Sophisticated and authentic cuisines

●Sushi

Among several serving styles of sushi, the best known is "nigiri-zushi," which is a bite-size oval ball of rice flavored with sweetened vinegar and Topped with a piece of ingredient called neta. A variety of neta includes raw or marinated seafood as well as tamagoyaki <rolled egg>. At a sushi restaurant, you may be seated at a counter, choose neta you like from a front showcase and tell your order directly to a chef behind the counter. You may also choose a course that includes various neta of the chef's selection. Most high-end sushi restaurants are in this style. Some varieties of neta can be very expensive at these places, however. Prices for neta in early or mid season are especially fluctuant due to the market situation and the actual figure of these items are not always given and indicated only as "price varies daily" instead. Be sure to ask for the price of the day before you order such items to avoid any troubles at checkout.

●Kaiseki Ryori

Also known as kaiseki-zen, "kaiseki ryori" is a full-course serving style of Japanese traditional cuisine. The origin of kaiseki ryori is "honzen ryori," which was established as manners for samurai warriors to entertain their guests. The kaiseki menu is composed of basic "one soup and three dishes (sashimi, yakimono <grilled dish>, and nimono <stewed dish>)" and often includes additional dishes such as zensai <appetizer>, agemono <fried dish>, mushimono <steamed dish> and such. The course is generally completed with rice, miso soup and kounomono <pickled vegetables>. Plates and bowls carefully selected and food tastefully arranged, every dish served for the kaiseki menu is visually entertaining too. When written in different kanji characters, "kaiseki ryori" also indicates a simple set menu that was originally served at a tea ceremony. You may enjoy this kaiseki style dish and its unique way of presentation at some washoku <Japanese cuisine> restaurants.

Casual Japanese dining

●Kaiten-zushi

Kaiten-zushi is a casual style of sushi restaurant where they serve sushi for reasonable prices. It is very popular in Japan and numerous kaiten-zushi restaurants are found throughout the metropolitan area. At the restaurant, customers may be seated at a counter or a table and serve themselves by choosing their favorite plates of ready-to-eat sushi that are circulating on a conveyor belt through the tables. In addition to standard fresh seafood sushi, many kaiten-zushi restaurants serve sushi made with canned tuna or hamburger steak and also varieties of dishes other than sushi from karaage <fried chicken> to dessert cakes. For a drink, cups and teabags are provided at each table along with hot water so that customers can make and serve green tea by themselves. At checkout, a restaurant staff counts the number of plates on the table, which are color-coded for prices.

●Teishoku

Teishoku is a set menu that usually includes a main dish of meat or fish accompanied with a side dish, rice, miso soup and tsukemono <pickled vegetables>. Popular items for the main dish are sashimi, yakizakana <grilled fish>, tonkatsu <breaded pork cutlet>, karaage <fried chicken> and such. The price range for teishoku menu varies but usually is from 600 yen to 1,200 yen. While there are many casual diners specializing in teishoku, some Japanese restaurants and other higher-class restaurants occasionally serve reasonable teishoku menu for their lunch service.

Local favorites

●Izakaya

Izakaya is a Japanese-style casual tavern where you can enjoy a variety of food and drinks for reasonable prices. Popular menus at the izakaya restaurant include nikujaga <stewed potato with beef>, karaage <fried chicken>, nimono <stewed dish> and so on, many of which are richly seasoned and are good as an accompaniment for a drink. They also serve filling rice dishes such as onigiri <rice ball> and ochazuke <bowl of rice served in green tea or dashi soup>. At many izakaya restaurants, especially those of national chains, a price list usually includes pictures of food so that it makes it easy for customers to order. Remember that some izakaya automatically bring a small bowl of appetizer called tsukidashi or otoshi, which are often added to your bill at checkout.

●Yakitori

Yakitori is a very popular dish of chicken, which is skewered, barbecued and seasoned with sweet shoyu <soy sauce>-based dipping sauce or simply with salt. While they are almost always served at izakaya <Japanese tavern>, many specialized yakitori restaurants are also available nationwide. A general yakitori menu includes thigh, liver, gizzard and such, each of which is enjoyable for its different flavor and texture. Skewers of chicken and green onion, vegetables, or quail eggs are often served also. Some yakitori restaurants feature a special breed of chicken, various parts of chicken meat, or special charcoal to create their originality.

●Yoshoku and Ramen

In Japan, there is a variety of dishes which have their origin from abroad but have been imported and altered into a unique menu in Japan. Such dishes occasionally have a totally different flavor and serving style from their original. Yoshoku is a generic term for the dishes based on the Western cooking, such as karee raisu <curried rice>, supagettii <spaghetti>, hanbaagu <hamburger steak>, and tonkatsu <breaded pork cutlet>. Some restaurants specialize in these yoshoku menus. Ramen noodles, on the other hand, is originally from China and has become one of the most preferred food by Japanese people. It is so popular that some ramen restaurants are even open in China now. A common bowl of ramen is composed of boiled thin noodles in salt-, shoyu-, or miso-flavored chicken broth soup and is Topped with vegetables such as moyashi <bean sprout> and negi <green onion> and also with a piece of chaashuu <char siu-Chinese-style barbecued pork>. Some ramen restaurants find their originality by offering different thickness of noodles, Toppings, and flavors and spiciness of the soup. It is a common lunch time scene that many customers patiently wait in line to eat at a popular ramen restaurant.

