UPDATE to Food Sake Tokyo:

Nebaryiya, a restaurant specializing in natto and other sticky and slimy foods has closed. This is mentioned in the natto section in Food Sake Tokyo.

Natto, fermented soybeans known for its stinky aroma and slimy texture, is one food that may be hard for non-Japanese to appreciate. Popular at breakfast in Japan natto is stirred using chopsticks until it is thick and sticky. Soy sauce and Japanese mustard may be stirred in to the natto before it is spooned over a bowl of rice. Condiments-such as grated daikon, leeks, bonito flakes, sea vegetables, pickled apricots (umeboshi), Japanese basil, and in some parts of Japan, apples or sugar-may be added. Dried natto with nori and other seasonings (furikake) is often sprinkled over hot rice. Dried natto beans are a popular beer snack.

Not all natto is the same. It varies according to the size of beans: large, medium, or small; whether the beans are choppped or not; the type of bean used. Most natto is sold in plastic containers, but natto wrapped in straw will have a richer aroma, texture and flavor.

Natto can also be used as a topping for pasta, or as a filling for deep-fried tofu parcels, or as an addition to fried rice or an omelet. In another dish, called bakudan (literally, “bomb”), natto is mixed with a raw egg yolk, okra, slimy potato, squid, and raw tuna resulting in a very healthy, very slippery, very slimy mixture that is  eaten over rice.

Devotees of natto use special natto chopsticks that are designed to make the natto stickier when stirred.

Nebariya ねばり屋 – CLOSED!

Shibuya-ku, Hatagaya 2-48-2, Ei Building B1 渋谷区幡ヶ谷２−４８−２英ビルB１

Tel. 03-5358-8257

11:30 – 23:00, no holidays

r.tablelog.com/Tokyo/A1318/A131807/13009202 (Japanese)

Nebari means sticky, and this basement mom and pop restaurant specializes in what may be considered Japan’s stickiest food, natto. The menu is composed of simple rice bowls (donburi) of natto served with accompaniments such as spicy fermented cabbage (kimchi), okra, slimy potatoes, and raw tuna. The counter seats around the open kitchen allow you to watch your meal being assembled. On the street in front of the shop is a menu board with photos of popular set menus.