My wife and I have flirted with the idea of visiting Japan for many years. I think you may have pushed us over the edge! Your reports are fantastic!
3 Likes
What time of day did you go to Seagen? I’ve been thinking of going for a few years but I’ve been steered away due to reports of long tourist lines. Seems like your experience was not like that.
The Zeitaku Don is beautiful! That is an incredible lunch!!
I would have to go for a brisk walk after a meal that rich. Or take a nap.
1 Like
Thanks!
I checked my photo times and I lined up at around 1:15 pm on a Friday and I got in 20 minutes later, not too bad. They had run out of a few things though. They close at 3 pm and many of the shops in the market were closing up at around 2 pm when I left.
1 Like
SAVOY Kaminarimon Ten
After visiting the Sensō-ji temple in Asakusa, which is the oldest temple in Tokyo, I happened upon a branch of Savoy near there - SAVOY Kaminarimon Ten. I got in line for some Japanese pizza.
But first here’s some pictures of Sensō-ji.
Savoy is a pizzeria specializing in the Neapolitan-like Japanese style pizza. It now has several locations. Seems to be popular with Westerners, at least that night - I think most of the people in line were from Europe.
It’s a small restaurant. There’s a counter with a view of the wood burning pizza oven.
I had a whiskey highball to drink.
The pizza menu here is quite simple. They also have some appetizers butI didn’t get a picture of those pages. I ordered a Margherita (¥1980).
The pizzaiolo at work. The pizzas are cooked quickly like Neapolitan pizzas, in under 90 seconds. I didn’t use a timer but it seemed to be closer to 60 seconds than 90 seconds.
My Margherita. This was an excellent pizza! The crust was tender and very flavorful, one of the best pizza crusts I’ve eaten in recent memory. It had a perfect chewiness - some chew but not super chewy, just the right balance. As is typical for Japanese style pizza, when opening and shaping the crust the rim is pinched outward a bit so there’s kind of a textured ridge on the edge. Apparently this makes crunchy bits where it is pinched. This pizza tasted more like a Neapolitan style pie than the Japanese Umami pizza I’d had at Marumo earlier in the week, with a softer more tender center. This is probably due to this pie having the traditional Neapolitan Margherita toppings of mozzarella, tomatoes, olive oil, and basil.
Tabelog: https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1311/A131102/13288583/
10 Likes
Later that night I headed to Shinjuku to check out Omoide Yokochō / Memory Lane, which is also known as Piss Alley. This colorful name dates back to the 1940s post WW2 when the alley was a place with many unlicensed bars and eateries. Since restroom facilities were non-existent then, customers would simply relieve themselves on the railroad tracks. Piss Alley burned down in 1999 and was rebuilt, preserving the original feel. There are restrooms now however.
Here’s some pictures of Piss Alley. It had been dressed up with some leafy decorations for fall.
Kameya Shinjuku Ten (かめや)
There are a lot of yakitori stalls in Omoide Yokochō but a lot of them were closed because I got there a bit late at around 11:30 pm. I ended up grabbing a seat at Kameya in the alley, which was full of people slurping up noodles. Kameya is a small soba shop with 8 seats that’s open 24 hours. They have cold / hiyashi soba but everybody seemed to be having soba in hot soup in the chilly evening. I had a ten tema soba, which was a bowl of soba in soup with an egg and tempura. You order and pay the chef directly - no ticket machines here.
The menu
Here’s the ten tama soba. It was a very nice bowl of soba buckwheat noodles in a light soy based broth that I drank nearly all of, with a runny onsen egg and a crispy tempura kakiage patty that had shrimp and veggies. The tempura stayed a little crispy in the soup. It was a super deal at only ¥560.
Noodle closeup
Tabelog: https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1304/A130401/13006720/
13 Likes
Ichiran Atore Ueno Yamashitaguchi Ten (一蘭)
I caught one of the last trains back to Ueno and had dinner #3 around midnight at the Ichiran in Ueno Station. Ichiran is a chain of ramen shops from Fukuoka specializing in tonkotsu ramen, with a rich milky white pork bone broth. They are also known for their commitment to solo dining - you don’t have to even talk with another person if you don’t want to. It’s an introvert’s dream.
There was a bit of a line late Friday night.
There’s an order sheet with preferences that you can fill out while in line. This is what I picked - recommended default options for all.
They had Ichiran instant ramen bowls and kits for sale.
Here’s the ticket machine, which had an English option. It accepted credit cards. I had the Ichiran Select 5 (¥2,030) which had their tonkotsu ramen along with nori, kikurage mushroom, extra chashu, and a soft boiled egg. I think I got this because of the flashy “No. 1 Menu” sticker on it.
After you’ve ordered you take a seat at a small one person cubicle. The door in the front of the cubicle opened and I handed over the preference sheet. There’s a self serve water dispenser in each cube.
There were some interesting non-verbal signs that customers can use to communicate with staff, including “It’s noisy.”
I also had a very cold Asahi beer. It was served in a frosted mug and was great with the rich ramen.
