Tokyo, Japan - Eat & Drink

Eat

The sheer quantity and variety of food in Tokyo will amaze you. Department stores have food halls, typically in the basement, with food which surpasses top delicatessans in other world cities. Not only is cold food on offer, but also food to go. Tokyo has a huge amount of restaurants, so see the main Japan#Eat|Japan guide for the types of food you will encounter and some popular chains. Menus are often posted outside, so you can check the prices. Some shops have the famous plastic food in their front windows. Don't hesitate to drag the waiting staff out to the front to point at what you want. Always carry cash. Many restaurants will not accept credit cards.

Tokyo has literally tens of thousands of restaurants representing more or less every cuisine in the world, but it also offers a few unique local specialties. Nigirizushi (fish pressed onto rice), known around the world around simply as "sushi," in fact originates from Tokyo. Another is monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き), a gooey, cabbage-filled version of okonomiyaki that uses a very thin batter to achieve a sticky, caramelized consistency. It is originally from the Tsukishima area of Tokyo/Chuo|Chuo and today there are many restaurants near Asakusa offering monjayaki.

• Hot Pepper Available in various editions, by region, around Tokyo, this free magazine offers a guide to local restaurants in Japanese but provides pictures and maps to the restaurants. Some restaurants even offer coupons. Most restaurants within this magazine are on the mid-range to high end scale.

Although Tokyo is famous for its sky-high cost of living, it offers a wide range of dining opportunities to satisfy every taste bud of its vast population. While there are many reasonable eateries available, the city is also abundant in prestigious restaurants of a variety of cuisines, both domestic and international, where sophisticated food prepared by renowned chefs are served. All kinds of food for all budgets-- this is what describes Tokyo's food culture and its excitement best. Some of the best cusines include: Sushi, Kaiseki Ryori, and Teishoku.

Budget

Go to the convenience store (konbini), there is one every second corner. Really, the options may surprise you. You can get rice balls (onigiri), bread-rolls, salads, prepared foods (like nikuman and oden), and drinks (both hot and cold) for ¥100-150, bento lunch boxes for around ¥500 and sandwiches for ¥250-350. At some convenience stores, microwaves are available to heat up your food for no additional cost. Supermarkets (suupaa) are usually cheaper and offer a wider choice, but more difficult to find. (Try Asakusa and the sidestreets of Ueno's Ameyoko market for local--not big chain--supermarkets.)

Also, look for bentō shops like Hokka-Hokka-Tei which sell take-out lunch boxes. They range in quality and cost, but most offer good, basic food at a reasonable price. This is what students and office workers often eat.

Noodle shops, curry shops, and bakeries are often the best option for people eating on the cheap. They are everywhere. The noodle bars on every corner are great for filling up and very cheap at ¥200-1000. You buy your meal ticket from a vending machine at the door with pictures of the dishes and hand it to the serving staff. The one question you will typically have to answer for the counterman is whether you want soba (smaller diameter) or udon (larger diameter) noodles. Some offer standing room only (but with a counter to place your bowl), while others have limited counter seating. During peak times, you need to be quick as others will be waiting.

Fast food is available just about everywhere, including many American chains like McDonald's, Wendy's, and KFC. But if you are visiting Japan from overseas, and wish to sample Japanese fast food, why not try MOS Burger, Freshness Burger, Lotteria, or First Kitchen. If you're looking for something more Japanese (not to mention more cost-effective and probably tastier), try one of the local fast food giants, Matsuya or Yoshinoya. For under ¥500, you can get a giant bowl of meat, rice, and vegetables, sometimes with egg thrown in for good measure. Drinking water or hot ocha (Japanese green tea) is usually available at no extra cost.

Raw fish enthusiasts are urged to try kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi), where the prices are very reasonable. Prices are depending on the color of the plate, so be sure to check before they start to pile up.

Many of the larger train and subway stations have fast, cheap eateries. Around most stations, there will be ample choices of places to eat, including chain coffeeshops (which often serve sandwiches, baked goods, and pasta dishes), yakitori places, and even Italian restaurants.

The ubiquitous "izakaya", a cross between a pub and a casual restaurant, invariaby serve a good range of Japanese dishes and can be good places to fill up on the cheap in the evening. Many chains have picture menus.

