Tokyo
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Discover Ikkakuya: A Good Tonkatsu Ramen Spot in Tokyo
If you find yourself wandering around the Ikebukuro / Toshima City area and have an grumbling stomach, there are, of course, no shortage of options to be had in this busy area. I was craving a nice bowl of tonkatsu ramen though, so I was glad I knew exactly what I was looking for and not wandering around having a difficult time choosing what to eat. It was under these hungry cicumstances that I came across Ikkakuya.
Table of Contents
Ikkakuya
Ikkakuya is a large nationwide ramen chain. Known for their tonkatsu ramen, Ikkakuya also offers a variety of different types of bowls with various toppings you can choose from. The location I went to had the automated ordering machine in the front which you order from. Luckily, there was an English button you could select and easily create your order with. Those machines, common in Japan for ramen shops, can be a little intimidating if there’s a long line and no English options, so when there’s an option for English, it’s always a very welcome sight!
The Ordering Experience
I opted for the Max ( I mean it’s the No.1 option per this billboard!) which was 1310 yen, $8.30 USD. This bowl of tonkatsu ramen included three pieces of chashu, six pieces of seaweed, and a flavored egg. On top of that I also got a ground pork rice bowl for 350 yen ($2.22 USD) as a side dish.
The restaurant is very tiny, like many ramen restaurants. It was just a narrow countertop facing the kitchen with stools. I came at a weird time, a little bit before 5pm so (fortunately) it was not very busy.
I handed a cook my ticket from the ordering machine and boom the bowl of tonkatsu ramen and ground pork bowl came out within 5-10 minutes. It was extremely fast, which I was grateful for since I was starving!
The Food Experience
I loved the presentation of the tonkatsu ramen bowl with the pieces of seaweed lining the bowl like shown above. That’s the first thing I noticed. The chashu looked like it had a nice little char on it so I was looking forward to giving it a try. The broth also looked quite oily at first glance and noodles looked fairly thicker for ramen noodles.
The first thing I always do with a fresh bowl of ramen is to give the broth, without any additioinal spices I generally toss in there, a taste.
The broth was very rich and savory. It had a deep, porky flavor to it. Definitley a little oily and salty as well.
This was a very thin chashu, it did have a nice little char to it and was very tender. It was quite salty as well. The chashu wasn’t too bad but it wasn’t the best either. The saltiness of it stood out, which isn’t the best attribute you want to stand out.
The noodles were definitely a bit thicker that what I’d seen at other ramen spots, not necessarily a bad thing as the noodles were al dente and tasted fresh.
The egg was nice and creamy and as usual at Japanese tonkatsu ramen shops quite tasty.
In addition to the tonkatsu ramen, I also got a ground pork bowl as a side. I wasn’t entirely sure what the the pork was mixed in with. It looked like it was some chili oil sauce but there was no spice at all. This was also pretty salty. It was decent, but nothing to write home about.
Final Thoughts
If I doled out ratings for food on a 1-10 scale, I’d give Ikkakuya a solid 6. It’s not a place that really stood out for the better or worse. The bowl of tonkatsu ramen was huge, so you definitely get your money worth for the price (1310 yen, $8.30 USD). The noodles were really good but the chashu was a little thin and overly salty for my taste as well as the broth. The pork bowl was, again, solid but didn’t really stand out in any way either. It was a nice complement with the ramen but it was also a little salty. I’d probably just get a regular side of rice to eat with the ramen if I were to swing by Ikkakuya again.
If you’re looking for some fast and efficient tonkatsu ramen, Ikkakuya is a good choice. It’s pretty good but not a place you should go out of your way to try and get!
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Cheap Eats Tokyo Station: Check Out Honnoriya
Looking For A Quick, Cheap Bite To Eat At Tokyo Station?
Tokyo Station is a major train station within Tokyo. It’s absolutely massive. There are too many restaurants / food stalls and shopping in general to count. I mean there’s even a small Pokemon center within this station. There will be a TON of food options to choose from here. Dining depends on if you want a sit down meal or if you’re taking a longer train ride and want something a little lighter to snack on while on the train. Prices, of course vary but there are some very cost effective and convenient places to grab some food. One such place is Honnoriya.