After a short wait my ramen arrived through the sliding window. It was really good. The tonkotsu broth was rich, creamy, and porky but not cloyingly so. It was rich with lip coating collagen. The noodles were the thin Hakata style and had a nice chew at the default “medium” doneness that I’d marked. The pork was thinly sliced and springy, very good. The egg was soft boiled but not marinated - you have to crack and peel it yourself. I added that and the crunchy sliced kikurage / wood ear fungus to my bowl along with the nori sheets which came in a packet.
My ramen set.
Tabelog: https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1311/A131101/13005552/
11 Likes
Sanuki Onkashi Taikouya
Earlier in the evening when I was in Asakusa I had picked up some daifuku at Sanuki Onkashi Taikouya in a large shopping arcade near the Sensō-ji Temple. I ended this gluttonous day by having some of these for dessert.
Aren’t they pretty? They looked a bit like sandals, and were filled with sweet bean paste and topped with large sweet strawberries. Very nice fruit daifuku!
I also had some kinako / roasted powdered soybean dusted mochi from the same place for breakfast the next day. This was also very good, bouncy with a toasty nutty powder coating for a change in texture. I topped it with a packet of black sugar syrup.
Google Maps (I couldn’t find them on Tabelog): https://maps.app.goo.gl/4f2kYSxeJdHCay8LA
12 Likes
Thanks for taking the time to check. Later in the day does seem like it’s easier than when they open. Will try to get there next spring.
1 Like
My dream restaurant!! 
5 Likes
I have a few friends who would absolutely love the place, too.
3 Likes
Ichiran Shimbashi is my “go-to” spot in Tokyo. It is one of the few places I will stand in line to eat at.
Having the order machine in English is a huge plus. The broth is nicely rich and the chashu is just right. Plus the solo dining booth is perfect.
5 Likes
Iki na Issho (粋な一生)
For a late lunch on Saturday I had some more ramen at Iki na Issho in Akihabara. I ate a decent amount of ramen on this trip.
There’s a menu outside with English and Korean translations.
The ticket machine - I got the shio ramen and a side of gyoza.
A variety of condiments - garlic, yuzu kosho I think, hot sauce, chili pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil.
Here’s the gyoza, which were good. I made a dipping sauce with soy, vinegar, and chili oil.
And the shio ramen, which was another great bowl of ramen. The shio / salt broth was clear and light and chicken based. It was a very nice broth and not too salty, I actually drank all of it. There were thin toothsome noodles, scallion, menma, nori, part of a lettuce leaf I think for color, and one piece of a very tender chashu. Just a great simple bowl of ramen.
Tabelog: https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1310/A131001/13021102/
11 Likes
Azabu Juban Hatano Yoshiki (麻布十番 秦野よしき)
One thing on my list to try on this trip to Tokyo was high end Edomae sushi. For that, I’d made a reservation to Hatano Yoshiki in Azabu-Jūban via Omakase. The price was ¥39,600.
This is their rather nondescript entrance, which is in the lower level of a building.
I’d made a reservation for an 8:30 pm seating. I didn’t get a picture of the room but it is very small. There were eight seats at the main counter, and also a small private room that seats four. That night there were only three diners - myself and two other Americans who had just arrived in Tokyo. Apparently a bunch of people had cancelled. This resulted in a very intimate dining experience. Most of the descriptions of the dishes given and conversation was from our helpful sommelier, who was fluent in English. And all of the sushi was prepared and served to us by the single sushi chef. Chef was not as fluent in English but was also quite friendly. He had been working at Hatano Yoshiki for about 10 years.
Cups
Knives
To drink, I had the sake pairing (¥12,000), YOLO. Our somm was quite descriptive in introducing the sakes.
The first glass of sake was a Azumaichi Daiginjo, of which I neglected to write anything about.
The first otsumami was a nigiri made topped with eggplant. This was so good, a great start! The eggplant was taken out of a ceramic vessel. It was very tender and slightly smoky.
A helpful book of fish pictures with their names and English translations was utilized from time to time.
The book was used to introduce the next dish - kinki with a homemade ponzu. Kinki is described in their illustrated book as red snapper, but Google says its called channel rockfish or idiot fish. It was delicious firm fleshed fish with skin on in a very nice ponzu sauce.
The next sake - Wakanami Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjo, from Kyushu, the westernmost island of Japan.
This went with the hata, or grouper, also served in their homemade ponzu with ginger, scallion, and basil if I heard correctly. It reminded me just a little bit of Cantonese steamed fish with scallions, ginger, soy, and hot oil.
Fried oysters coated in a soy based tare. So good! Crispy and creamy.
The oysters were paired with Kawatsuru Sanuki Cloudy, a cloudy nigori sake that had a lot of fruity pear and melon notes.
Course salt and freshly grated wasabi were provided for the following courses.
Ankimo / monkfish liver. I keep repeating myself but this was so good! Rich like foie gras.
The ankimo pairing was an aged sake - Masuda Shuzoten Masuizumi Kijoushu. It had the most color in a sake that I’ve seen. It was sweet like a dessert wine and a little viscous, and very nice with the ankimo.