Mid-range

By tradition the basement of almost any department store, including Mitsukoshi, Matsuzakaya, or Isetan, is devoted to the depachika (デパ地下), a huge array of small shops selling all kinds of prepared take-out food. You can assemble a delicious if slightly pricey picnic here — or, if you're feeling really cheap, just go around eating free samples! The very largest department stores are Tobu and Seibu in Tokyo/Ikebukuro|Ikebukuro, but Tokyo/Shibuya|Shibuya, Tokyo/Ginza|Ginza and in fact any major Tokyo district will have their fair share. Tokyo/Shinjuku|Shinjuku Station is home to several famous department stores, such as the Keio and Odakyu department stores. Many stores begin discounting their selections at about 7pm each night. Look for signs and stickers indicating specific yen value or percentage discounts. You will often see half-price stickers which read 半値　(hanne).

Splurge

There are countless very expensive restaurants in Tokyo, but one splurge is worthwhile for fans of sushi. The best sushi in town, if not the world, can be found in Tokyo/Tsukiji|Tsukiji, fresh from the famous fish market. Figure on ¥3000 for a set meal, which is a bargain compared to how much sushi of similar caliber would cost elsewhere. A sushi breakfast in Tsukiji, after exploring the fish market, is a great option for the jet-lagged traveler's first morning in Tokyo.

For upmarket Japanese eats, Tokyo/Ginza|Ginza is guaranteed to burn a hole in your wallet, with Tokyo/Akasaka|Akasaka and Tokyo/Roppongi|Roppongi Hills close behind. You can limit the damage considerably by eating fixed lunch sets instead of dinner, as this is when restaurants cater to people paying their own meals instead of using the company expense account.

Drink

The party never stops in Tokyo (but generally takes place in Karaoke bars amongst locals during the week), and you will find good little bars and restaurants everywhere. You will also find that you are never far from a beer vending machine in Tokyo.

If you're new in town then hit Tokyo/Roppongi|Roppongi for establishments which specialize in serving foreigners, although things can get a little rowdy in some gaijin bars. The area is pretty dead during the week but livens up a little on Friday and Saturday night. Furthermore, this area might not be to everyone's liking as it is generally overflowing with foreigners, hostesses and most annoyingly 'patrons' who will continually hassle you to visit their gentlemens clubs. Be warned, a drink will typically cost you 5000 Yen in a gentlemen's club, hence the reason for the vast number of pimps hassling foreigners. At least the pimps are easy to spot.

Hub pubs are available in Roppongi and Shibuya which resemble English pubs and are reasonably priced. Gaspanic clubs are also in those 2 areas which provide decent music, if nothing more. Throughout Tokyo, Happy Hours which typically last for a couple of hours between 5pm and 7pm at weekends and to 9.30pm during the week, will take the typical cost of a pint in a Western bar down from 900 Yen to 500 Yen, or lower if willing to stand. The First Bar does cheap cocktails in Roppongi on a Sunday night.

If you are looking for a more Japanese and/or pleasant international experience, visit Tokyo/Shibuya|Shibuya for cool nightclubs and dancing. The bar area is between the station and the area where the love hotels are located. Just head over the footbridge straight ahead when you go out of the station and then take a right and follow the neon from street to street. Tokyo/Shinjuku|Shinjuku is home to Kabukicho, Japan's largest red-light district, and the massive gay bar district of Ni-chome. As a gaijin, you will also experience a great deal of hassle in this area, similar to Roppongi. A little further from the city center are Tokyo/Shimokitazawa|Shimokitawaza, Tokyo/Koenji|Koenji and Tokyo/Nakano|Nakano, which are full of good bars, restaurants and "live houses" offering underground/indie music, and popular with students and 20/30-somethings.

The cheapest nights out would be at Japanese-style watering holes called izakaya (居酒屋), which offer food and drink in a convivial, pub-like atmosphere. Cheaper chain izakaya like Tsubohachi (つぼ八) and Shirokiya (白木屋) usually have picture menus, so ordering is simple even if you don't know Japanese. Night out Western-style can get expensive, with clubs and live houses enforcing weekend cover charges in the ¥2000-5000 bracket (usually including a drink coupon or two) and a single drink at a bar as much as ¥1000.

For a splurge on a beverage or two, Western Shinjuku's Park Hyatt Tokyo houses the New York Bar on level 52. Providing stunning views day and night across Tokyo it was also the setting for the movie Lost in Translation. Cocktails here start around ¥1400 - single malt whiskies are upwards of ¥2000. --Webmaster 01:40, 18 July 2008 (UTC)