Sushi in Tokyo
 

Hi!
I'll be visitng Tokyo soon. If you're on a budget, where can you get
the best sushi?
Thanks!
Peter

Sushi in Tokyo
 

"beeldbouwer" > wrote in message
oups.com...

> I'll be visitng Tokyo soon. If you're on a budget, where can you get
> the best sushi?

I don't remember too much about price, but I remember the quality was outstanding...
Tsukiji. I remember a few not so pleasant things as well, but it all depends on what
you're willing to deal with. Here was an interesting link I found concerning just such
concern.

http://forum.japantoday.com/m_603848.../tm.htm#629112

As the person in the forum suggested, 6AM is a great time to go for all around freshness.
Here's why.

http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/youk..._e/24hours.htm

Hope this helps a little. It has been a long time since I was in Tokyo, but I'm fairly
sure not much has changed. Good luck.

-Lost

Sushi in Tokyo
 

"beeldbouwer" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hi!
> I'll be visitng Tokyo soon. If you're on a budget, where can you get
> the best sushi?
> Thanks!
> Peter
>

Peter, I've just returned for the umpteenth time and I have a few questions.

a) Where are you staying in Tokyo. The city is vast and the rail network
isn't easy for the inexperienced traveller.

b) Do you speak Japanese?

c) How much Yen you willing to pay (remember the drink bill, too) ?

d) Anything foodstuffs that you will avoid?

Graeme

Sushi in Tokyo
 

Try www.chowhound.com, international board. Use your browser's search
function. There's at least three posts from various dates asking about
sushi in Tokyo. Tsukiji seems to be your best bet; freshest fish at
reasonable prices, closest to the source. Daiwa seems to be the main
drawer from what I read (long lines, go early).

Sushi in Tokyo
 

"beeldbouwer" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hi!
> I'll be visitng Tokyo soon. If you're on a budget, where can you get
> the best sushi?

There are 400,000 restaurants in the Tokyo metropolitan area . . . many are
sushi restaurants.

If you are looking for the best possible sushi, are not with locals and
money is no object, Sushi Nakata in the Imperial Hotel. Excellent sushi
without being overcharged because you are a gaijin.

If you are looking for sushi on a budget, try the basement levels of office
buildings in Yurakucho/Marunouchi or even the food level of a department
store such as Mitsukoshi (Nihonbashi) or Sogo (Yurakucho).

My personal favorite . . . Chiyosei in Morishita. Small, neighborhood sushi
shop with a live tank (delicious aji). Went there every Friday night for a
couple of years. Owner is Ishii-san.

Or if you just want to have some fun, try Kubota-san's yakitori in the
"guardo-shita" section of Ginza (2 minutes from Imperial Hotel). Cheap
eats, cold beer.

My rule for eating out when not with locals is to never go down or up steps
.. . . always eat in a shop/restaurant at street level.

The list goes on and on and on.

Sushi in Tokyo
 

D. Lutjen wrote:

> My rule for eating out when not with locals is to never go down or up
> steps . . . always eat in a shop/restaurant at street level.


I'm curious as to why.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

Sushi in Tokyo
 

beeldbouwer:
> I'll be visitng Tokyo soon. If you're on a budget, where can you get
> the best sushi?

My favorite reasonably priced sushi restaurant in Tokyo is Midori
Sushi. They have branches in Ginza, Shibuya, Futako Tamagawa,
and Umegaoka (main).

http://homepage2.nifty.com/sushi_no_midori/

Their fish is always impeccably fresh and the size of the neta is
huge compared to most other places. Not only is their sushi
great, but they also offer excellent side dishes, like their kaisen
(seafood) salad and their maguro no binta yaki (tuna sauteed w/
garlic and soy sauce). My average bill there, including a bottle of
beer, is usually about 4,000 yen.

They do not take reservations, though, so expect to line up
outside the restaurant for up to 30 minutes during peak hours.
Also, if you enjoy sake with your sushi, Midori Sushi is a bit
lacking in high-end nihonshuu.

If you need directions to any of the branches except Ginza
(haven't been yet), send me an email. I can also help you with
recommendations for other restaurants, depending on the
area and cuisine.

glenn

photon_lab (atmark) hotmail (dot) com

Sushi in Tokyo
 

"Ken Blake" > wrote in message
...
> D. Lutjen wrote:
>
> > My rule for eating out when not with locals is to never go down or up
> > steps . . . always eat in a shop/restaurant at street level.
>
>
> I'm curious as to why.
>
> --
> Ken Blake

Me too. My best guess would be one of two reasons, or both though.

