Long time no talk, friends! I’m popping in today to share our favorite eats and drinks on our recent trip to Tokyo, Japan. I went into this trip with the highest of high food expectations (all of our friends who had visited before claimed it’s hard to have a bad meal!) and I have to say they were completely exceeded. I also loved Japan so much more than I expected – everyone was so nice, friendly, and welcoming and we felt right at home from the get-go, even in a country where our language skills were limited to the most basic of basics. I can’t recommend a trip to Japan enough. Read on for our favorite spots from stop 1 on our trip, Tokyo!

1. For the best ramen we had (in Tokyo, at least): Ramen Nagi

A teeny-tiny ramen shop in the Shinjuku neighborhood that was one of the best bowls of ramen (and meals in general) we had all trip. This ramen was very hearty and filled with flavor, with thick-cut homemade noodles. This tasted like what your grandma’s ramen would taste like, if your grandma was an amazing Japanese cook. As a heads-up, this restaurant (like many in Tokyo) is extremely small, so I’d try to go slightly off-hours or be prepared to wait outside for a bit.

2. For a truly one-of-a-kind sushi experience: Sushi Bar Yasuda

We were totally smitten with our experience at Sushi Bar Yasuda – not only was this the best and freshest sushi we’ve ever had in our lives, but we got to eat our whole meal one-on-one with the chef and owner, Yasuda! This meal was quiet and completely dedicated to enjoying the amazing sushi and chatting with the vibrant and hilarious Chef Yasuda, so I didn’t get to snap any pictures, but it was a one-of-a-kind experience that I highly recommend if you love sushi. Do the omakase – you won’t be disappointed.

3. For a delicious day trip for whisky-lovers: Suntory Hakushu Distillery

I got tickets to a tour and tasting here for my whisky-loving husband for our anniversary, and it was hands-down the best (and most informative) distillery tour we’ve ever done! The Suntory Hakushu distillery is about a 2 ½ hour train ride on the bullet train from Tokyo in the most beautiful location in a forest with the Japanese Alps in the distance. It was a lovely day trip and the perfect way to get out of the city for a bit and get to try some amazing Japanese whisky!

4. For a very well-worth-it splurge: Narisawa

Another no-pictures recommendation, this two-Michelin star restaurant was a serious splurge, but it was such an amazing and special meal I had to include it. Knowing we’d spend the majority of our time in Japan eating more casually at street vendors and izakayas, we wanted to do one really nice fine dining meal in Tokyo on our trip. I researched a TON and we landed on Narisawa. I can’t say enough wonderful things – a meal here is truly an experience, with the most amazing fresh Japanese ingredients and some serious dream dishes (including bread that was baked fresh AT OUR TABLE). The chef came out to shake our hands and thank us for coming which was a total fangirl moment for me, too. If you’re looking for a special dinner in Tokyo, look no further – every course was delicious, the service was impeccable, and we loved getting to experience a truly incredible meal in a city known for its amazing fine-dining options.

5. For a fun, high-energy dinner and amazing fish: Kaikaya by the Sea

This izakaya (Japanese gastropub) specializing in amazing seafood was rowdy, fun and welcoming in the best way. This was a top recommendation from our friend Danielle, who has been lucky enough to get to travel to Tokyo for work and killed it with the recommendations! We tried a ton of things here – a raw fish sampler, some amazing sautéed sugar snap peas, a fatty tuna roll, and – my personal favorite – tuna spare ribs, which look like ribs but tasted like tuna! We had a great time sitting at the bar talking to the chefs and other diners and lingered over a bottle of wine and sake until it was nearly closing time.

6. For an amazing gyoza stop while sightseeing: Harajuku Gyoza

We did a lot of snacking and small meals in Japan (there was just too many amazing things to try!) and this was one of our favorite spots for a quick bite. Another recommendation from our friend Danielle, Harajuku Gyoza is the perfect place to pop into for a few orders of gyoza while sightseeing in the Harajuku area. We tried both the steamed and fried gyoza and washed it all down with much-needed cold beverages (it is seriously, seriously hot and humid in Tokyo in the summer). Everything was delicious and affordable – highly recommend!

7. For amazing, perfectly executed cocktails: Bar Ben Fiddich

We went to this small, quiet cocktail bar on our last night in Japan, and their inventive, perfectly-executed cocktails were the perfect note to end on. We were lucky to get a table right away (there are very few seats) and loved our custom cocktails and the speakeasy-like vibe. I highly recommend going early or expect a wait!