Honnoriya – Handmade Onigiri Rice Balls
Honnooriya specializes in making a large selection of onigiri.
What is onigiri? It’s basically a rice ball shaped in the form of a triangle and generally wrapped in nori. Fillings can include salted fish or pickled vegetables. Really anything salted or sour. Orginally, these salted or sour ingredients were used as natural preservatives so the onigiri could be taken on longer trips and still be edible. Today, onigiri is basically the same. The types of filling may have increased in variety but they remain a very popular food for those on the go. You can find onigiri everywhere. Pretty much all convenient stores, stands, you name it, will generally have them.
I was taking a Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Hakodate which takes a little over four hours so I wanted something I could snack on during the trip. I’m not someone that likes eating a heavy meal before or during a train ride so finding Honnoriya was quite fortunate.
They definitely offer a large menu of onigiri here.
Service is great, all the available onigiri are right there in front of you to choose from (which can be hard if you aren’t used to all the different variety!). It’s a great place to run in and grab food if you’re in a rush to catch a train. These are also very affordable and can certainly be eaten as a meal. There may be cheaper eats in the Tokyo Station but I’m not sure that the quality will be as good as these.
The Onigiri
I ended up getting the grilled cod roe (240 yen, $1.60) and the roasted salmon (290 yen, $1.93) for the trip.
The roasted salmon (left) and grilled cod (right) The cod onigiri had a big chunk of grilled cod, that was nicely salted. Solid rice ball for sures.
The salmon was quite salted but very tasty. The chunk of salmon was pretty large with this as well.
The rice for both of the onigiri were lightly seasoned. Something that separates these onigiri from the ones you can buy from any convenient store is the quality and the size of the fish pieces. Both the cod and salmon are good quality chunks of fish and they’re quite large to boot. The ones from the convenient stores (at least the ones I had) didn’t have big chunks of fish like these. There was definitely much more rice and the price reflected as such.
Why Eat Here?
The convenience and the price, simply put. Grabbing food on the go that’s filling, cheap, and tasty. These are fairly large onigiri and will definitely provide a quality snack / meal for your train ride. For the two onigiri I bought it was a combined $3.53 USD. Certainly a good price to pay for two of these rice balls. If you’re searching for cheap eats within Tokyo Station be sure to check out the onigiri at Honnoriya!
Located in: Tokyo Station
Address: 1 Chome-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
Phone: +81 80-4204-1355
Hours:
Thursday 6 AM–10 PM Friday 6 AM–10 PM Saturday 6 AM–10 PM Sunday 6 AM–10 PM Monday 6 AM–10 PM Tuesday 6 AM–10 PM Wednesday 6 AM–10 PM -
Bustling Ameyoko Shopping Street Has A Little Bit Of Everything
What is the Ameyoko Shopping Street?
Ameyoko Shopping Street in the Ueno district includes more than 400 stores selling all manner of goods. You can find seafood, clothing, bags, cosmetics, dried food, sweets. You name it, you can probably find it on this bustling street. There’s A LOT of stores, shops, and restaurants crammed into this area. Prices are fairly cheap as well.
Ameyoko is located right next to Ueno Park and Ueno Station which makes for a great place to stop by before or after a day in the park to grab some food. There’s a TON of places to eat around the area, so you’ll definitely be able to find something to munch on!
Himuro Ueno Ramen
I didn’t even know Ameyoko existed. I went to Ueno with the intent on going to the park and hitting up the museums. I did want to grab some food prior to heading over though and quickly saw throngs of people located near the entrance to Ameyoko and decided to walk around a bit.
One of the restaurants that caught my eye in the area was Himuro Ueno Ramen. It’s not on one of the main streets, it’s located on one of the many side streets. Having a hankering for some ramen on this particular day I decided to give it a try.
It’s one of those ramen restaurants where you order at a machine and receive a ticket to give to the chef. They can be a little intimidating if there’s no English and a line behind you. Fortunately, although there was no English, they did do something else to help us Non-Japanese speaking folk.
There were taped numbers on the machine that correlated with the numbers of the ramen photos in the front of the restaurant. So I just had to match the number. I didn’t know what anything else on the menu was but was happy to be able to get what looked like a delicious bowl of ramen.
