Going to Tokyo is not just making a list of the places you want to visit such as temples, parks, shopping areas, it also mean making a list (a long one) of the food you want to eat (sushi, ramen, taiyaki, etc) and the restaurants you want to visit.
PS. I bought this 'Eating in Japan' book at the airport (Narita). Cost ¥1000.
Sharing my list of restaurants (and some of the food we ate) during our trip to Tokyo:
1. RAMEN. Summer was just starting in Tokyo (late June) and the weather is still cool to eat ramen so off to Ichiran Ramen we go. Ichiran is one of the popular ramen shop in Japan, and in Hong Kong, Brooklyn, New York, Taipei, and Taichung. I do love the rich-tasting broth at Ichiran. Btw, you pay at the vending machine and it only accepts cash. Not sure if you can use Suica or Pasmo though.
Aside from Ichiran which we went to twice, not to mention bought boxes to bring back home, we also had ramen at an old shop near Sumida river. The place is quite small and can only fit about 9 diners and it manned by an old uncle who doesn't speak English.
2. DANGO or rice flour balls. We had our first taste of dango at Nakamise Shopping Street, Asakusa. There are many variations of dango, we got one with sweet soy sauce glaze, and a grilled one that's rolled in roasted rice flour powder. It has a chewy texture and is a bit bland. Tastes comes from the syrup or powder.
We also had another round of dango from the seller near Donki Asakusa.
3. GYUDON at MATSUYA is one of the go-to place of locals when they want to eat gyudon. Also, Matsuya is very affordable at ¥500 - ¥1000 per serving. Gyudon is basically beef strips with onions, on top of hot rice. Side dishes such as miso soup, tamago are available for an extra fee.
We also had gyudon at YOSHINOYA. Yoshinoya is another popular gyudon place with an affordable price.
4. CHIRASHI-DON. It was a memorable chirashi-don lunch at
Ougisushi Shinjuku. We love our food and the dining experience at Ougisushi.
5. TAKOYAKI may be synonymous with Osaka but we discovered a takoyaki bar when we went to Ikebukuro. And it's quite amusing to note that the 'chef' behind the takoyaki bar hails from Canada (a Japanese guy who grew up in Canada). This is a takoyaki-fusion bar though and a bit expensive.
6. SAMGYUP. Haha. I know, I know, wrong country! But having samgyup in Tokyo is a fun experience. Samgyup is the Korean version of the Japanese yakiniku. Also, we got to sit on the floor and grill the meat ourselves. Forgot the name of the samgyup place but it's in Kinshicho.
7. MOS BURGER. MOS Burger is one of the most popular local burger chains in Japan. It also has branches in other SEA countries and Australia. I ordered the kiddie meal here because it comes with a cute bag tag, and the hamburg set.
8. CAT TAIL PASTRY from Danish Bar. I'm not sure if it has a branch other than the one we saw at Meiji Jingumae. This is similar to a waffle with different fillings inside. We got the one with Belgian Chocolate and Hazelnut Cream. So good! We did plan to buy a box to bring home but we got lost in the cavernous Meiji Jingumae Station when we went back.
9. IZAKAYA in ASAKUSA. This is a memorable dinner because I didn't know that my friend was celebrating her birthday. It was fun to grill your own food plus drink plum wine. What's nice about this izakaya is that it opens till about 1-2AM.
10. BEEF SKEWERS in ASAKUSA. Super love the beef skewers here plus the grilled rice in skewers. I think we went back to eat here on 3 separate days, and even bought some takeouts which we ate at the hotel.
11. TEN-NEN TAIYAKI. This taiyaki shop in Asakusa is quite popular being the only one in that particular street. Aside from the taiyaki, Ten-Nen also serves matcha drinks.
12. STREETFOOD at SENSO-JI TEMPLE. Takoyaki and grilled octopus. Oishii desu! I happen to wander at the Senso-ji Temple grounds early in the morning and surprise, surprise! Aside from the permanent Nakamise-dori food stalls, there are also a lot of food sellers at the other end of the temple.
13. CHIRASHI-DON at AMEYOKOCHO UENO. The food choices at Ameyokocho will blow your mind. I mean, lots and lots of choices. There's even a McDonald's! Hahaha. But of course, we wanted something Japanese so we went to one of the stalls near the railtrack that sells sushi, etc. Another cheap but filling meal here. A mini bowl of Chirashi-don is around ¥300 only. And we did love our dining experience here so we went back again.
14. SABOTEN is another favorite. We love how the katsu are not oily. This is a takeout stall only, located is a few meters from Donki Asakusa.
15. 711 / FAMILY MART / LAWSON. Last but not the least, dining in Japan is not complete if you haven't eaten at the famous konbinis! From egg sandwiches to sausages to famichikis!
Related links:
