I love me a good gyoza, whether as a hearty dinner dish or a sinful snack to pair with beer. There are few experiences as comforting as biting into a thin gyoza skin and sinking your teeth into greasy minced meat that is bursting with flavour.
I stumbled upon Gyoza Hohei while searching for a late dinner near my hotel in Ginza. Turns out, this unassuming establishment is actually the sister location to the legendary Kyoto-based eatery of the same name!
Ibaraki once held the title of “least attractive prefecture in Japan” for several years in a row, a dubious “achievement” which is a tad unfair considering the understated charms that it has to offer.
Spanning over 6,000 square kilometres and bordering other famous locales such as Tochigi and Fukushima, Ibaraki is situated two hours north of Tokyo. From a sprawling seaside park to a torii that commands an arresting view of the Pacific Ocean, here are ten places to sightsee and eat to your heart’s content over a weekend in this coastal prefecture!
Leave it to social media to unearth another “hidden gem”. Once Tokyo’s best-kept secret, Tsujihan Zeitaku Don‘s fame has exploded online, thanks to the proliferation of its one and only dish – kaisendon piled high with chopped tuna and shellfish, and topped with overflowing ikura and uni that would make a seafood lover weep.
While Tsujijhan is one of the numerous food chains to dot Tokyo’s foodie map, its Nihonbashi branch is the most famous and visited among locals and tourists. Queues are known to run around the block, with average wait times spanning over two hours.
Fancy eating a piece of Japan’s history? Ginza Wakamatsu is a traditional dessert shop whose history spans over 100 years. Tucked away in an unassuming corner of Ginza Core Building, right next to the Prada store, this storied place was the very one to introduce anmitsu.
A classic dessert comprising agar gelatin, sweet bean paste, and black sugar syrup, anmitsu used to be exclusively available at Ginza Wakamatsu, which first created it in 1930, about four decades after it opened.
It’s no secret that Japanese convenience stores – or conbinis as they’re known locally, are on another level. The sheer variety of to-go food and goods makes our convenience stores back home look poorly stocked.
At the center of this so-called institution is conbini chicken, a deep-fried, breaded chicken cutlet sold at many a counter. It is so legendarily delicious that some even claim you haven’t experienced Japanese cuisine at its peak if you’ve not sunk your teeth into one of these sinful cutlets.
This begs the question: with as many as three major conbini chains in any Japanese city, whose fried chicken is the best? Needless to say, I set out to undertake this mission against my better judgment, and to my stomach’s great delight.
While its wholesale compound has long relocated to Toyosu, Tsukiji Outer Market continues to be *the* bustling destination for foodies far and wide. After all, what could be better than hopping from stall to stall, sampling fresh seafood and other delicious street food?
Best of all, most eateries and stalls are open by 8am. With most food spots in Tokyo only opening their doors around 10am, Tsukiji is an excellent spot for breakfast, especially if you’re staying in the Ginza or Taito areas. Here’s everything I ate there!
On Day 1 of our recent work trip to Tokyo, we were eager to tuck into some good ol’ Japanese food after a hectic afternoon. As it turns out, Shouhei Ramen was right around the corner from our hotel in Nishishinjuku.
Chue On It 