Tokyo Food Tour | Walk and Eat like Local Tokyoites

Original Experience

The idea of food tour in Tokyo came from my experience when I was attending a business school in Boston. I organized a team to plan a trip to Japan, introducing 50 classmates to the Japanese culture in spring break. We travelled across Japan Island from Tokyo, to Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka, visiting major Japanese […]

We have many other great foods than Sushi!

Think of Japanese foods. Most people think of Sushi. Maybe others think of Shabu Shabu and Tempura, for instance. However, we don’t eat such great foods every day. Rather, I am a great fan of Ramen, which is originally a Chinese noodle but now it evolved to more Japanese style and super popular among Japanese […]

We are passionate about guiding and eating!

As a guide, we are passionate taking you to the best places for eating because we want you to have a great time in Japan and become a big fan of Japanese foods and culture. Also, we believe it is important that we ourselves love to eat. So, this is such a great match. Contact […]

We want to take you to places where you can feel culture!

Tokyo is a very modern city with over 10 million population. We believe that Tokyo has a unique conbination of modern and cultural aspects that can be observed at the same time. In our tour, we want to take you to places where you can feel culture while you enjoy great local foods in Tokyo. […]

Night culture might be interesting too!

Izakaya hopping tour? Sounds great! In our tour, we want to take you to great local foods, which might be normally inaccessible without local guides but are really loved by local Japanese people. Contact for Tokyo Food Tour Tokyo Food Tour

Things to do in tokyo

September 4th, 2014

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1:Visit Asakusa

Asakusa area is quite famous tourist spot for both Japanese and foreigners. Asakusa area still has traditional aspects of Japan strongly. You could enjoy classic atmosphere of Japan. There are a remarkable temple called Sensō-ji and a well-known shopping street called Nakamise street.

Also, there are excellent restaurants especially for Japanese soba and a bowl of rice topped with tempura.

2:Drink Japanese Sake.

Please don’t miss to taste the excellent sake. In tokyo, there are good sake tasting bars and you could enjoy the finest sake difficult to experience outside of Japan. Especially, the sakes named “Juyondai”, “Dassai” and “Hakkaisan” are magnificent taste.

3:Look Tokyo National Museum

Tokyo National Museum is the largest art museum in Japan. You could look ancient Japanese art including Japanese swords. The samurai swords are historically famous and truly beautiful.

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Photo by densetsunopanda Photo by naitwo2 Photo by Ivani.Chang Photo by macglee Photo by Norio.NAKAYAMA 　Photo by bangdoll@flickr Photo by Ivani.Chang

The Japanese tea ceremony

September 3rd, 2014

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The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called chanoyu or sadō. The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called otemae. Zen Buddhism was a primary influence in the development of the Japanese tea ceremony.

The Japanese tea ceremony has a big role in Japanese culture and is considered as a special event. When I experienced it, I felt that the tea ceremony has an effect to calm one’s mind. You could experience the Japanese tea ceremony in Tokyo. Please experience the tea ceremony, when you come to Japan.

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Reference: Wikipedia　Photo by nyaa_birdies_perch Photo by TANAKA Juuyoh (田中十洋)

Ryōan-ji

August 22nd, 2014

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Ryōan-ji (龍安寺The Temple of the Dragon at Peace) is a Zen temple located in northwest Kyoto, Japan. The Ryōan-ji garden is considered the finest surviving examples of kare-sansui (“dry landscape”), a refined type of Japanese Zen temple garden design generally featuring distinctive larger rock formations arranged amidst a sweep of smooth pebbles (small, carefully selected polished river rocks) raked into linear patterns that facilitate meditation. The temple and its gardens are listed as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On my Kyoto trip, I visited Ryōan-ji. Ryōan-ji is famous by its garden and one of the finest places for Zen meditation. I am interested in Zen meditation because of Steve Jobs. So I went there and did Zen meditation for 3 hours. It was such a special time for me. Please visit Ryōan-ji, if you are interested in Japanese Zen.

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Reference: Wikipedia

Enryaku-ji

August 21st, 2014

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Enryaku-ji (延暦寺) is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was founded during the early Heian period. The temple complex was established by Saichō (767–822), also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the Tendai sect of Mahayana Buddhism to Japan from China. Enryaku-ji is the headquarters of the Tendai sect and one of the most significant monasteries in Japanese history. As such, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.” The founders of Jōdo-shū, Sōtō Zen, and Nichiren Buddhism all spent time at the monastery. Enryaku-ji is also the home of the “marathon monks.”

On my Kyoto trip, I visited Enryaku-ji. Enryaku-ji is a sacred place and played significant role in Japanese Buddhism. Although it is not famous sightseeing spot for foreigners, Enryaku-ji is quite famous tourist spot among Japanese. Please visit Enryaku-ji as hidden tourist spot for foreigners, when you travel to Kyoto.