Himuro Uno Ramen storefront 
Himuro Uno Ramen with the ordering machine It’s a small restaurant with limited seating, much like many of the ramen places I visited. I really enjoy these types of places. Very homely with great ambience. You get a good look at how the ramen is made which is great.
The Kimuchi Ramen Medium Spicy
I ended up getting the Kimuchi Ramen Medium Spicy (980 yen, $6.68). The ramen came out piping hot about ten minutes or so after I handed them the ticket.
It came with 1 piece of pork chashu, bamboo shoots, kimchi, seaweed, bean sprouts, and green onion. Lots of goodies were in it! The broth had a nice rich flavor to it and was fairly spicy. Not sure what the base was but it was quite tasty.
The chashu was very thin and lean. It wasn’t heavily salted or seasoned but tasted great.
The noodles were thicker and curly. Defintely al dente with a nice bounce to them and they tasted very fresh as well.
There’s a good number of textures within this bowl of ramen. From the chewiness of the noodles to the crunch from the bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, kimchi and seaweed. They all delivered a different type of crunch with each bite, which is always a nice!
Overall this was a hearty bowl of ramen with a lot of goodies in it. I love kimchi so having that included in it was really nice and added to the overall flavor of the ramen broth.
Himuro Ramen
Address: 4 Chome-5-2 Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0005, Japan
Hours:
Wednesday 11 AM–3:30 AM Thursday 11 AM–3:30 AM Friday(The Emperor’s Birthday) 11 AM–3:30 AMHours might differ Saturday 11 AM–3:30 AM Sunday 11 AM–2 AM Monday 11 AM–3:30 AM Tuesday 11 AM–3:30 AM Oedo-Sho Sushi
After spending the entire day in Ueno Park I decided to cap the day off with some sushi near Ameyoko Street. I stumbled upon Oedo-Sho which is a conveyer belt sushi restaurant. It’s a cheap, affordable place to enjoy some sushi. Conveyer belt sushi is defintely an experience that should be tried while in Japan. There’s conveyer belt sushi places throughout the world, but this sushi quality and selection is likely to be far superior. There’s just a ton of different cuts of fish here.
The menu is quite large with a ton of different types of sushi. The options on the actual conveyer belt seemed to be fairly minimal though. You can order directly from the chefs to get sushi from the menu that isn’t going around the conveyer belt it seemed. I just wasn’t sure how to do that exactly. With minimal English speakers working on this particular night I just stuck with what was going around.
The Sushi
The sushi that I did know and recognize included were pretty much salmon, fatty salmon, shrimp. I ate a few others as well, what kind of fish they were, I have no idea.
Overall, the sushi was pretty decent. For my whole meal it was only (2070 yen, $14.10 USD) It wasn’t top tier but you get what you pay for and it was pretty good to boot.
Salmon 
Shrimp 
Fatty salmon 
No idea lol Service options: Cash-only · Doesn’t accept reservations
Address: 6 Chome-12-14 Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0005, Japan
Hours:
Friday(The Emperor’s Birthday) 11:30 AM–10 PMHours might differ Saturday 11:30 AM–10 PM Sunday 11:30 AM–10 PM Monday 11:30 AM–10 PM Tuesday 11:30 AM–10 PM Wednesday 11:30 AM–10 PM Thursday 11:30 AM–10 PM -
Flaming Shaved Ice Is A Must Try At This Cafe In Tokyo, Japan
The Background
Shaved Ice or “Kakigori” in Japanese, is a classic dessert in the Japanese culture. It’s a very old dessert. It dates all the way back to the Heian Period (794-1185) where wealthy elites enjoyed the refreshing treat. By the 1860’s shaved ice started becoming more readily available. Shaved ice shops started popping up and the general public was able to enjoy the tasty snack.
Today, shaved ice is still immensly popular. Considered more of a summer staple since it’s a great way to cool down during those intense summer days, it’s still enjoyed all year long.
The Evolution of Shaved Ice
Shaved ice has always been served with various toppings, syrups, and condensed milk. That remains the case today as well.
