next door is a quiet coffee shop. [M-13]
KUSHINOBO
3-10-17 Akasaka, Minato-ku. Tel: 3586-7390. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-2:00 P.M., 5:00-9:30 P.M. daily. One skewer from ¥150. Try their shiitake-toriniku-hasami, a large mushroom stuffed with minced chicken; or their shiso-maki-ebi, a prawn wrapped in shiso leaves. Lunch ¥720. Dinner about ¥2,500 per person. [M-6]
Tonkatsu
When eating meat became possible during the Meiji period, pork and beef were popularly served as katsu, cutlets dipped in flour, egg, and bread crumbs, then deep fried. Now, mainly pork is served this way, the best having a light and flaky crust while the meat is thick, moist, and tender. A fairly inexpensive meal, tonkatsu is popular both as a lunch and a family dinner. Fish and vegetables are also sometimes served this way.
| Menu | |
| hire-katsu | fillet cutlets (all lean meat) |
| rosu-katsu | loin cutlets (some fat meat) |
| kushi-katsu | meat skewered with onions |
| ebi-furai | fried prawns |
| korokke | potato croquette |
| tonjiru | miso soup with pork and vegetables |
| akadashi | red miso soup |
TONKI
1-1-2 Shimo-meguro, Meguro-ku. Tel: 3491-9928. Hours: 4:00 P.M.-10:45 P.M., closed Tue & third Mon. One of the great Tokyo tonkatsu restaurants, you may have to wait a while for a seat here since it's always busy. They dip their katsu in the egg and flour batter three times (once is usual); this keeps the pork crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. Katsu teishoku is ¥1,450. [M-19]
HONKEPONTA
3-23-2 Ueno, Taito-ku. Tel: 3831-2351. Hours: 11:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M., 4:30-8:00 P.M., closed Mon. The oldest tonkatsu restaurant in Tokyo, their tonkatsu is also the thickest and most tender. Other special dishes on their menu are ebi cream croquettes and tongue or beef stew. Tonkatsu is ¥2,500. [M-13]
MAISEN
4-8-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 3470-0071. Hours: 11:00 A.M.-10:00 P.M. daily. This big and busy tonkatsu restaurant offers a huge selection of other items including vegetable tonkatsu that even vegetarians will love. [M-4]
Sukiyaki and Shabu-shabu
Sukiyaki has been a popular meal since eating meat lost its taboo status in the Meiji period. A fairly easy dish to prepare, it's often produced in the home. Specialized restaurants have their own "secret" broth that makes the dish particularly good and most will cook it for you at the burner on your table. The basic ingredient is the beef, sliced paper-thin and sauteed for just a few seconds in the hot pan in front of you. A broth is then added, and the beef is lightly simmered. The best beef is that from Matsuzaka, where the cattle are pampered and protected, even massaged, to ensure the most tender of meats. After the beef is cooked, a selection of vegetables will be added to the pot.
Shabu-shabu is named for the shabu-shabu sound of the thinly-sliced beef swishing in the boiling broth. The major difference between sukiyaki and shabu-shabu is the broth. For sukiyaki, the broth is soy-based, thick, and slightly sweet, while the shabu-shabu broth is a clear stock, only lightly seasoned. Restaurants often serve both dishes.
Menu
• Sukiyaki—A set menu will include the beef (gyuniku) and vegetables such as leeks (negi), carrots (ninjin), mushrooms (shiitake and enokidake), chrysanthemum leaves (shungiku), tofu, etc. In addition, you'll be served rice, miso soup, and pickles.
• Shabu-shabu—The set menu is similar to that of sukiyaki, but at the end of the meal noodles will be added to the broth.
Ordering and Eating
• Sukiyaki—The waitress will do most of the cooking for you. Each person is given a bowl with a beaten raw egg in it. Use the egg as a dip for the beef.
• Shabu-shabu—The waitress will help, but you will cook the meat piece by piece in the boiling pot (it only takes a few seconds). Dip the cooked meat in the ground sesame, chopped green onions, the ponzu sauce made with soy and vinegar, or the goma-dare, a sauce of ground sesame and fish stock. After the meat is finished, the vegetables will be added to the broth. The waitress will probably do this for you.
ZAKURO
Nihon Jitensha Kaikan, B1, 1-9-15 Akasaka, Minato-ku. Tel: 3582-2661. [M-11] Akasaka TBS Kaikan, B1, 5-3-3 Akasaka. Tel: 3582-6841. [M-61 Ginza Sanwa Bldg., B1, 4-6-1 Ginza, Chuoku. Tel: 3538-4421. [M-8] Hours: 11:00 A.M.-10:00 P.M. (Ginza branch until 9:00 P.M.). This top-rated shabu-shabu restaurant has three branches. The atmosphere is suitably Japanese and the food excellent. Shabu-shabu from ¥10,000, sukiyaki from ¥ 14,000.
CHIN'YA
1-3-4 Asakusa, Taito-ku. Tel: 3841-0010. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-9:30 P.M., closed Wed. A famous restaurant since the Meiji period, the current restaurant is in a seven-story building (in the basement part, you don't have to take off your shoes). Sukiyaki-teishoku (B1) ¥2,400. Sukiyaki from ¥6,000. Shabu-shabu teishoku from ¥2,600. [M-12]
HASEJIN
3-3-15 Azabu-dai, Minato-ku. Tel: 3582-7811. Hours: 11:30 A.M.-10:30 P.M., closed Sun. A great beef restaurant, they have a gyu-kaiseki course (beef kaisekl) from ¥10,000. Sukiyaki courses from ¥12,000, shabu-shabu from ¥8,000. [M-1]
SHABUSEN
Ginza Core Bldg., B2 & 2F, 5-8-20 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tel: 3572-3806/3571-1717. Hours: 11:00 A.M.-10:00 P.M. daily. One of the most inexpensive shabu-shabu restaurants in town with courses from ¥3,200. [M-8]
NARUSE
6-8-17 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 3403-7666. Hours: 5:00-11:00 P.M., closed Sun. Sukiyaki and shabu-shabu, all-you-can-eat courses for just over ¥4,000. [M-1]
BOTAN
1-15 Kanda Suda-cho, Chiyoda-ku. Tel: 3251-0577. Hours: noon-8:00 P.M., closed Sun. & hol. Chicken sukiyaki served in private tatami rooms with charcoal braziers. Homey atmosphere. Sukiyaki course from ¥5,300. [M-14]
Soba
Soba is a very serious subject for many Tokyoites. The buckwheat noodles have been popular since the Edo period, when more restaurants served soba than any other type of food (sushi was a close second). Some Edokko still have to have their daily soba "hit."
But soba restaurants are a hotly debated subject, and everyone has a favorite to which they remain stubbornly loyal. Yabu Soba in Kanda is probably the overall winner. The best soba is handmade, teuchi, and has a slightly hard and chewy texture. Fast-food soba tachigui served at stand-up noodle stalls is an almost completely different species of noodle. Noodles are served either in a hot soup or cold. A bowl of good soba will cost from ¥1,000-¥2,000.