8. For a traditional Japanese breakfast: Shinpachi Shokudo Shinjuku

We didn’t want to leave Japan without trying a traditional Japanese breakfast, and this place did not disappoint. Everything was simply and perfectly cooked, and it embodied so much of what we came to love about Japanese food: just good ingredients, prepared simply with little fanfare. Perfectly-cooked fish, rice, miso soup, and pickles – I’m typically a sweet vs. savory breakfast girl, but I could eat this every day!

9. For the best snacks and souvenirs for the ride home: Isetan Food Hall

If you love farmers markets and food halls, get ready for the mecca: Isetan Food Hall. Located in the basement of the high-end Isetan department store in Shinjuku, this food hall features a truly overwhelming amount of incredible prepared foods and Japanese groceries – I made Brad go back twice because I had such analysis paralysis on what to get! This reminded me of Harrod’s food hall in London (another favorite stop of mine) but, of course, with all Japanese goodies. It is a food lover’s paradise and the perfect place to pick up souvenirs for your friends (or, uh, yourself) for the plane ride home!

Other top tips from our stay in Japan:

1. If you’re traveling to a lot of different cities, the Japan Rail Pass is a great option. We were a little sketched out by all of the travel companies’ 1990s-era websites, but it was totally legit and definitely the right move for our itinerary (Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, with a few local day trips as well).
2. I highly recommend renting a pocket wi-fi. There are a few companies that do this – we used eConnect Japan and it worked great and was super convenient. We picked it up at the front desk of our hotel at check-in and dropped it off right at the airport on the way out. This was a total life-saver because we were using Google Maps all day every day – I honestly don’t know what we would have done without it!
3. You can take the trains everywhere you need to go in the cities we visited – we didn’t step into a car the entire trip, it was truly amazing! Use Google Maps to figure out all the schedules and transfers – it worked perfectly for us the entire trip.
4. I read this in a few places before our trip but it’s worth repeating – it’s considered rude to eat while walking in Japan, so there are very few trash cans anywhere. Brad made this mistake of taking an iced coffee to go and couldn’t find a place to throw it away for hours! So just don’t take anything to go or be prepared to carry your trash around for a long time! 🙂 

Thanks for reliving this most wonderful of trips with me! I already can’t wait to go back. 

What is this, My Bacon-Wrapped Travel Guide?! I know, I know – but even though I don’t have enough time to develop and photograph recipes anymore (sob), I love posting these round-ups of our favorite places to eat and drink in the cities we’re lucky enough to visit. These types of posts on my favorite food blogs are always my favorite resources when scoping out a new trip, and I hope they can be helpful for all of your future endeavors as well!

Contact Info:

Ramen Nagi

Japan, 〒160-0021 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Kabukicho, 1 Chome−1−10 2F

+81 3-3205-1925

http://www.n-nagi.com/

Sushi Bar Yasuda

4 Chome-2-6 Minamiaoyama, Minato City, Tokyo 107-0062, Japan

+81 3-6447-0232

http://www.sushibaryasuda.com/index_e.html

Suntory Hakushu Distillery

2913-1 Hakushucho Torihara, Hokuto, Yamanashi 408-0316, Japan

+81 551-35-2211

https://www.suntory.com/factory/hakushu/

Narisawa

2 Chome-6-15 Minamiaoyama, Minato City, Tokyo 107-0062, Japan

+81 3-5785-0799

http://www.narisawa-yoshihiro.com/

Kaikaya by the Sea

23-7 Maruyamacho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0044, Japan

+81 3-3770-0878

https://www.opentable.com/r/kaikaya-shibuya-ku

Harajuku Gyoza

6 Chome-2-4 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan

+81 3-3406-4743

https://www.yelp.com/biz/%E5%8E%9F%E5%AE%BF%E9%A4%83%E5%AD%90%E6%A8%93-%E6%B8%8B%E8%B0%B7%E5%8C%BA-4

Bar Ben Fiddich

Japan, 〒160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Nishishinjuku, 1 Chome−13−7 大和家ビル 9F

+81 3-6279-4223

https://www.yelp.com/biz/%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC-%E3%83%99%E3%83%B3%E3%83%95%E3%82%A3%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF-%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%BF%E5%8C%BA

Shinpachi Shokudo Shinjuku

1 Chome-15-9 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan

+81 3-6302-0690

https://www.shinpachi-shokudo.com/

Isetan Shinjuku Food Hall

3 Chome-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0022, Japan

+81 3-3352-1111

https://www.isetan.mistore.jp/shinjuku.html;jsessionid=2mZ7Un3ymuj_PYyGLgPxyJREjri1qZoPc2ZIjRDTtOgYzovQDt-S!-217488949

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