sushi saito

Pandie Survey: Where To Eat In Tokyo

I’m so excited everyone because I’m actually going to one of the craziest countries that I know of… JAPAN!

So I’ve been fed with a good amount of Anime back when I was young. I was one of those kids who couldn’t wait to get home and watch the latest episode of Fushigi Yuugi (what was my mom thinking??), Akazukin Chacha, Rurounin Kenshin, etc. and my knowledge of Japan started here. And as I grew up and learned more about Japan through Nintendo games, Pokemon, and weird Japanese commercials, I knew that I had to go here someday.

Will only be going to Tokyo due to time constraints this April 12-19 and a side travel to Shibazakura festival, Mt. Fuji and Fuji-Q, but I really hope 8 days is enough for me (who am I kidding, course not) and my college friend to cover at least… um the basics?

Must visits include Harajuku, Akihabara, Odaiba (science museum & onsen), Shibuya, Shinjuku, Meiji Shrine, Ghibli Museum, Ginza, flea markets here and there… but I don’t know. Am I missing something?

Especially for restaurants!  Tokyo is the capital of food gastronomy and the food quality is incomparable to other countries. It hosts the most number of Michelin starred restaurants and if you’re feeling local, you can check out Tablelog’s dependable reviews to find a restaurant to your fancy. Because of this impromptu decision to go to Japan (there was a seat sale at Jetstar. How can I say no to 6,000php roundtrip Tokyo ticket), I couldn’t get in my must try restaurants because they require 2-3 months of reservation in advance. Namely..

den

1. Jimbocho Den – Moden and whimsical take of the kaiseki style Japanese dining. The style hails from Kyoto and is a degustation type of setting. I will be missing these dishes though I hope to be able to visit next time (YES THERE WILL BE A NEXT TOKYO TRIP even though I haven’t even set foot in Tokyo).

sushi saito

2. Sushi Saito – Tablelog users have rated this the #1 Sushi restaurant in Tokyo (Jiro from Jiro Dreams of Sushi has been dethroned long ago) and therefore in my mind, the world’s best sushi restaurant. I will definitely definitely go back just for this so I swear on my sushi and sashimi loving stomach!

Now, for the sure list:

  1. Midori Sushi – A starter sushi restaurant. Not too shabby and not too wow. Just right.
  2. Kurogi – Replacement of Jimbocho Den’s but equally as good for a Kaiseki restaurant. It’s the current 5th place in Tablelog now.
  3. Steakhouse Satou – Can anybody please say Matsusaka beef? It’s the renowned beef in Osaka region and we’ve got it here in Tokyo. My desire to eat the best beef makes this a must visit restaurant.
  4. Kyubey – Another sushi restaurant but with higher class than Midori. My best friend swears by this place and I trust her judgement. Because I am in Tokyo, I shall eat sushi almost everyday. I NEED TO.
  5. Nakajima – One of the world’s cheapest Michelin starred restaurant. This is to heed the call of our aching wallets that we must dine somewhere more affordable. And of course getting good food at such an affordable price is a dream come true!

So far those are the restaurants that I have on my list. I will be visiting some themed cafes like owl cafes specifically Akiba Fukurou in Akihabara and maybe Robot Restaurant (can anyone tell me if it’s worth it?) but they’re not really popular for their delicacy and food so I am always open for suggestions when it comes to the food.

What are your must try restaurants in Tokyo or anywhere in Japan? Do let me know in the comments. Will definitely write a blog post per restaurant when I get to Tokyo next month. That’s a guarantee!

 

6 thoughts on “Pandie Survey: Where To Eat In Tokyo

  1. Cat says:

    Have fun in Japan! I went a couple years ago, and I loved it. I’m actually planning my next trip back right now!

    I went to Fuji-Q the last time I went, and the roller coasters there are so crazy! I also tried to go to the Ghibli Museum, but sadly, the tickets were sold out, even though I was ordering early.

    What amazed me was how cheap sushi was in Japan. I didn’t really do my research and look up restaurants beforehand, but almost everything I had in Japan was amazing. So much good food there!
    Cat recently posted…My Cosplay ProcessMy Profile

    • thepandieexplorer says:

      Really? When are you going? Where in Japan did you go?

      Man I love to go back and I haven’t even been there yet. We are going there to Fuji Q and Ghibli!! Sad to hear that you didn’t get to go to Ghibli 🙁 Aww man.

      I’ll be trying both cheap and expensive sushi so I can compare. My friend told me they’re very diffeent. Or maybe because she’s a fellow foodie herself. Shall post my adventures soon! 😀

        • thepandieexplorer says:

          Hi Cat!

          Can’t seem to comment on your post omg thank you so much for the review on your blog. How many hours did you stay in Fuji-Q and what mode of transpo did you use? Bus or train? For trains, did you use a different kind of pass (like the not normal ones in Tokyo) to go to Fuji-Q?

          Ooh Sendai!! At the moment it’s not part of my list of places to go to in Japan (I got Osaka, Kyoto and Hokkaido next) but what’s in Sendai? Am curious to know.

          Thanks!!

          • Cat says:

            Ah yeah, I have it set to close comments on old entries because spammers target them XD;;

            I think we arrived at Fuji-Q near 11am, and we stayed until closing at 5pm. We took the train there, but then bought a bus pass to get back. We only had a JR pass, so we were just buying tickets for the non-JR lines as we went along.

            We’re going to the Tanabata Festival in Sendai, and then we’re doing day trips to neighboring cities 🙂 Feel free to email me if you have questions about Japan! I wrote about my past trip on my blog as well!
            Cat recently posted…My Cosplay ProcessMy Profile

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