That doesn’t mean shaved ice hasn’t evolved over the many years of its existence. The toppings and syrups have gotten more creative and flavorful as well as the presentation itself. Cafe Lumiere took it to next level status by covering it in merengue and lighting it on fire.
Who would have thought you’d be able to enjoy a “flaming” shaved ice, lol. They really don’t go hand-in-hand with one another. But at Cafe Lumiere it’s the norm!
Cafe Lumiere
Cafe Lumiere is a tiny cafe located on the 4th floor of the Higashiyama building in Kichijoji. In a country full of all things “kawaii”, the ambience and atmosphere of Cafe Lumiere fits snugly into that category. It has the feeling of a children’s story book with many little trinkets hanging on the walls and from the ceiling.
The inside of Cafe Lumiere 
On each table you’ll find little Menu Book story books but you actually order off their online menu you scan to look at. Great ambiance in this cozy little cafe!
I came here specifically for the shaved ice. The choices here all looked incredible so it was a VERY difficult choice on what to get! The below is just a few of the options that were on the menu. I wasn’t sure if all of them were wrapped in merengue and lit ablaze and that’s what I really wanted to experience, so I went with the Lumiere special baked ice (1540 yen, $10.37 USD) and got a coffee (429 yen, $2.89) as well.
The Lumiere Special Baked Ice
This did not disappoint in either deliciousness or spectacle. Coming out coated with a shell of merengue, the shaved ice more resembles an egg than a bowl of shaved ice. It gets covered with some rum concocation and lit of fire right in front of you. It’s really cool to see!
Flaming shaved ice!
Once you dig in and break through the merengue, the shaved ice is extremely pillowy and soft with pieces of strawberry throughout. You get a few sides to dump into and mix the ice with. A strawberry sauce, carmel sauce, and I believe, condensed milk.
Mixing in some of the fluffy merengue added a different type of sweetness and texture to the shaved ice. Overall, just a REALLY delicious, satisfying shaved ice. It’s quite refreshing and light to boot!
If in the Kichijoji area, I’d certainly recommend stopping by Cafe Lumiere and giving one of their shaved ices a try. They always have different kinds depending on the season as well and it will be a fun experience.
Please note, when I went it was cash only so be sure to bring some cash if you plan on visiting!
Address: Higashiyama Bldg., ４F, 1 Chome-2-2 Kichijoji Minamicho, Musashino, Tokyo 180-0003, Japan
Hours:
Tuesday 12–6 PM Wednesday 12–6 PM Thursday 12–6 PM Friday 12–6 PM Saturday 11 AM–6 PM Sunday(National Foundation Day) 11 AM–6 PMHours might differ Monday(National Foundation Day (Observed)) 12–6 PMHours might differ -
You Can Get A Tempura Bowl For Less Than $4 USD At This Restuarant Chain in Tokyo, Japan
What’s Tendon?
In Japanese “tendon” is a shortened abbreviation for Tempura Donburi. In Japanese “ten” is tempura and “don” is donburi (rice bowl). The abbreviated tendon is a bowl of tempura covering a bed of rice.
Tempura is very famous in Japan and you’ll be able to find it everywhere in Tokyo. Tempura for those who haven’t had it before, consists of seafood (shrimp is a staple) and vegetables coated in a thin batter and deep fried. It’s about as delicious as you’d imagine!
There’s a dipping sauce comprised of dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, called tentsuyu that’s either drizzled over the top of the tendon or served on the side as a dipping sauce.
Budget Tempura in Tokyo
Looking to grab some cheap tempura in Tokyo? Look no further than the Tenya Tendon restuarant chain located throughout Tokyo and Japan in general.
In a city as large as Tokyo with endless alleyways filled with food, tempura is certainly one of the most popular food choices. Price ranges will vary of course, but Tenya Tendon was the cheapest I came across.
The touch screen menu at Tenya Tendon They have a touch screen menu which you use to place your order and you can choose English. The above is the standard tendon menu which is exactly what I was looking for.
The most expensive combo for 720 yen is about $4.92 USD. VERY cheap for a full on meal. I didn’t even get those combos opting for the Tendon meal for 560 yen ($3.83). It wasn’t about the difference in price, the Tendon meal just sounded better to me.
