A Tokyo Travel & Food Guide

I now understand why people feel compelled to return to Tokyo again and again. It’s not a place you visit once and tick off some travel bucket list, like you might with the balloons of Cappadocia or the hike to Macchu Picchu, or a city that you can explore in a few days and feel satisfied that you’ve seen the highlights. It’s vast and crazy and orderly and peaceful all at once: skyscrapers and neon lights meet parks full of runners and manicured gardens, small local cafes fit in with sprawling luxury malls, systematic vending machine restaurant ordering and slick subway queues sit alongside the chaotic, colourful crowds of Harajuku. And then there’s the food. It seems (as an outsider) to be a culture always striving for absolute excellence, whether that be in the form of the freshest sashimi and the perfect bowl of ramen or a straight-out-of-Paris crisp, flaky pain au chocolat and punnets of flawless, identically shaped strawberries. Restaurants do one thing perfectly – udon or soba, tempura or yakitori. This clearly extends outside food too – knives, cars, bonsai, toilets! – and in the past, training to be a geisha, the ‘perfect female’.

There has both been so much already written about and photographed of Tokyo, and simultaneously a near infinite amount to explore, that this is far from a comprehensive guide. It’s simply a collection of memories from a wonderful week, from my favourite flat whites to steaming bowls of ramen, where to find gorgeous sushi on a budget and the best truffle pasta I’ve ever eaten (plus a few ideas for when you’re not stuffing yourself). There are no high end eateries on this list as this was still a student budget trip – I’ll be back again for those!

Some practicalities to start:

• We visited in early November, when the weather was perfect for walking everywhere and the vivid reds and oranges of fall were out in full force. Not too cold, not too hot.
• I bought a SIM card online the day before to pick up at the airport on arrival which worked perfectly and gave me 7GB for our 3 weeks in Japan, though there are different sizes (I bought a Mobal card) – definitely worthwhile, even just for google maps purposes.
• We stayed near Yoyogi Park, just north of Shibuya – an up and coming area of cool restaurants and cafes a short walk away from the madness of both Shibuya and Shinjuku while feeling much more local. I would definitely stay there again, though Nakameguro also came highly recommended.
• And finally, be aware of the fact that there are different social norms and etiquette to respect when you’re there that you might not be used to – read up a little. Some of the most obvious are not to eat while walking, not to talk on the phone in public or on the subway, line up orderly when everyone else is, wait for and only cross at the crossings, always take your shoes off at the door and don’t hang around after you’re finished eating at restaurants when there are queues for the seat (this especially goes for ramen – it’s generally considered fast food).

Caffeinate

• Coffee Supreme: one of my favourites back home, Wellington’s Coffee Supreme is now also my favourite in Tokyo for a perfect flat white. Pop into Camelback next door for an upmarket breakfast egg sandwich while you’re here.
• Path: quite possible the best pain au chocolat I’ve ever eaten came courtesy of Path, alongside deep caramel caneles, flaky cubed scones and rustic chestnut tarts. They serve drip coffee, no espresso, as well as a full all-day menu.
• The Roastery By Nozy: tucked into a vintage and boutique shopping strip between Shibuya and Harajuku, the Roastery not only serves coffee but also a creamy and intense espresso soft serve for your afternoon pick-me-up.
• About Life Coffee Brewers: a hole in the wall outfit in Shibuya serving up great takeaway.
• Fuglen: coffee and freshly baked cinnamon buns by day and cocktails by night.
• Cibi: another Melbourne transplant by Japanese couple Zenta and Meg Tanaka, Cibi is a cafe and design concept store serving up Japanese style breakfast, freshly baked cakes and coffee in a light warehouse space. Don’t be put off by the location – it’s off the tourist track in old-school Sendagi which is worth a wander in itself.
• Others that I didn’t quite make it to: Switch coffee, Omibus coffee, Allpress Tokyo, Koffee Mameya.

