Your best friend was just in Japan. Your cousin was, too. You’re pretty sure you saw your college roommate posting from Tokyo last month. Your work bestie won’t stop talking about it. Even your retired parents beat you there. How did you let that happen? Whenever you’re ready to join the everyone-must-travel-to-Japan craze, you will need to make up for lost time.
Any itinerary will of course include Tokyo, but know this: however much time you have, it probably won’t be enough. Tokyo is enormous. So enormous it makes New York feel small. A plan of action is needed. The major sites are easy enough to coordinate, and there will be an excellent hotel to match every preference in terms of neighborhood, budget, and brand.
But what about the food? That’s kind of the whole point in Tokyo. Or at least a major part of it. The good news is that you can’t mess this up. It is damn near impossible to eat poorly in Japan, but a quick primer will enable you to hit the ground running, ready, and hungry.
Pro tip: Cash is a must for eating well in Tokyo. Many ramen joints and other local venues require it and use a vending machine ticket system for ordering. Not all of these are English-friendly—Google Translate is your friend.
The Splurges
aman tokyo
Chef Hiroyuki Musashi’s eponymous restaurant at the Aman Tokyo is a top omakase experience.
If Jiro dreams of sushi, are you dreaming of Jiro? Dream on. There’s such a sweeping array of excellent omakase joints that you really don’t need to stress about securing such a bucket list of a reservation.
One of the very best omakase experiences can be found at the Aman at Musashi. It’s a tour de force, with an almost alarming attention to detail all the way down to chef Hiroyuki Musashi growing his own sushi rice in his hometown—and making his own sake from it to serve as the perfect pairing. He even makes his own serving ware, including plates and sake bowls. But the sushi remains the rightful star and you won’t be disappointed.
Not used to seeing a female chef behind the sushi counter? Head to Masa Ishibashi and prepare to be wowed by executive chef Umi Kawachi’s skills. A 23-course feast, give or take, will lay to rest any notion that sushi is the dominion of men. You might expect the Aman to serve one of the best omakase meals in Tokyo. The Andaz? Maybe not. But its rooftop restaurant, the Sushi, belongs in the hierarchy.
Pro tip: The Dorsia phenomenon has reached Tokyo, too. Several services have made it possible (for a fee, natch) to snag hard-to-find reservations. Tableall and Tablecheck are the most reputable.
The fine dining world isn’t restricted to omakase, of course. Tokyo is home to some of the world’s best restaurants for just about every type of cuisine. First, start local by heading to the subterranean Nippon Cuisine at the Hoshinoya hotel. Then see how French technique is combined with Japanese ingredients at Héritage by Kei Kobayashi. Take another starry turn with the same combination at Est. A stunning teppanyaki experience is a must. Check out Nadaman at the Shangri-La.
The Hidden Gems
Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Only in Japan is 7-Eleven a veritable destination for quality eats.
Nothing but fine dining would not only destroy your budget but also end up being a bit boring. Japan excels at both ends of the food realm. Outside of the famous street eats in Southeast Asia, there’s no place on the planet where $10 or $15 can go as far as it does in Japan’s chain stores and counter shops.
You have probably heard the tales by now, but you have to see the convenience stores—those beloved konbini—to believe them. And not just 7-Eleven, either, but the holy trinity that also includes Lawson’s and Family Mart. Each has their strengths. All offer a tantalizing assortment of honest-to-goodness, real, and really good things to eat. Snack foods, sure. Famous egg salad sandwiches? A must. A selection of onigiri is always a good idea. Better when washed down with a highball made with real whisky.
Pro tip: Even the city’s train station food courts are excellent. The same can also be said for Tokyo’s department stores and malls, which are culinary hubs in their own right.
A proper izakaya is a rite of passage. Sidle up to the bar or settle into a high-top, order a kaku-hai (that’s short for a Kakubin highball, made with Suntory Whisky’s uber-popular domestic brand of blended Japanese whisky), and grab a few skewers and other Japanese pub fare. There are hundreds of such venues; Marugin, Zekkocho, and Kan Agari are a few standouts. Snobs in search of a more upscale offering will find it at Sowado. If you’re in a specific mood for gyoza and soup dumplings, Gyopao can’t be beat.
Another must? Yakitori. The skewers get the refined tasting menu treatment at Yakitori Sei, which is off the beaten path in a small district of back alley dining venues and bars. For a plate of hearty Japanese curry, which is best enjoyed with omu-rice, Loup de Mer is a no-frills lunch joint that will satisfy that craving and then some. And for the best tonkatsu, opt for a set lunch at Tonkatsu Suzuki, which is in Tokyo Station.