Taste from around the world

●Chinese

A number of Chinese restaurants are found in Tokyo. Basic Chinese dishes such as ramen noodles and chaahan <fried rice> are also served at many common eateries. Some places specialize in a local cooking from one of regions of the vast Chinese continent. Taiwanese restaurants are also popular. High-end restaurants serve sophisticated menus prepared with a plenty of special ingredients.

●Ethnic

A variety of restaurants serving ethnic cuisines are available in Tokyo, from Asian (Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, etc.) and Middle Eastern (Turkish, Egyptian, etc.) to Mid/ South American (Mexican, Brazilian, etc.) and such. Some restaurants combine those cooking varieties and serve mukokuseki or "no national identity" menus. Many of such places are great for those who want to enjoy different exotic tastes for reasonable prices.

●Western

Although they used to be considered as rather formal places, some restaurants that serve European cuisines have a more relaxed atmosphere today. Italian is a very popular cuisine with Japanese people and some restaurants that specialize in pizzas and pastas are especially casual. More and more French restaurants now offer "prix-fixe" style menus, which include several courses for relatively reasonable prices. Many other cuisines from Europe, America and Australia are also available in the metropolitan area.

Health-oriented gourmet

●Shojin Ryori

The origin of shojin ryori is a meal for Buddhist monks who are not allowed to eat living things including animals and seafood. Shojin ryori uses vegetables as the main ingredients and beans as a source of protein. Some restaurants offer full-line menus of shojin style dishes prepared with such ingredients and are favored by health-oriented customers and vegetarians. Some Buddhist temples also offer an authentic shojin ryori meal prepared by their monks to visitors with an advance reservation.

●Tofu Ryori

Tofu has become well-known to the world as healthy food today. It is made by boiling and squeezing soybeans to produce soy milk, to which a solidifying liquid called nigari <bittern> from ocean water is then added to make into a cake. Rich in vegetable protein and nutritious, tofu is a popular, reasonable cooking ingredient. Because of its long history and plain flavor, a number of cooking methods and recipes using tofu have been developed. Restaurants specializing in tofu dishes are also available in the metropolitan area.

●Yasai Ryori

Restaurants specializing in vegetarian dishes are also popular today among those who look for a healthy diet. Some restaurants serve wafuu <Japanese-style> menus by adapting shojin dishes, while some others offer western-style vegetarian dishes. The number of macrobiotic restaurants is also increasing due to its popularity these days. They mainly serve menus prepared with vegetables and brown rice. Many of such restaurants are particular about cooking ingredients as well as how they are produced. They often use natural foods and organic ingredients.

Easy and Quick! Fast Food

●Donburi

The word "donburi" indicates a bowl larger than a standard rice bowl. Donburi-mono is a menu of donburi filled with rice and Topped with the main dish along with tare <sauce>. Popular donburi menus include gyuudon, whose Topping is cooked beef and onion in shoyu <soy sauce>-based sweet sauce, as well as tendon <rice bowl with tempura> and katsudon <rice bowl with breaded pork cutlet>. While they are mostly available at soba restaurants and teishoku diners, some restaurants specialize in these donburi menus. There are many donburi shops of national chains, which are popular for their reasonable prices.

●Tachigui-soba

Tachigui-soba is a stand that serves noodle menus such as soba <buckwheat noodle> and udon <thick wheat noodle>. As its name says, customers stand and eat at a counter. Many of such tachigui-soba stands are found within and around train stations and are always busy with people who want to fill their stomach quick and easy. Their menus are very simple and rather limited to standard ones such as kake <no Topping>, tanuki <Topped with tempura crumbs>, kitsune <Topped with a piece of aburaage or fried tofu cooked in shoyu-based sweet sauce>, tsukimi <Topped with a dropped egg>. It is a good choice if you want to eat and save your time and money.

●Onigiri

Onigiri is a rice ball which is formed into an easy-to-eat size and shape such as triangle or circle. Since Japanese verbs "nigiru" and "musubu" both mean "to bond," onigiri is occasionally called omusubi. Onigiri usually contains some ingredients inside, such as yakijake or shake <grilled salmon>, umeboshi <pickled plum> and tarako <cod roe>. They are occasionally Topped with goma <sesame seeds> or wrapped in nori <laver> paper. There are more varieties of onigiri available now, from one that uses mayonnaise-seasoned canned tuna to an "omuraisu onigiri" which is a ball of ketchup-flavored rice wrapped in an egg crape. They are stables at convenience stores for prices between 100 yen to 200 yen and many onigiri stands are also found at train stations and on streets. These shops usually carry casual forms of sushi such as inari-zushi <sushi rice ball wrapped in a cooked fried tofu> and norimaki <laver-wrapped sushi roll> along with onigiri.

●Hamburgers and Sandwiches

Like other parts of the world, hamburgers are very popular fast food in Japan, especially with young people. Shops of worldwide chains are almost always found near train stations. Their menu usually accompanies pictures of items to make ordering easy. While many of these hamburger shops are very reasonable, some sophisticated hamburger restaurants are also available in the metropolitan area. Sandwiches are a good choice for those who seek western-style fast food that is healthier than hamburgers. Since Tokyo is full of great bakeries that offer a variety of breads from around the world, good-quality sandwiches are available at specialized restaurants, cafes, and many other eateries. They are also a standard item at convenience stores as an easy and reasonable snack.