Japan is the land for food. There is simply no comparison. Out of all the countries I’ve traveled to, Japan has always been the most consistent in terms of food quality and value for money. Whenever people say Japan is expensive – all I need to do is point out how cheap you can get their food (ok, not cheap, but affordable given the quality)! I love it – my only sadness is… I haven’t had the time to fully explore the culinary scene of this beautiful city yet… But for now, this list shall suffice. Before we start though – some tips:

• Japan is pretty well-known for their queuing culture and their small restaurant seating space; therefore for most of the restaurants I’ll be listing below – expect to queue for quite awhile. As such, if you’re a big group and okay to be seated apart, please do tell them upfront. This will cut down on your waiting time DRASTICALLY. You know what will cut it down even more? Go early
• For some restaurant joints, you’ll notice an ordering machine. You have to order here by placing cash in first, then pressing your order (the machine is usually in Japanese, but will have nice photos on it). Afterwards, a stub will come out and you should then hand this over to the waiter
• Despite being a very well-to-do country, Japan is still a bit backwards in some sense… Case in point, a lot of their establishments accept cash only. So, be ready and always have some cash with you!

 

Great, I think that covers it! Let’s walk you guys through my food recommendations now shall we? Hope you’re ready to shout UMAMI with me! <3

 

Table of Contents

• Shinjuku
• Tsukiji Market
• Odaiba

Shinjuku

Bou’lange

• Specialty: Pastries (they have lots of novel flavors like Sakura blanc – so make sure to try them out)
• Price: $$$ (Quite pricey for pastries)

It always surprises me when I realize how good Japanese pastries can be – although I don’t know why I’m surprised. After all, it feels like Japan consists of people who simply spend years honing their craft, so why would their pastries be any different? Anyway, I was really itching to try Gontran Cherrier, consistently touted to be the #1 bakery in Tokyo; but it’s been replaced by Bou’lange – owned by the same group and serving largely the same pastries… No worries, the pastries were still AH-MAZING

Gyukatsu Motomura

• Specialty: Fried beef cutlets
• Price: JPY 1,300 (130 g of beef); JPY 2,100 (260 g of beef)

We queued for 30mins for the opportunity to savor this delectable piece of beef. Note, they place a stone cutlet in front of you so you can cook it on your own. Included in the price are wasabi, horseradish sauce, seasoned cod roe and potato salad. It was very good – please take my word for it and go!

 

Omoide Yokocho

• Specialty: Yakitori
• Price: $ (but becomes $$ if you choose a sit-down restaurant), cash only

Craving for some yakitori? You’re in luck – it’s the land of yakitoris!!! Beware, it can feel slightly claustrophobic here due to the walled-in spaces and hordes of people

Tip: Don’t eat in the sit-down restaurants. Those are more expensive (there’s a JPY 300 table charge), and everyone’s expected to order a drink (on top of food). Just try one of the roadside “stalls” instead

Afuri

• Specialty: Tsukemen
• Price: $$

There was a slight queue when we got there (at 6:30PM) but it wasn’t so bad. What took us longer was trying to figure out how to operate the ordering machine! Arghhh, need to enter cash first, BEFORE you can order the food items. I thought the machine was broken!! Oh well, you learn a new thing everyday… Anyway, try their famed Afuri fusion noodles (tsukemen was the bomb!), it’s amazing! <3

 

Fuunji

• Specialty: Noodles – famed for their special dipping sauce
• Price: $$

We got here at 6:30PM and still had to queue for 30 mins, these restaurants are CRAZY! Once you’re seated, the waiter will ask you if you want a medium or large size (they cost exactly the same!). I’m a girl with decent appetite and I finished the medium semi-easily; I do think Large would’ve been a struggle though (although my brother happily scarfed his food down)

Anyway, this joint is famous for their special dipping sauce (which has this very rich, a bit fishy taste). Some people like the sauce here so much, that after they finish their noodles, they pour hot water into the sauce to dilute it, then drink it straight down like a soup!

 

Yoshinoya

• Specialty: Gyudon
• Price: $

Don’t laugh! Yoshinaya Japan’s gyudon is simply mindblowing!!! In the Philippines, Yoshinoya isn’t great – but in Japan, it’s my #1 go-to place for gyudon. The best part? It’s cheap!

Tsukiji Market

 

Segawa

• Specialty: Tuna bowls (or Maguro Donburi)
• Price: JPY 1,500 for the tuna bowl

I really really wanted to try Segawa. Unfortunately, I woke up late and by the time we got there (10:30AM), they were already out of stock!! How can this be?!?! Anyway, we ended up eating at Sushi Zanmai instead…

 

Sushi Zanmai

• Specialty: Sushi (duh – see the name!)
• Price: $$

Good quality, and reasonably priced sushi sets – it’s hard to go wrong with Sushi Zanmai! Still, I think I would’ve liked to try Segawa…

 

Shutoku Honten (秀徳)

• Specialty: Sushi
• Price: $$$
• Address:4-14-16 Tsukiji Chuo Tokyo (Tsukiji Market area)

Man, this restaurant is a definite must-try! My local friend brought me here and it was A-MAZING. Fresh sushi galore – and it just kept coming. I counted 18 dishes in total, devoured over a span of 2 hours. Crazyyy! My stomach died, but it died happy 😉 Do expect to cough up some cash for this meal though…

Odaiba

Kaneko Hannosuke

• Specialty: Tempura with poached egg
• Price: JPY 900 + tax

The tempura here is SUPER yummy, but quite pricey given the size of its portions. Note that the Odaiba branch is found at the Diver City food court, but the original branch is the one at Nihombashi

 

Excited for more? Follow me on my Tokyo journey! 🙂

For my other Japan blogs, please do check out the following:

Everything you need to know about Tokyo (as a DIY tourist)

Eating my way through Tokyo – top picks!

What to see and do in Okinawa

TOKYO 7-DAY OFF-THE-BEATEN PATH DIY ITINERARIES

• Day 1: Tokyo Day trip to Kawagoe
• Day 2: Tokyo Disney Sea adventure
• Day 3: Tokyo Day trip to Yokohama
• Day 4: Tokyo Day trip to Hakone
• Day 5: Tokyo Day trip to Kamukara and Enoshima
• Day 6: Tokyo shopping day!
• Day 7: Imperial Palace Walking Tour + Odaiba