The Ramen Hit List
Is a bowl of ramen per day too much? We would argue it’s hardly enough. Whether you select your ramen stops based on where you’re headed for the day, or you make the ramen the destination and find another diversion along the way, you are in noodles heaven.
Let’s start with the Michelin-starred Ginza Hachigou. Bite-for-bite, it is the very best ramen you may ever have (it certainly is mine), the most precise in construction and perhaps the most picture-perfect. But is it worth the hours-long wait? Probably not, given that other bowls within walking distance might be 90% as good with 0% of the line. But it is, indeed, spectacular.
Pro tip: Pairing ramen with cocktails (the best bars, below) is one of the best ways to experience Tokyo’s food scene. Kikanbo & Bar Libre. Ramen Nagi & Golden Gai. Afuri & Bar Trench. Fuunji & Bar Benfiddich.
If Ginza Hachigou offers deep flavors from its deft and delicate bowls, Kikanbo punches you in the face with a fury of flavor. There are several locations in Tokyo offering its signature miso ramen, its the main claim to fame, which is offered with a choice of spice intensity for both red chili pepper and the numbing green sansho pepper. (Choose wisely.)
Afuri has multiple locations and is known for its interesting chicken and yuzu broth ramen. In Shinjuku, seek out Fuunji. The busy spot is primarily known for its tsukemen, or dipping noodles, with a wonderfully thick, rich broth. For a late-night binge after cocktails in Golden Gai, visit Ramen Nagi, for its fish broth flavored with sardines.
Ichiran is one of the most well-known chains, with locations abroad in New York and Hong Kong, and also offers a choice of spice level as well as noodle preference for its tonkatsu ramen, though neither the heat nor the flavor is as memorable as Kikanbo. It’s not the best bowl of ramen you’re going to find, though its individual dining booths are a popular experience.
The Cocktails
Nicolas Koenig
Gold Bar at the Tokyo Edition, Toranomon.
If you only visit one drinking establishment in this city, make it Bar Benfiddich, Hiroyasu Kayama’s temple to mixology (it is one of my favorite places on the planet). Otherwise, the list of musts is long. Bar Gen Yamamoto offers a seasonal produce-driven omakase cocktail menu (yes, it’s a thing) crafted with a theatrical beauty you won’t find anywhere else. Tokyo Confidential delivers a dash of unabashed fun alongside its creative cocktails thanks to its editor-turned-bartender founder Holly Graham, while a pilgrimage to the SG Club is obligatory for devout fans of mixology legend Shingo Gokan.
Pro tip: As sensational as Tokyo’s dining is, Fukuoka is where Tokyo residents vacation when they want to eat even better for a weekend. It’s famous for its street food scene, which is centered around a network of lively historic dining stalls known as yatai.
Classy hotel bars are also a thing in Tokyo, of course. Stop by the Tokyo Edition, Ginza, and head straight up the staircase to the Punch Room, a sultry lounge that emphasizes drinks made with savory Japanese ingredients like sansho, togarashi, bonito, daikon, and more. Try the Bamboo Katana Martini, or splurge on bottle service of Hibiki 30 or Yamazaki 25 for a cool 1.68 million Yen (nearly $12,000) a pop. At the city’s other Edition hotel, in Toranomon, the Gold Bar offers a blend of flashiness and club vibes with a very legit cocktail menu to back it up.
Tokyo Confidential
Tokyo Confidential.
The Bar at the Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo is another top find, as is Virtu at the Four Seasons Tokyo Otemachi, where beverage director Keith Motsi provides some of the best hospitality in the city, and beyond.
Hope you’re still thirsty. There are neighborhood favorites with global bonafides such as the Bellwood and Bar Trench, and then there are places like Memento Mori and Folklore, which serve cocktail tasting menus built on different themes; at Memento Mori, it’s cacao, and at Folklore, it’s tea. Finally, if you end up in Ikebekuro—and you might, for ramen at Kikanbo—visit Bar Libre.
Pro tip: The topic of dining in Tokyo can inspire passionate debate. Is this list comprehensive? No, not even close. But it’s a personal and vetted selection and I stand by each one. Still, it never hurts to ask locals, bartenders and hotel concierge for their picks, too.
AloJapan.com