Sweet Tooth

• Gomaya Kuki: tucked into a Harajuku side-street is the best sesame ice cream I’ve ever had – choose from six different types (salted black sesame was a favourite) then DIY toppings of sesame oil and seeds.
• Fluffy ricotta hotcakes at Bill’s: the instagram famous hotcakes are instagram famous for reason – and, having eaten the Sydney and Tokyo versions a few weeks apart, the Tokyo version was fluffier, lighter and altogether better. Completely worth it for a birthday breakfast in Tokyo at this classic Australian cafe.
• Taiyaki Wakaba: for a classic Teriyaki in Shinjuku, this tiny store has been open since 1953 serving up fluffy fish-shape waffle cakes stuffed with red bean paste. Chefs make taiyaki in cast iron grills over coals while locals queue out the door to buy boxes at a time.
• Pierre Herme Aoyama: Tokyo’s culture of perfection lends itself well to French patisserie, and Pierre Herme’s Aoyama outpost encapsulates this. Completely worth a morning tea stop off for the caramelised hazelnut mille feuille- maybe after browsing the Saturday morning Aoyama farmer’s market next door.
• Suzukien Asakusa: if you’re a matcha person (can’t say that I am), then Suzukien offers 7 different strengths of matcha ice cream, as well as hojicha and black sesame.
• Others I didn’t quite make it to (check the hours of these as they are only open a few days a week): Harrits coffee & donuts, Sunday Bakeshop

Eat

• Sushi No Midori: very high quality mid-budget sushi with a number of locations (plates of tuna nigiri at approximately $40 pp) but it comes at the cost of a queue. Get there early for lunch to get a ticket and wait on the benches outside till you’re called.
• Uogashi Nihon-Ichi: a tiny standing sushi bar with room for about 10 around the counter in Shinjuku, perfect for a quick lunch on the go. Point to the mixed plate you’d like and the chefs serve it straight up in front of you. Very reasonably priced and some of the best sushi I had.
• Ohitsuzen Tanbo: beautiful rice sets with your choice of topping – think grilled salmon and roe, unagi or seared tuna on perfectly steamed rice, served up with sides of miso, wasabi, yam and a pot of roasted rice tea for you to DIY your meal. Prepare for the possibility of a line, or go early – but one of our favourite meals in Tokyo.
• Tsuta: a Michelin starred ramen bowl, complete with homemade noodles (flour from France and Hokkaido, soda ash from inner Mongolia), triple broth (whole chicken, clam and kelp, and dry fish), three different types of premium soy sauce, beef, porcini mushrooms, black truffle oil, balsamic truffle cream, morel and porcini cream sauce, fig compote and roasted Iberico pork. Insane. Get there around 8am to grab yourself a time to come back later (12 or 1pm), then expect to wait another half an hour when you return. We chose the shoyu ramen with everything. So worth it.
• Kikanbo: one of my favourite bowls of ramen from the trip – rich and spicy miso ramen topped with chunks of carmalised pork (chashu) and lots of garlic oil. It’s a food-coma inducing meal. You’ll get asked what level of spice you’d like – I went regular on both, and it was very manageable.
• Tensuke: a cheap and cheerful hole in the wall tempura outlet seating about 8 – get the tempura set and start with the crispy outside, gooey-centred tempura egg on rice, and follow up with a series of different vegetable and seafood tempura all made directly in front of you and delivered straight to your plate.
• OUT: an Australian run 13 seat restaurant serving up one dish only – a perfectly executed bowl of truffle pasta. Who knew a bowl of housemade fettuccine with liberal parmesan, olive oil and truffle could be this good. Start with a glass of red wine or bubbles and finish with the truffle chocolate truffles for dessert.
• Afuri: a much lighter ramen than many of the others we tried, Afuri is famous for their use of yuzu in their chicken and dashi broth. Head to their Nakameguro outlet for lunch before exploring the area (see below) .
• Udon Shin: it’s busy and touristy but with good reason – the udon here is chewy and bouncy and slippery and served in all manner of ways. Try the ultimate comfort food hot soy sauce udon with butter, pepper and soft boiled egg, the carabonara style bowl with bacon and parmesan, or go more traditional with cold udon, dipping sauce and piles of tempura.
• Anda Gyoza: if you’re staying in the area, this is a perfect local spot when you can’t be bothered to venture far to eat. Their gyoza are Taiwanese and look more like tortellini with a thick and nutty roasted oat wrapper and fillings like chicken and coriander, pork and daikon. Make sure to order the mapo tofu too – spicy and rich and perfect with rice.
• Ahiru Store: a tiny natural wine bar in Shibuya that delivers on atmosphere, nibbles and desserts – we devoured the tarte tatin and chocolate ganache cake.
• Sushi Zanmai: for cheap, fast, reasonable quality sushi that you won’t usually need to queue for (a number of locations).
• A few of the many many others on my list I didn’t make it to: Seirinkan or Pizza Studio Tamaki for allegedly the best pizza around, ramen at Mensho, Kiraku and Ramen Nagi, Obana for unagi and Tamawarai for soba

Do

• Shibuya: shop, eat, peer down at the crossing scramble (pop up to the top of Magnet by Shibuya 109 for a bird’s eye view at peak hour). Head up towards The Roastery by Nozy for an afternoon coffee softserve – it’s on a prime street for vintage, boutiques and people watching before hitting Harajuku in the evening. Another street worth exploring is the one that Coffee Supreme is located on.

• Ebisu and Nakameguro: head to Daikanyama T-site for book-shop heaven (there’s English and Japanese), wander down the canal (especially if it’s spring blossom or fall colours season), drink lots of coffee at Omibus and head to Afuri Ramen once you’re hungry.

• Ginza: head to Ippodo for high end matcha and sweets, the basement level of Mitsukoshi for food hall heaven, Ginza 6 for designer shops (but more importantly the giant suspended whale, golden architecture and rooftop city view) and Akomeya for boutique food items. Wander around the Imperial Palace if you have time while you’re over this side of the city.

• Shimokitazawa: if you want to vintage shop, this is the neighbourhood to do it.
• Tsukiji Market: the infamous Tokyo fish market has now been split in two – the commercial fish market and tuna auctions shifted to sterile warehouses a few kilometres away, and the bustling (and touristy) exterior street food stalls and eateries remaining in the original location. The latter is still absolutely worth a morning visit for a bowl of some of the freshest sashimi you’ll find (it’s still all sourced from the market). Go here for breakfast before venturing out to Team Lab: Borderless.
• teamLab borderless: a digital art museum you’ve probably already seen on instagram but unlike many things, is 1000x more impressive in reality – think rooms of floating lamps and a floor to ceiling crystal maze, constantly dynamic and changing. Buy tickets in advance.
• Yayoi Kusama Museum: a tiny museum worth it for Yayoi fans, a little off the beaten track but a lovely way to spend a spare hour. Book tickets ahead.
• Aoyama Farmers Market: a bustling, local Saturday morning farmer’s market full of more vegetables than I saw in the rest of the city, fresh wasabi, jars of vibrant pickles, freshly made rice milk, nut butters and bread.
• Senso-ji: the oldest temple in Tokyo, and also the busiest. Visit early if it’s tranquility or empty photographs you want.
• Kappabashi Utenstils St: need a Japanese knife, chopsticks or literally anything else you could possibly want for your kitchen? Here is your place. Tsubaya World is particularly well known for knives.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observation Room: a 360° view over the city from 202m up – on a clear day, you can spot Mt Fuji. Unlike the Tokyo Sky Tree, this view is free.
• Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden: in good weather, this is worth an hour or two exploring the greenhouse, watching the reflections in the lakes and lazing on the grass.
• Other museums: the Mori Art Museum and Nezu Museum both came highly recommended but were closed the week I visited.