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Reference: Wikipedia

Photo by macglee

Fushimi Inari-taisha

August 12th, 2014

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Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines which span 4 kilometers and takes approximately 2 hours to walk up. In the middle of the mountain, the inner shrine is reachable by a path lined with thousands of torii. The path lined with thousands of torii attracts many visitors.

Yesterday, I visited Fushimi Inari Taisha and trailed up the mountain for 2 hours. The road decollated with torii was so beautiful. I felt eternal like Möbius strip by passing thousands of torii. Surely, Fushimi Inari Taisha is one of the most memorable places for my life. Please visit Fushimi Inari Taisha when you travel to Kyoto.

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Reference: Wikipedia

Shinjuku Gyoen

August 6th, 2014

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Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a large park with an eminent garden in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally a residence of the Naitō family in the Edo period. It is now a park under the jurisdiction of the national Ministry of the Environment. The garden, which is 58.3 hectares in area with a circumference of 3.5 km, blends three distinct styles: a French Formal and English Landscape in the north and to the south a Japanese traditional. A traditional Japanese tea house can be found within the gardens. The garden is a favourite hanami (cherry-blossom viewing) spot, and large crowds can be present during cherry blossom season.

The garden has more than 20,000 trees, including approximately 1,500 cherry trees which bloom from late March (Shidare or Weeping Cherry), to early April (Somei or Tokyo Cherry), and on to late April (Kanzan Cherry). Other trees found here include the majestic Himalayan cedars, which soar above the rest of the trees in the park, tulip trees, cypresses, and plane trees, which were first planted in Japan in the Imperial Gardens.

The Izakaya tour is held near the Shinjuku Gyoen.

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Reference: Wikipedia

Photo by Antonio Tajuelo Photo by ai3310X Photo by t-miki

Tsukiji fish market

August 5th, 2014

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The Tsukiji Market is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. The market is located in Tsukiji area in central Tokyo. While some inner areas have restricted access to visitors, the inner wholesale market, the outer retail market and restaurants are major tourist attraction for both domestic and overseas visitors.

The market handles more than 400 different types of seafood from cheap seaweed to the most expensive caviar, and from tiny Sardine to 300 kg tuna.

There are a lot of excellent Sushi restaurants, for example, Sushi Dai, Daiwa, Sushi Sei …etc.

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Reference: Wikipedia

Photo by Kobetsai Photo by jamesfischer

Sake

June 6th, 2014

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Sake is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin that is made from fermented rice. Sake is sometimes called “rice wine” but the brewing process is more akin to beer, converting starch to sugar for the fermentation process, by using Aspergillus oryzae.

Sake is sometimes referred to in English-speaking countries as rice wine. However, unlike wine, in which alcohol is produced by fermenting sugar that is naturally present in grapes and other fruits, sake is produced by means of a brewing process more like that of beer. To make beer or sake, the sugar needed to produce alcohol must first be converted from starch.

The brewing process for sake differs from the process for beer, in that for beer, the conversion from starch to sugar and from sugar to alcohol occurs in two discrete steps. But when sake is brewed, these conversions occur simultaneously. Furthermore, the alcohol content differs between sake, wine, and beer. Wine generally contains 9%–16% ABV, while most beer contains 3%–9%, and undiluted sake contains 18%–20% (although this is often lowered to about 15% by diluting with water prior to bottling).

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Source: Wikipedia

Image: Creative Commons

Kobe beef restaurants in Tokyo

December 1st, 2012

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Here are the list of restaurants highly reviewed by local Japanese where you can eat great Kobe beef in Tokyo.

– Teppanyaki Sazanka (Style: Teppanyaki)
http://www.hotelokura.co.jp/tokyo/restaurant/list/sazanka/recommend/

– Yakiniku Kunimoto (Style: Yakiniku)
http://www.8929kunimotoshinkan.com/

– Ningyocho Imahan (Style: Sukiyaki)
http://www.imahan.com/

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Kobe Beef

December 1st, 2012

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Kobe beef refers to cuts of beef from the black Tajima-ushi strain of Wagyū cattle, raised according to strict tradition in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The meat is generally considered to be a delicacy, renowned for its flavor, tenderness, and fatty, well-marbled texture. Kobe beef can be prepared as steak, sukiyaki, shabu shabu, sashimi, teppanyaki. and more.

Kobe beef is also called Kobe niku, Kobe-gyu or Kobe-ushi in Japanese.

Kobe beef in Japan is a registered trademark of the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association. It must fulfill all the following conditions:
– Tajima cattle born in Hyōgo Prefecture
– Farm feeding in Hyōgo Prefecture
– Bullock (steer) or castrated bull, to purify the beef
– Processed at slaughterhouses in Kobe, Nishinomiya, Sanda, Kakogawa and Himeji in Hyōgo Prefecture.
– Marbling ratio, called BMS,[7] of level 6 and above.
– Meat Quality Score[7] of 4 or 5
– Gross weight of beef from one animal is 470 kg or less.

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Source: Wikipedia