Hi everyone, I’m Taku, a local living in Tokyo!
Traveling for food is honestly the best part of any trip, isn't it? Even when I travel within Japan, my list of things to eat is always endless.
I’m so curious to know—for those of you interested in Japan, what are you looking forward to eating the most?
If you can't pick just one, feel free to share your entire "must-eat" list! I’d love to hear what's on your mind. 🇯🇵✨
by Taku_NextDoorJapan
40 Comments
Honestly, the very first thing I would get is konbini onigiri. I lived in Japan for a time and konbini food is so nostalgic to me now.
Any form of rice and raw fish
Kaisendon was the first thing that popped in my mind.
I low-key would find the nearest CoCo-Ichi.
Other than that? A great bowl of ramen or pig out on some sushi.
My wife and I went to Japan for our honeymoon in December 2024. We loved it so much we went back May 2025. We just booked for April 2026!
Some of our favorite meals: chirashi bowl in Toyosu, a tofu and wagyu beef set near Arashiyama in Kyoto, and ochazuke from a random place in Osaka station.
I live in Japan, but mostly cook at home, so it’s fun to think about this. If I could have any meal of my choosing tonight, I’d love to go to a high-end oden place I know. Oden gets a bad rap because most people only have the conbini variety, but when it’s done extremely well, it’s so much better than people tend to expect.
Although touristy i always go to Katsudon Zuicho in Shibuya for my first meal in Tokyo.
tonkatsu
Offal tsukemen, katsudon, anagodon, and otoro, uni and ikura sushi.
Famichiki
Some kind of soba definitely. Most likely zaru soba since it’s my favorite
Already here, but Coco’s. But I think I say this now because my coworker is eating curry right behind me and it smells delicious lol
The best Chiar su ramen Japan has to offer
Probably oyakodon.
Proper yakitori that I didn’t have to make.
Ramen🍜
Those sashimi platters look absolutely delicious 😋
My obaachan’s kabocha no nimono. Or her asari miso shiru. 🥺🥺
I’m torn between unadon and Okinawa soba.
Good onigiri!
A spicy Famichiki from Family Mart. And a barley tea to wash ot down
Sushi. When go to Japan, sushi is MUST.
kaisendon
I’d walk straight to a yoshinoya and get me a gyudon with an onsen egg.
Lawson egg salad sando as a second course on my way to the hotel
Does beer count
Takoyaki!
Kamukura ramen or okonomiyaki
Okay hear me out. TAIYAKI
Last time I was there I ate 5
3 custard and 2 red bean haha it was great but also appealed to childhood nostalgic flavors
tempura soba, spam onigiri, those chocolate-covered almonds in the slide-out packet.
Real tonkatsu ramen
unagi and sashimi 🤤
Definitely a famichiki and onigiri to start with. Then an assortment of tempura with kare udon or soba.
Lots of sushi and sashimi so I can taste many of the things I can’t reasomanly get here.
Also, other unique foods, like a truly great and original style of ramen. And some great shabu shabu.
I should call her
One of those places with the variety of different kind of eggs to have with rice
Basashi and a highball!
Just landed? I’m too tired and dehydrated to appreciate proper food. Probably just kaitenzushi or something before passing out early.
The day after I land, once I’ve had a proper night’s sleep? My tradition is to visit [Maenohara Onsen Sayano Yudokoro](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ojYm1u88E4t2vt8N6). Have a nice bath, get a nice massage, enjoy a pleasant meal while overlooking the garden. Tempura seiro, perhaps. Almost certainly a shikuwasa sour. And coffee milk immediately after the bath. It’s a nice, chill way to settle into Tokyo when I’m still jetlagged.
After I’m settled in? A couple critical ones for me.
* [Harukor](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ovZCzJejNinRPXj78), the only Ainu restaurant in Tokyo.
* [Tamasaka](https://maps.app.goo.gl/gurgBzxdXj4uZ2B1A), a great izakaya with all sorts of seasonal and regional ingredients.
In general, I’ll be wandering around looking for interesting izakaya and retro kissa. Places where I can strike up a good conversation are also great. I tend to favor areas like Kichijoji or Ogikubo, or just whatever random neighborhood I feel like exploring.