1. So you don't get beat to death. Yeah, I'm serious (okay, slightly exaggerated
though).
2. So you don't pay double or triple for something they would normally throw in the
garbage.

-Lost

Sushi in Tokyo
 

"Ken Blake" > wrote in message
...
> D. Lutjen wrote:
>
> > My rule for eating out when not with locals is to never go down or up
> > steps . . . always eat in a shop/restaurant at street level.
>
>
> I'm curious as to why.

Two reasons:

1). You can end up paying far more than you should . . . food might be
reasonably priced but that was a ¥5,000 glass of beer you just gulped down
and then there is another ¥2,000 for the girl who brought it to you. And
your waitress has been replaced by a Yakuza-esque bouncer.

2). Many of the buildings in Japan were built under older building codes so
egress in an emergency would be difficult. Visualize narrow hallways,
staircases with incredibly steep rise, 3-person elevators, etc. Some may
say this is silly but I have come to close to disaster in my travels in East
Asia.

Sushi in Tokyo
 

i'm a photographer and a travel writer.

Sushi in Tokyo
 

Hi Graeme, thnx for your reply. Your questions:
a. 1-5-10 Shiba-koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo. 105-0011 (Shiba Park Hotel)
b. no i don't speak Japanese
c. 150 euro (75 euro per person)
d. whale, dolphin

Hope to hear from you!

Sushi in Tokyo
 

D. Lutjen wrote:

> "Ken Blake" > wrote in message
> ...
>> D. Lutjen wrote:
>>
>>> My rule for eating out when not with locals is to never go down or
>>> up steps . . . always eat in a shop/restaurant at street level.
>>
>>
>> I'm curious as to why.
>
> Two reasons:
>
> 1). You can end up paying far more than you should . . . food might
> be reasonably priced but that was a ¥5,000 glass of beer you just
> gulped down and then there is another ¥2,000 for the girl who brought
> it to you. And your waitress has been replaced by a Yakuza-esque
> bouncer.
>
> 2). Many of the buildings in Japan were built under older building
> codes so egress in an emergency would be difficult. Visualize narrow
> hallways, staircases with incredibly steep rise, 3-person elevators,
> etc. Some may say this is silly but I have come to close to disaster
> in my travels in East Asia.


OK, thanks. But you said ",,,when not with locals." I'm not sure what this
(especially number 2) has to do with not being with locals.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

Sushi in Tokyo
 

Beat to death? Are there areas tourists better stay away from?

Sushi in Tokyo
 

"beeldbouwer" > wrote in message
oups.com...

> Beat to death? Are there areas tourists better stay away from?

Again, note that was a slight exaggeration. I do mean slight, because it isn't to say it
couldn't or wouldn't happen. The last time I was in Japan, I and several of my American
colleagues wandered down an alley on the advice of a sharp looking little woman who told
us about wondrous meals to be had.

Out of six of us in all, all two of them had was a severe beating. Oddly enough, those of
us who weren't "white" weren't bothered.

So, my best guess and advice, would be stick with your friends and/or locals you're or
have become familiar with. Stick to large open spaces and markets (worse that can happen
there is pickpocketing).

Bear in mind, any and all of these things can happen anywhere in the world. I just
remember a lot of Japanese having a particular dislike for "gaijins".

Also bear in mind, in my experience, there have been more nice places than bad. I
honestly wouldn't worry about a thing unless you decide to jump in a cart with a bunch of
rough looking lads and let them tell you the greatest sushi to be had is outside of town
in some far off fields.

-Lost

Sushi in Tokyo
 

-Lost wrote:
> I don't remember too much about price, but I remember the quality was
outstanding...
> Tsukiji. I remember a few not so pleasant things as well, but it all
depends on what
> you're willing to deal with. Here was an interesting link I found
concerning just such
> concern.
>
> http://forum.japantoday.com/m_603848.../tm.htm#629112
>
> As the person in the forum suggested, 6AM is a great time to go for all
around freshness.
> Here's why.
>
> http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/youk..._e/24hours.htm
>
> Hope this helps a little. It has been a long time since I was in Tokyo,
but I'm fairly
> sure not much has changed. Good luck.

If you do decide to visit Tsukiji, here is a partial list of sushi
restaurants
in the area encapsulated by a poster on Chowhound late last year:

http://www.chowhound.com/boards/intl...ges/34579.html

glenn