The Food
The Tendon meal consists of prawn, squid, sandborer, pumpkin, and green beans, along with a cup of miso soup. There’s a total of six pieces of tempura.
Quite a bit of food for $.3.83 USD! 
The tempura had a very light outer coating which was nice and crispy. It also wasn’t very greasy which was a pleasant surprise. The shrimp was sweet. The veggies tasty. I’d never had squid or sandborer tempura before and they were pretty solid as well!
The Tentsuyu sauce was drizzled over the tempura and the bed of rice. It’s dispersed well throughout and over the bowl and not further seasoning was needed.
The Verdict
I have to admit, expectations were not super high with this being more of a fast food type, budget friendly type place. Was it the best tempura I’ve ever had? Nope. But the quality and overall taste of the tendon bowl were fantastic for the price. A couple of shrimp, squid, and fish for less than $4 USD? Sign me up!
If you’re on budget traveling through Japan or if you’re looking to save some money for a delicious expenisve dinner later in the day, Tenya Tendon can certainly tide you over with quality cheap food!
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Try This Hole In The Wall Tonkatsu Restaurant If Visiting Taito City, Tokyo
The Background
Tired after a long day of sight seeing and not wanting to venture out too far for food. I found Tonkatsu Sugita while searching for nearby food options from my hotel.
It has a respectable 4.0 rating on Google (which isn’t always the most reliable for food) so I decided to give it a shot since it was less than a ten minute walk from the hotel I was at and tonkatsu sounded quite good.
I’m certainly glad I gave it a try.
The restuarant is quite tiny – there’s a total of 20 seats, in a quiet part of Taito City. It’s been around since 1977 and has only had two owners during its run.
Where the restaurant was located was a nice change of pace from other bustling and packed parts of Tokyo.
Most of the seating is located at a counter where you can watch the chef prepare your food right in front of you. There’s some additonal seating in the back for large parties as well.
Fortunately, they have an English menu so figuring out what to get is extremely easy. The menu is also small so it takes out a lot of the back and forth of having a difficult time deciding on what to get, which I’m certainly prone to! The small menu is explained here. I appreciate the seriousness of how the owner goes about selecting the pork and prepares the food. The quality of the food certainly shows his dedication to his craft.
The Tonkatsu
I went with the No. 1 – Tonkatsu fillet (2900 yen, $19.63 USD) and added miso soup (200 yen, $1.35) and rice (300 yen, $2.03, $23.01 total).
Tonkatsu is also always served with a side of cabbage. There’s a few reasons for this.
Cabbage provides a nice crunch that complements the tonkatsu flavors and texture well.
It also helps to reduce the oil and can help with digestion. The cabbage can be eaten with dressing (which was provided here) or with tonkatsu sauce (essentially a thicker worcester sauce).
It definitely works with the overall meal and I can’t imagine eating tonkatsu without it.
It took about 20-25 minutes for the food to come out. The chef was very friendly and you can watch him make the food right in front of you. Think of a sushi restaurant where you can watch the chefs prep the sushi right in front of you but with pork cutlets and huge pots of oil.
The tonkatsu was fried to perfection. The outer shell was very crispy and the meat was incredibly tender. It literally melted in my mouth. Taking a bite of the fried pork, cabbage, and rice was fantastic.
The miso soup was outstanding here as well. It had a deep, flavorful taste to it and was a great complement to the meal.
The Verdict
In my three weeks in Japan this was the best tonkatsu I had. Granted, I had it three or four times (which I think is a lot in three weeks, lol) but this was hands down the best. It wasn’t even a contest. The chef certainly knows his craft and the food reflected this.
The prices were quite reasonable for what I got – $23.01 – for everything and well worth it.
I later saw that it’s mentioned in the Michelin Guide with a Bib Gourmand rating, so this place is legit. I would definitely recommend checking the place out if you’re staying in the Taito City area. It’s also about a 30 minute or so walk from Asakusa if you wanted to grab some food after visiting there. It’s worth the walk.