Many of the places on my list are smaller joints that I’d be hesitant to post on the internet lest they wind up on some website’s list. That said, a few (mostly larger or already popular) spots that I like and don’t mind sharing:
* [Unagi Kappo Oedo](https://maps.app.goo.gl/1UkGeRVfi3p7FL9j7), unagi restaurant in business since 1800.
* [Minatoya](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ShpWKMtfjdVFot7P7), neighborhood kakigori shop since 1931.
* [Ashiyu cafe & bar Donyoku](https://maps.app.goo.gl/HxixQWJ2JsYsbk83A), LGBT friendly cafe with foot baths and a kotatsu. Very cozy.
* [Bobry](https://maps.app.goo.gl/AAbtdDvrffDDjK8e9), horse restaurant.
* [Udon Shin](https://maps.app.goo.gl/KGq4tJktvuv1Jf4J9), a solid udon shop that’s apparently become popular with tourists more recently. I went something like a decade ago, so can’t comment on that.
* [Nasu Oyaji](https://maps.app.goo.gl/YN9N8BRy1H4NKqZ48), excellent curry restaurant in Shimokitazawa.
* [DAWN | Avatar Robot Cafe ver.β](https://maps.app.goo.gl/43Nev5jyy4Wonicx7), cafe with telepresence robots staffed by people with disabilities. Very cool place.
* [Kooriya Peace](https://maps.app.goo.gl/EqoRNcZsD5pjSv6j9), kakigori shop that featured in Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman (さぼリーマン甘太朗).
* [Tsukemen Yasubee](https://maps.app.goo.gl/XDV7eGBt9uHaR5uv6), local tsukemen chain that’s nostalgic for me since studying abroad.
* [Coffee Aristocrat Edinburgh](https://maps.app.goo.gl/YbGZnQwX2W2g1FuQA), 24-hour cafe with good sandwiches and syphon coffee. No physical barrier between the smoking and non-smoking sections, so it can get a bit smokey, especially at busy times. Retro vibes but actually a little newer (first opened 1975, new ownership 2014).
* [Coffee Seibu](https://maps.app.goo.gl/zJk3kKcgLenKEsp19), founded in 1964 and known for their parfaits.
* [Meikyoku Kissa Lion](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Kt6JWjecwfsLLq6i9), meh coffee but worth it for the vibes. Founded in 1923, one of the last remaining meikyoku kissa.
* [Kissaten Seven](https://maps.app.goo.gl/FC93bVbKYWv4h82y6), retro kissa in Sangenjaya. Decor includes a bunch of Peanuts and Studio Ghibli, amusingly.
* [Hakushaku Ikebukuro North Exit](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ez1HwMJbKvV6NZ6k8), another solid retro kissa.
* [Tsubakiya coffee shop Ikebukuro Saryo](https://maps.app.goo.gl/RXpW1PHSoBn4grVR6), yup, retro kissa again.
Dangit, going through my list I see that [Ogikubo Jashumon](https://maps.app.goo.gl/BvZjJyV9KMLuJD7v8) just closed. That’s a bummer, they had awesome vibes and were one of my favorites.
Things I’m eating/drinking besides the obvious choices like sushi or whatnot? Probably getting Naporitan at some point (sorry, Italy). Asking the staff at izakaya for recommendations or just trying whatever I don’t recognize. Sandwiches and coffee. Finding some mom and pop restaurant that’s been around forever, especially if they have stuff that’s closer to home cooking. Wandering around a yokocho (not Golden Gai or Omoide Yokocho) and trying whatever catches my eye. Drinking Hoppy, imo or kokuto shochu, any homemade umeshu I can find (the commercial stuff is far too sweet for me), or whatever looks unusual.
If you’ve seen Midnight Diner (深夜食堂), that’s my absolute favorite vibe. I’ve found a few such places. Came back to one a year and a half later, the owner and some of the regulars remembered me. Spent hours again hanging out chatting and eating good food. Heh, good times.
My ex
Pizza bun 🫣 its been 7 years…I just need to wait 4 more months!
Those 12 inch long French fries