The next dish was cutlassfish / beltfish in a broth made from tuna if I remember correctly. After the fish was eaten, some rice was added to the soup for an ochazuke. There was some seaweed provided as a condiment to add a little bit of vinegary saltiness.
Some more condiments were provided - pickled apple, radish, and ginger.
Next came the sushi!
This sake pairing - Urazato Junmai - was a bit large as it was for the next few pieces. It was a bit dry and clean tasting and had some apple notes, nice.
The sushi mise-en-place. All of the sushi was seasoned by the chef. You just had to pick it up from the counter with your fingers and pop it in your mouth.
Kasugodai / baby sea bream
Ika / squid, with a squirt of sudachi. Very nice.
Ebi / shrimp. This was topped with oboro, which is a crumbled shrimp paste. It gave it an interesting change in texture and was sweet and savory.
Some lightly brined pickled vegetables - pepper, eggplant, and cucumber. A bit of a palate cleanser.
Next, a trio of tuna nigiri.
First otoro. So good, it melted in my mouth.
This was another sake pairing, from Urazato which was the same maker as the last pairing. The somm described it as more traditional. It was served warm, unlike the other sakes, which was very nice with the otoro.
The second tuna nigiri was zuke / lean soy marinated tuna, also great!
And the third of the trio was chutoro / medium fat tuna. I think this was my favorite of them all. The first chilled Urazato sake was recommended with this one rather than the warm sake.
The next piece was uni, from Hokkaido. Chef spooned a generous amount of uni into each gunkan maki. We were instructed to pick it up with two hands and dump it directly into your mouth. Great uni!
The sake pairing for the uni - Katsuyama Junmai Ginjo “LEI”
Next, a break from the sushi with a dish of grilled nodoguro / blackthroat seaperch over rice. Again, so good!
This was paired with another sake served warm, Suzuki Shuzo Ten Dokonjo.
For the next two courses, a sake from Shiga - Shichihonyari Junmai Mu-u.
Kohada / gizzard shad marinated in vinegar. Very pretty. There was some citrus from a brushing of sudachi.
Kawahagi / filefish, with ikura / salmon roe. Yum.
Anago / sea eel. This was the last savory piece of sushi. It was delicious - warm and delicate with a dab of a sweet and savory sauce.
To pair with the final savory piece of sushi, an amber colored aged sake - Kaishun Kanbun no Shizuku Junmai. Somm described the taste as a mix of sherry, port, and Chinese shaoxing wine, and that description was spot on. I’ve never had a sake that tasted like this. This was so good with the anago.
And for dessert - tamago / egg omelette, and a glass of green tea.
This was an excellent omakase with some of the best sushi that I’ve ever had. And it was a great experience overall. The chef and somm were both quite friendly, and the somm was very helpful in describing both the courses and the sakes in the pairing. As I mentioned above there were only three of us dining in that seating, it was almost like a private dinner!
Tabelog: https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1307/A130702/13158874/
13 Likes
That all looks AMAZING!!! What an incredible YOLO experience! And it made me so very hungry…
2 Likes
Wow 
Amazing dining experience for sure!!
1 Like
Looks great - just curious, how long was the omakase ?
1 Like
From my photo times it looks like it started at around 8:30 pm and ended around 10:15 pm, about an hour and 45 minutes.
1 Like
Yushima Suisan (湯島水産)
After some late night gift and souvenir shopping at the discount wonderland that is the Don Quijote in Ueno, I had a late night snack at Yushima Suisan nearby, which is an izakaya open until 5am.
Many izakayas have an otoshi / seating fee where you also get a small dish. Yushima Suisan’s was around ¥500 and included a small serving of sashimi, very nice.
Here’s the menus.
Judging from tabelog reviews, Yushima Suisan’s popular dishes seem to be sashimi and sushi. I’d just had a delicious sushi dinner earlier so I had some cooked dishes instead, starting with the fried chicken cartilage, which was nicely seasoned and fried and had a pleasant crunchy texture.
I also had some fat scallops cooked in butter with their coral off of the specials sheet (thanks Google translate), very good.
And some shrimp mayonnaise, which were some battered and nicely fried jumbo shrimp drizzled with a sweet mayonnaise.
And finally some crab croquettes, which had a crispy panko coating and a molten creamy center.
Satisfying late night food.
Tabelog: https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1311/A131101/13304031/
10 Likes
Kanda Tamago Ken Akihabara Ten (神田たまごけん)
The next day, I had a late lunch at an omurice specialist, Kanda Tamagoken in Akihabara.
You order with a QR code and pay on the machine after eating. There were free self-service soup and daikon pickles next to the machine.
I had the wagyu burger omurice. You have a choice of sauce between a tomato sauce, a demi glace, and a white mushroom sauce, and you can mix and match 2 sauces. I picked the tomato sauce and the demi glace.
It was a very good omurice. The omelette was moist and soft and fluffy. The rice was tomato flavored, and the wagyu burger on the side was cooked to well done but quite juicy with a crispy sear.
Tabelog: https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1311/A131101/13178900/
9 Likes
