Japan’s Edo period lasted for around 260 years. A vibrant food culture developed during these years when Edo—lively and bustling with crowds of people—was the world’s most populous city. This food culture has continued to endlessly evolve and develop over the years, resulting in incredibly diverse and versatile cuisine. Here, we’ll introduce iconic cuisines and noteworthy restaurants that you’ll want to try in Tokyo.
1. Sushi
Sushi is sometimes called the ‘fast food’ of the Edo period. Nigiri sushi was popular with ordinary people as a food that could be conveniently enjoyed at food stalls. Before ice and modern distribution systems, making the first Edo-style sushi involved salting, marinating or boiling fish caught in Edo Bay. Come experience nigiri—now popular all around the world—right where it first began.
Hikarimono
A sushi restaurant located next to the National Art Center, Tokyo. Hikarimono aims to serve as an affordable sushi restaurant where people can drop in casually. The menu is extensive, featuring both nigiri and tasty bar snacks. Hikarimono means ‘shining things’ in reference to fish sliced with the skin left on. True to its name, this restaurant’s shimmering, blue-skinned fish—like gizzard shad and mackerel—simply can’t be missed.
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2. Unagi
Unagi (freshwater eel) cuisine requires such skillful techniques that it is said to take, “three years to perfect skewering, eight years for filleting, and a lifetime to master the art of grilling.” Highly nutritious, unagi is especially popular in the summer months for overcoming heat-related lethargy or tiredness. At restaurants committed to quality, the unagi is often split open only after the customers arrive, and it can take considerable time before grilling is completed, so leaving plenty of time for your visit is recommended.
Nodaiwa Azabu Iikura Honten
A long-standing restaurant founded when the eleventh shogun Tokugawa Ienari controlled Edo (1789–1801). Fifth-generation owner-chef Kanejiro Kanemoto keeps his family’s culinary legacy alive. Grilled over binchotan charcoal, the eel is perfectly cooked to a beautiful pale amber colour.
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3. Tempura
People say that tempura first appeared at Edo food stalls in the second half of the 18th century. Typically, Tokyo-style tempura is served with a dipping sauce including grated daikon radish, while Kansai-style is served with salt for seasoning. But tempura can also be enjoyed in all kinds of creative and delicious ways, reflecting each restaurant owner’s ideas and experiences. Even now in the 21st century, tempura is endlessly evolving.
Tempura Kakiage Yukimura
Wanting to attract customers of every generation, this restaurant serves bowls of rice with toppings, set meals and à la carte items. First-time visitors are sure to enjoy the famous kakiage-don, a bowl of rice loaded up with shrimp. And vegetarians will love the delicious rice bowls topped with vegetable tempura.
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4. Soba
Soba is a popular comfort food for Tokyo natives. Even today, people enjoy the tradition of soba-mae—having alcoholic drinks and dishes such as sobagaki (buckwheat dough), itawasa (sliced fish paste with wasabi), and dashimaki tamago (rolled omelette made with egg and dashi) before ending the meal with soba. And like the Japanese saying that ‘soba should be swallowed rather than chewed,’ gulping down a serving of cold zaru soba before promptly leaving the restaurant has become another hip trend.
Edosoba Hosokawa
Located close to the Edo-Tokyo Museum (currently closed for renovations), this soba restaurant is graceful and elegant. The soba noodles are delicious served on their own, but the special seasonal dishes are worth a try too. Many customers come by for the large conger eel tempura dish.
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5. Sukiyaki
A cuisine called gyu-nabe or ‘beef hot pot’ first spread throughout Edo during the final days of the Tokugawa shogunate. It features beef, spring onions, translucent shirataki noodles and tofu in a broth flavoured with soy sauce, salt and sugar. The origins of the sukiyaki that everyone knows and loves today dates back to this local Tokyo dish. When the broth reaches a boil, a delightfully sweet aroma fills the room. Dip the slightly rare meat into the beaten egg and enjoy your meal while it’s hot.
SUKIYAKI ASAI
Indulge in sukiyaki at a kappo restaurant-style counter. The egg whites whipped into a meringue-like consistency offer a unique flavour. Watching the server’s handiwork up-close is another delightful aspect of the meal.
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6.Tonkatsu
This dish began with the French côtelette that arrived in Japan during the Meiji period (1880s-90s) alongside many other Western-style dishes. Early versions of this dish, known as katsuretsu, used beef. But to suit the tastes of Japanese people at the time, pork later replaced beef, and the tonkatsu that we know today boomed in popularity. Even more creative variations would soon follow, such as katsudon, katsuni and miso katsu.
Katsuyoshi
Located in a refurbished traditional home, this tonkatsu restaurant uses recycled wood to convey a retro feel. Along with loin and tenderloin teishoku set meals, Katsuyoshi also offers à la carte dining and courses. Suitable for various purposes, this is a restaurant that you can visit solo or with friends and family.
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ⒸTop Image: Sobamae Nagae
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