3 Chome-8-3 Kotobuki, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0042, Japan
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Why The Tsukiji Outer Market Is A Must Visit In Japan
The Tsukiji Market has been in existence for 80+ years. Despite the main fish market closing in Tsukiji and relocating to Toyusa the outer market still remains. The outer market is home to wholesale retail shops, produce, fish, as well as many, many restaurants / food stalls. The seafood here is some of the freshest in the city since it comes directly from the Toyusa fish market.
There are a TON of food stalls / restaurants within this vicinity so if you’re a foodie, this is a must stop.
Despite the main fish market moving to Toyusa in 2018, the outer market remains just as popular amongst both domestic and international tourists. Expect big crowds here!
One of the entrances to Tsukiji Outer Market 
Food everywhere, with lots and lots of tourists The Food Experience
There’s going to be too much food here to try it all (for most people). Budget may also play a part in what you look to purchase too. Depending on what you’re looking to eat, certain items can certainly get pricey. But that’s what’s nice with such a large and varied market, there’s something for all budgets to be found here.
Here’s what I got on my visit:
Mochi and Tanghulu
This shop near one of the entrances to the market (photo above) specialized in strawberry mochi and tanghulu. This was just too tempting. I HAD to start off the food tour with this, it looked too good!
I decided on going with the strawberry flavored mochi with strawberry (400 yen, $2.83 USD).
The mochi was incredibly soft, chewy, and very fresh. It was also filled with red bean paste and powdered sugar( the powdered sugar was a nice surprise!). The strawberry is very juicy. It wasn’t overly sweet but I really couldn’t notice due to the sweetness of the red bean paste / powederd sugar.
I couldn’t just get the mochi with all that delicious tanghulu on display. I opted for the grape and strawberry tanghulu (600 yen, $4.24 USD).
Both the grapes and the strawberries were very sweet and juicy in their own right. I don’t want to understate the juiciness of these grapes and strawberries. These fruits EXPLODE with juice when you bite into them. The sugar coating provides additional sweetness of course, as well as a hardy crunch.
Tamagoyaki
What exactly is Tamagoyaki? It’s a sweet and savory type of Japanese type of omlette. I’d never had it before but had heard of it. I saw this restuarant and figured today was the day to give it a try! The price for a block of it was only 150 yen ($1.06) too. Good deal!
The egg is super soft, fluffy, and light. It’s also very sweet though. I was expecting it to be sweet but this was much more sweet than savory.
Grilled Wagyu
Yes, this is a fish market BUT there’s also wagyu here! There’s a few stalls that sell grilled wagyu skewers within Tsukiji. The cuts of wagyu vary and the price points reflect accordingly. They also have skewers of various seafood (octupus, squid, scallop, unagi, all 1000 yen, $7.09 USD) and even have skewers of wagyu with uni (sea urchin) spread over it. There’s a lot of skewer options!
I opted for the rump wagyu, which was the cheapest cut of wagyu – for 3000 yen, $21.27 USD.
The meat is grilled medium rare. It’s lightly seasoned with just salt with a teriyaki glaze drizzled over the top. The glaze is a little sweet with a hint of spice to it. The meat just melts in your mouth. No exaggeration. You barely have to chew. The wagyu is unbelievably good!
Tuna Nigiri
No visit to Tsukiji would be complete without eating some seafood, specifically tuna. I decided to give Maguroya Kurogin a try. They specifically specialise in tuna here with various cuts served as sashimi over rice, nigiri, or sushi.
Decisions, decisions. It’s a tough choice on what to get 
Sooo much tuna!! Look at how huge these chunks are! 
The tuna gets cut right in front of you as you wait in line 
This definitely helps point out what you’re getting I went with the six pieces of nigiri that consisted of special fatty tuna, very fatty tuna, medium fatty tuna. This was 3400 yen, $24.10 USD.
I ate this at the stall. They have a little area right next to the counter where you order at that has some tables you can stand around and a counter you can enjoy your food. They give you a cup of tea as well. The food comes out and the server goes over what nigiri is what. They speak English really well here. I believe from left to right it goes: special fatty tuna, very fatty tuna, medium fatty tuna.
The speical fatty tuna 
Very fatty tuna 
Medium fatty tuna These were all very high quality pieces of tuna. I couldn’t say that one cut was better than the others. The fattier pieces may dissolve faster but ALL of the cuts essentially dissovle in your mouth when you start eating them. The sushi rice is also high quality. Overall, these are six pieces of nigiri you won’t be disapppointed with.
