Food tours can be a mixed bag. There are a lot of variables, and you lack control over most of them. We’ve had food tours where the food was mediocre, the other participants were annoying, and the guide made up history. We’ve also had some fantastic ones where everything is exceptional. Even with the potential for disaster, we still like going on them.
Today’s tour was an Izakaya food tour near the Shinjuku station area of Tokyo. An Izakaya is almost like a tapas bar and is typically patronized by businesspeople after work.
Our guide went by the moniker Hawaii Joe, and as his name might suggest, he’s from Hawaii but has lived in Japan for the last 20ish years. Joe possesses Jack Sparrow-like traits, where he doesn’t walk in a straight line and sometimes gets lost mid-sentence. He seems to lack a diverse set of adjectives, so things (food, places, other nouns) all start to sound extremely similar. If you ever end up on a tour with him, make a drinking game out of “There you go.” You’ll be drunk in no time!
Yakatori
The first place Joe took us to was a gourmet Yakitori place called charcoal grill & bar GARAKUTA-YA on the fourth floor. So many restaurants or shops exist in the upper level of buildings that appear to have no retail presence. Often, you wouldn’t know to ascend, except for a small sign at the base.
We started with some bread and anchovy butter, then grilled rice ball (order this if you ever get a chance!), and then we began the yaitori flight. Yakitori is chicken on a bamboo stick cooked over charcoal. The differences in the Yakatori come from the various parts of the chicken. We went from breast, to thigh, to heart, and lastly the tail. The heart and the tail were not as good as the thigh and the breast meat, but it was exciting to try the different styles without the commitment to an entire order.
Sake and Sashimi
Next, we headed to an Izakaya specializing in seafood called Takamarusengyoten 2. Before the food, we received a helping of sake served in a shot glass in a small wooden box. The sake is poured into the shot glass so that it overflows into the box until the box is full. The wooden box is called a masu, which during its feudal period, was used to measure rice. The tradition of overflowing the sake into the box symbolizes the generosity of the server. The sake was excellent.
For food, we were served tuna sushi, karaage (fried chicken), crab cakes, and salmon and tuna sashimi. There is no meal quite like one with good sake, salty, and umami-flavored foods.
Tonkatsu and Golden-Gai
After the first few restaurants, we needed a breather and some steps. Not wanting to let our buzz die down, Joe took us to a Family Mart convenience store to get some road beers. He then took us through a section of Shinjuku that is known for its tiny bars that seat 3 – 4 persons at a time. This area is known as Golden Gai. There are over 200 bars squeezed into this tiny area. Back in food tour mode, Joe got us some Tonkatsu from Tonkatsu Nimura HONTEN to sample while outside in the shadow of a Godzilla seen on top of one of the nearby buildings.
Okinawan Cusine
The last stop on the tour was an Okinawan restaurant called Yanbaru main store. There was so much food! We were served Orion beers. Having spent some time in Okinawa, I have had quite a few of those. The Blue Seal Ube ice cream was the star of the show. Pork ribs and squid ink soba noodles were the ones I could remember.
This was a great food tour. We may not have learned all the cultural details of everything, but the food was very good, and Joe was a charming and delightful guide. My favorite was the sake, and Devin’s was the sushi/crab cake. Highly recommend.
This tour sounds amazing. I like the tapas approach so you don’t explode halfway through the tour. I think I’d be under the table by the end though between the beers and sake. Hope this tour covered several hours.