What I love about Tokyo is that it’s so big that one is constantly discovering new spots. Rokumei opened only in July in a part of Tokyo Station I never go through. It is a famous Nara coffee shop and this is their first Tokyo branch. Big selection of coffee and espresso drinks. I ordered…
Tag: Tokyo station
Mugi to Tamago
Love these wafu pasta cafes. Quick meals. All the spaghetti dishes are tempting. Mugi to Tomato noodles are made with Hokkaido flour and the noodles are fresh, not dried. This salad and pasta is a bargain ¥1480 ($10). At Tokyo Station in the Yaesu Kita Shokudo area before entering the station gates. Near Daimaru department…
Marunouchi Moheji
Finally managed to get a seat at Moheji monjayaki shop near Tokyo Station at the Shin Marunouchi Building, called Shinmaru Biru for short. Big fan of their shops at Tsukishima, the ground zero area of monjayaki. Monjayaki is a local dish to Tokyo cooked on an iron plate and eaten with a small metal spatula….
God Bless Butter
God Bless Butter. 🧈 Brilliant branding by this sweets shop at Tokyo Station. Looove the gaudy gold. The package says: “The best butter confectionery ever created, supervised by an expert with God’s perspective, has been created. Enjoy the supreme taste.”🤣 Usually impossible to purchase without queuing. Got lucky the morning of a typhoon. 🌀 Even…
Katsukuchi Tonkatsu
One of my favorite #tonkatsu restaurants in #Tokyo is @katsukichi_official. My first time to visit the #Marunouchi branch in the Shin Marunouchi building on the 5th floor. The Hiyashi Katsu Don is a large bowl of rice topped with a warm fried pork cutlet topped with a slippery grated mountain vegetables, okra, myōga, cucumbers, shiso,…
Zōjirushi Shokudō
Zōjirushi, the company famous for electric rice cookers and many other products, has a restaurant near Tokyo Station in the Kitte building. The concept is smart marketing with Zōjirushi rice cookers in the middle of the restaurant. Zōjirushi sesame grinders and a Zōjirushi insulated cup are on each table. The drink bar includes a variety…
Saké Bar Kinjishi
Tachigui Sakaba Kinjishi is a cool spot near Tokyo Station for nihonshu by the glass and saké-friendly small bites. An excellent selection of saké including @jikon_sake, @matsunotsukasa_official, @izumibashi_official, and @niidahonke. We loved the karaagé, and tempura of simmered daikon and cream cheese (both good), nagaimo potatoes, and tuna sashimi. The saké was poured into glasses…
Beef Tongue Breakfast
Rikyū servers gyūtan, beef tongue, with rice, beef tail soup, and tororo grated mountain potato. Agree the tongue is grilled. #Gyūtan is a specialty of #Tohoku and particularly #Sendai in #Miyagi prefecture. Perfect breakfast at #TokyoStation for a long day of travel and exploring. Rikyū is located in the basement inside Tokyo Station in the…
Koko Head Cafe
Chef Lee Anne Wong has brought her Hawaii Koko Head Cafe to Tokyo. In Hawaii it is a popular brunch café. What’s unique about Koko Head Cafe Tokyo is that it’s also open for dinner. In Hawaii it’s a brunch restaurant so closes in the afternoon. So stop by later in the day for a…
Tokyo Station Onigiri
The ongiri lunch I had yesterday was so good that I went back today. The onigiri is made with rice that is used for making saké, also called sakamai. The onigiri rice changed, today it was Asahimai. I selected mentaiko and tuna mayo, like a tuna salad. The other option was okaka, katsuobushi with soy…
Vegetable Bentō
Met a girlfriend for lunch after eight years. We picked up noriben, nori bentō, from the basement of the Ginza Six department store and headed to the roof. I was so excited to try the vegetable version. Maitaké (hen of the wood mushrooms) tempura, yamaimo (mountain potato) and renkon (lotus root) is grated to a…
Tokyo Station Aroma Kissaten
Aroma is a kissaten in the underground Yaechika mall at Tokyo Station. It is on the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station. Yae short for Yaesu and chika for basement. Aroma’s morning set is a bargain 600 yen ($4.50). Coffee, boiled egg, thick cut toast, butter, jam, and azuki sweet red bean paste. The siphon coffee…
Kaitenzushi Haneda Ichiba at Tokyo Station
Haneda Ichiba is a kaitenzushi conveyor belt sushi inside of Tokyo Station. The company sends seafood directly from the fisherman to their restaurants. Fresh seafood at a better price as the product does not go through Toyosu Market. It’s a fun shop. Perfect on this day as I was with my kid. https://hanedaichiba.com
Onigiri at Tokyo Station
Onigiri, also called omusubi, #Japanesebreakfast at #TokyoStation Honnoriya. I was craving roe so picked mentaiko spicy pollack roe and ikura salmon roe. Include miso soup with carrots, spinach, and fried tōfu. Diners select from one of @marukome_family’s four miso flavors. I chose sea bream which was oishii delicious. There is a small eat-in section and…
Kyobashi Isehiro Yakitori
Not far from Tokyo Station is one of my go-to yakitori shops. Isehiro has been grilling chicken skewers for over one hundred years (est. 1921). The tsukune chicken balls, my favorite in the city, have a meaty texture. Isehiro calls these dango on their menu. When I worked at Takashimaya depachika down the street I…
Meruhenk Sandwiches
Japanese sandwiches are my go-to meal when I am on the run, even before onigiri rice balls. Meruhen is my favorite sandwich shop and if I am not near one, then some of the convenience stores like 7-11, Lawson, or Family Mart, also has great sandwiches. The sandwiches are built on crustless pain de mie (white bread)….
Where to Buy Kit Kats in Tokyo
The best place to buy regional Kit Kats in Tokyo is at the Shokoku Gotochi Plaza. The shop is in the basement mall of Tokyo Station near the Tokyo Ramen Street, across the hallway from Rokurinsha ramen shop. Kit Kat in Japan makes regional flavors that are usually only sold in that region. The Shokoku…
Sarabeth’s
Sarabeth’s, a restaurant from New York City that serves classic American breakfast dishes like French toast, eggs Benedict, and yogurt with granola and fruit. After breakfast the menu features salads and sandwiches. There are a few branches in Tokyo as well as a shop in Osaka. The Japanese are crazy for pancakes, so Sarabeth’s is often…
Tokyo Station Ekiben
Getting a bento 弁当 and riding on one of the express trains from Tokyo station is a ritual that is comes with traveling in Japan. Even on a short ride, like the hour ride to Narita on the Narita Express, we take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a bento. Above are some bentos that…
Tokyo Station Sushi Sei
Sushi Sei is a popular sushi shop at Tsukiji Market that has a branch inside of Tokyo Station. There is often a line of salarymen outside of the shop before it opens at 7 a.m. The breakfast options include sashimi or donburi (sashimi over a large bowl of rice). There are also two versions of ochazuke….
Where to Get Coffee at Tokyo Station – Standby Coffee
I travel through Tokyo Station almost five times a week. Until recently getting a really good cup of coffee in the morning has been a challenge. Finally there is a great little shop serving coffee by Sarutahiko Coffee in Ebisu (Ebisu 1-6-6). Standby opens at 7 a.m. which is often the time I am getting to the…
Vegetarian Ramen in Tokyo Station – T’s Tan Tan Restaurant
I have a new friend in town who is a vegetarian. A while back when we got together for lunch I told her I would love to find a spot that we could have for lunch near her office. It was so frustrating to find someplace that was 100% vegetarian. While Japan has a rich…
Summer Lunch at Nihonbashi Yukari
On a recent afternoon we found ourselves in Nihonbashi a little after noon. Just around the corner was one of our favorite restaurants in the city, Nihonbashi Yukari. Nihonbashi Yukari is a kaiseki/kappō restaurant. Behind the counter on most days is the third-generation chef, Kimio Nonaga. We actually tried coming in last week but when we…
Dakshin “Truly South Indian” Near Tokyo Station
The Kyobashi side of Tokyo Station outside of the Yaesu exit has many restaurants hidden away down narrow streets or in the basement of boring buildings. Dakshin is one of these spots that is worth seeking out. I only happened upon it as my regular Indian spots for dosa, Dhaba, had a long line out the…
Dosa at Kyobashi Dhaba
I remember ten years when I first had a dosa at Dhaba in Kyobashi. I was in heaven. It immediately brought me back to the first dosa I had in Singapore a decade before. I couldn’t believe that this was in Tokyo and that I didn’t know about it. Luckily I was working at Takashimaya in…
Tokyo Ramen Street’s Rokurinsha Tsukemen 六厘舎
Rokurinsha’s tonkotsu tsukemen is one of the city’s most sought after bowl of ramen. Tsukemen is an interesting way to eat ramen if you are not used to dipping noodles in a broth. In Japan we often eat soba, udon or sōmen with a smokey soy dipping sauce, so the concept is not too wild. Unlike the traditional bowl…
Marunouchi Raku Soba
The guy sitting next to me said to his friend regarding the soba at Raku, “you’ll love it or hate it”. I had already started slurping away and I knew what he meant. It’s not your typical bowl of buckwheat noodles. These handmade noodles are thick cut and the densest soba I’ve ever had. The…
Tokyo Station Breakfast – Beef Stew
Nihon Shokudo, literally the Japanese Dining Hall, serves a beef stew made with a rich demi-glace for breakfast. The middle of the stew is a seasoned rice and the bread is a buttery croissant-like dough. A sumo wrestler would be happy to start his day with this meal. Located inside of Tokyo Station, the restaurant…
Viron Boulangerie
My go-to lunch when on a run is a sandwich from Viron. Excellent baguettes with a chewy crumb that can stand up to the crispy exterior. The sandwiches are classic French-style including pate de campagne, rillettes, and jambon. The large window display case in the front of the store has a dizzying array of sandwiches…
Tokyo Station Car Bento
I love shopping for bentō boxes. Bentō are convenient meals, be it for a picnic, while traveling on a train, or when I am too rushed to put a meal together. Japanese schools are now on their summer holidays and Tokyo station is busier than usual with travelers. Inside of Tokyo station there are several…
Tokyo Station’s Popular Ekiben 東京駅人気駅弁
Ekiben are literally bento from different eki or stations in Japan. Part of the pleasure of traveling by train in Japan is sampling a variety of local foods sold in bento boxes at major stations throughout the country. A bento from a coastal village most likely will showcase locally harvested seafood while a mountain village may feature vegetables harvested from the…
Food Gifts – Omiyage from Tokyo 東京のお土産
Omiyage most often describes gifts that you pick up while traveling that you bring back to your family, friends, and colleagues. For example, on a trip to Kyoto I may select some local jizake or wagashi for friends. For my colleagues at work I may pick up a box of yatsuhashi, a popular confectionary that Kyoto is known for….
Tokyo Station Omiyage – Nihonbashi Nishiki Hourin 日本橋錦豊琳
Karintou are traditional sweet confectionaries made from a flour based cracker that is fermented and then is deep-fried and covered with a sugar coating. The sugar coating can be a white sugar but many times it is a dark sugar coating that is rich in minerals. The cracker can have different ingredients folded into it…
Digging into an Ice Cold Kakigori
On summer visits to Japan as a child my favorite sweets were kakigori topped with milk. Only when I grew up did I realize that it wasn’t milk but it was sweetened condensed milk. No better way to cool down in the Tokyo heat than a bowl of shaved ice topped with a sweet syrup….
Kintame Kyoto Pickles Restaurant 近為
One of the great delights of dining in Japan is the cornucopia of restaurants that specialize in one type of cuisine, as in the recent reviews of ramen at Ivan Ramen. Another unique dining experience is a meal based on pickles. Kintame, a store based in Kyoto, has two restaurants in Tokyo where diners can indulge in…
Gotta Go – Nihonbashi Yukari
I am often asked for restaurant suggestions in Tokyo. There is one restaurant that I recommend time and time again. Chef Kimio Nonaga of Nihonbashi Yukari was the 2002 Iron Chef winner, and the trophy is displayed when you first walk in. I love this restaurant for lunch or dinner. For a multi-course kaiseki dinner…
Food Sake Tokyo 