Conclusion
I ate a variety of food in my time at Tsukiji and barely scratched the surface of everything that’s there. There was a lot of stuff that I wanted to get but skipped over on this trip, like grilled crab legs, and grilled scallops, and a boatload of other food. Not to mention the number of sit down restaurants that all looked delicious.
I will advise that many of the places here accept ONLY CASH, so that keep that in mind if you plan on visiting. There’s also an atm on the premises if you forget to bring some cash. It’s located in the facility which also has a public restroom.
I did have a budget in mind and how much I wanted to spend here, so that took some of the food out of the equation…this time around. Some of the restaurants had very long lines which I also avoided since there was a lot I wanted to that day. Bottom line: There’s A LOT of food here.
The total for everything I ate came out to 7,550 yen / $53.53 USD. Not too shabby! It was definitely a fun time walking around and trying multiple dishes. If you’re a foodie this is must visit place.
One final tidbit of advice: Choose your stomach space wisely!
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Oyako-Don At Torimkura In Diver City, Odaiba, Tokyo
If you’re in the area visiting Odaiba and are wanting to grab some food there are plenty of options in the area. Specifically within Diver City Plaza. There’s a large food court on the bottom floor and then several restaurants on other floors of the massive mall.
Torimkura
Torimkura is one of the restaurants located in Diver City. It caught my attention since it specializes in Oyako-Don. What exactly is Oyako-Don? It’s a simple Japanese dish that includes tender pieces of chicken, egg, and rice. The sauce that coats everything is generally both salty and sweet. It’s a real comfort food in Japan and is very popular.
The front of Torimkura 
The Oyako-Don
There wasn’t much of a decision on what to get here. They had a lot of options outside of Oyako-Don but this was definitely a restaurant known for its Oyako-Don, so I had to go with that!
The first thing that really jumps out once the dish is served is the bright orange egg yolk. How they serve this without breaking the yolk I have no idea.
Without a doubt the egg and chicken mixture is scrambled well and really is a nice mixture. It covers a warm bed of rice.
Breaking the egg yolk and mixing it into the rice, egg, and chicken, really added a rich and creamy element to the overall bowl. It adds a different flavor in addition to the mildly sweet and savory sauce that coats the egg, chicken, and rice.
The pieces of chicken were quite tender and flavorful. It was good. I only wish there had been more. I was certainly left craving more chicken.
Is It Worth A Visit?
Oyako-Don can be found throughout Tokyo. With Odaiba being a bit of a trek from Central Tokyo I wouldn’t make a trip specifically to Diver City to eat here. If you find yourself out in the Odaiba area sight seeing and needing a bite to eat, than sure, it’s worth a stop. But there will be a lot of other options to choose from as well. Overall it’s a solid bowl of Oyako-Don but isn’t something I’d go out of my way to get again.
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Is The Street Food On Takeshita Street, Harujuku Worth Getting?
If you plan on visiting Harujuku you will no do doubt be visiting its most iconic street: Takeshita. This a 350-meter street that’s located near the JR Harujuku Station which is jam packed with all different types of shops. With this being Harujuku, there’s a ton of small clothing shops and boutiques lining this street.
Expect there to be crowds here. This is afterall one of the most popular streets in Harujuku. This street is also home to many of the popular street foods in the area. I got to Takeshita fairly late in the evening after a long day of touristing and eating but still wanted to sample a couple of the well-known street food places.
Undoubtedly, a visit to Harujuku will correlate with shopping and perhaps a visit to Meiji Jingu. Street food is not likely the main reason you’ve decided to visit, so is it worth getting the food in the area, specifically on Takeshita?
Long! Longer!! Longest!!!
Long! Longer!! Longest!!! (LLL) has a few flashy items on their menu including, rainbow cotton candy, cheese hot dog, and strawberry tanghulu. They may best be known for their Tornado Potato though. They vary in sizes, as you’d imagine based off the name of the place, from 35 cm (600 yen, $4.23 USD), 42 cm (700 yen, $4.93) and 52 cm (800 yen, $5.64).
There’s three different seasonings you can get with the Tornado Potato. I had a hard time translating what the three were but one was definitely butter. The other two seasonings, the best I could make out were chicken and beef kabob (?). I went with the long (35 cm/ 600 yen, $4.23 USD) and got the butter and chicken seasonings.
The Long Tornado Potato at Long! Longer!! Longest!! 
Plenty of seasoning on this tasty treat! This comes out piping hot and they really coat the potato well with seasoning. It definitely did taste buttery and savory with a hint of sweet. Even though this was the smallest size to get, it was still quite a lot of food!
If you’re a fan of these Tornado Potatoes it’s worth a try here since the seasonings here are certainly different than what you normally see.
Marion Crepes
Another food item that’s very popular on Takeshita Street is crepes. There’s three different places all within a close vicinity of one another so there’s plenty of choices to choose from. Marion Crepes may be the most famous and popular of them all.
Without a doubt they have a LOT of different selections to choose from here. I went with the more simple strawberry with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup (630 yen, $4.40 USD).
Despite all the fillings inside of it, the crepe was quite light and not very sweet at all. They do a good job of layering all the ice cream, whipped cream, straberries, and chocolate syrup so everything mixes reall well within the crepe. It’s definitely a tasty snack as you walk around Takeshita.
Final Opinion
Part of the fun of walking around on this famous street is grabbing some of the more iconic street foods you see people posting on Instagram. I grabbed a couple of food items here but there’s definitely a lot more to experience. The prices for the two items I got were both under $5 so they’re aren’t going to break the bank. It’s definitely worth grabbing some snacks while you’re here walking around and taking in all the sights that Takeshita Street in Harujuku have to offer. It’s all part of the experience!
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Yoroyiya Ramen in Asakusa Tokyo Is Worth A Visit
Asakusa Tokyo is one of the most popular districts in Tokyo. The main attraction is Sensoji, the famous Buddhist temple. The bustling Nakamise Street, lined with shops selling souvenirs, snacks, and other wares will take you directly to the temple. Right next to Nakamise Street there’s the Shin-Nakamise Shopping Street which offers restaurants and more shopping. This is where I found the excellent Yoroyiya Ramen in Asakusa, Tokyo.
It’s easy to navigate the menu here since it caters to tourists and has an English menu. Like most ramen places, it’s smaller place with limited seating at the counter. There’s a few options to choose from.
I had to go with the Deluxe Ramen (1300 yen, $8.81 USD) which included roast pork, twin york egg, and bamboo shoots. It just looked too good! I was also starving since I had just landed and a nice bowl of ramen sounded like the perfect meal.
The ramen had a shoyu (soy sauce) broth base. The broth was light but had a deep flavor to it due to the inclusion of dashi. This added a bit of fishy aftertaste with every slurp of the broth. It wasn’t overwhelming at all, but really added to the shoyu base flavor.
The noodles were very fresh and al dente. They were thinner and curlier ramen noodles. These were quite good.
The pork was seasoned perfectly and was some of the most tender pork chashu I’ve ever had. It literally was falling apart as I picked it up. It was THAT tender. Even the egg was good. It wasn’t quite hard boiled all the way through. There was still a little yolky parts to it which added even more depth and flavor to the ramen.
This Yoroyiya was also famous for their chicken gyoza’s, so I had to try those as well. You get three pieces for 400 yen ($2.71 USD), a good deal! Pan fried, the outside of the gyozas had a nice browned exterior. They came with a shoyu dipping sauce. The skins on these dumplings along with the filling tasted quite fresh. There’s ground chicken, green onion, and bits of glass noodle mixed into the filling. There’s some seasoning in there that gave it a hint of sweetness.
Yoroyiya Ramen 
Overall, a very delicious meal in a small ramen restaurant near Senso-ji temple in Asakusa Tokyo. It’s a perfect place to stop off after visiting the temple or on the way there.
Yoroiya was a definite stand out due to it’s overall delicious bowl of ramen. The broth, the pork, the egg, were all outstanding. This was a bowl of ramen where everything in it was excellent. I can’t say that for every bowl I’ve encounted.
Yoroiya Ramen
1 Chome-36-7 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan
