PHX787 From Japan, joined Mar 2012, 5102 posts, RR: 14 Reply 1, posted (3 months 3 weeks 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 1180 times:
Depending on what you want to eat and how much you wanna pay, I can recommend some nice places.
There's an excellent Tonkatsu restaurant in Shinjuku Times Square, South exit of Shinjuku station, about a 5 minute walk around all the construction. Amazing food there. Close to ¥6,000 though.
For casual/sit down restaurants, there's a few chains of restaurants I like, namely Seizeria and Johnathan's Cafe. Those are like your standard casual lunch and dinner places. I recommend the Hamburg Steak.
Quoting United Airline (Thread starter): Will be there in March. Anything to do there/visit? Haven't been there for a few years
When in March? I arrive March 21 and I'll be there for 2 years. If you're still there when I arrive there shoot me a PM and I can probably find time to take you spotting at HND.
Things to do:
1) Sky Tree
2) Tokyo Tower
3) Odaiba
4)Asakusa
5) Ebisu (go for a drink there)
6) Kabukicho (if you want a hooker)
7) Shibuya (clubs, shopping)
8) Ueno Zoo
9) Akihabara- go get tripped out by the creepy chicks in maid costumes....and buy some cheap electronics
AeroWesty From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 19255 posts, RR: 63 Reply 6, posted (3 months 3 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 1138 times:
A site like TripAdvisor might be a better place to ask some of these questions, just a suggestion. For instance:
AeroWesty From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 19255 posts, RR: 63 Reply 8, posted (3 months 3 weeks 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 1123 times:
AeroWesty From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 19255 posts, RR: 63 Reply 11, posted (3 months 3 weeks 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 1106 times:
Quoting PHX787 (Reply 9): it was founded in Florida, and frankly it caters to the Navy guys stationed in Japan
Benihana was founded in NYC in 1964, and has no locations in Japan.
rfields5421 From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 6191 posts, RR: 25 Reply 12, posted (3 months 3 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1074 times:
You do realize that teppanyaki is a concept created to cook gaijin food in a gaijin manner for gaijin in Japan after WWII.
It is not 'authentic' Japanese food, and is not very popular or common with the Japanese people. The very best teppanyaki restaurants are located in other countries, not Japan.
For real Japanese food, I would recommend Soba noodles or Udon noodles. Traditional Bento boxes also provide great treats of regional food.
Westernized food such as Tonkatsu is more popular than Teppanyaki.
A fancy treat would be Sukiyaki in a traditional type restaurant where you sit around a table with a blanket covering your feet, or Shabu-shabu. Both are westernized versions of traditional Japanese cooking. They are considered 'winter' foods and would be in season in March.
The key thing I liked about restaurants the four years I lived in Japan was that almost all restaurants had plastic replicas of their dishes in special windows outside the restaurant. I assume the practice continues. Many times I ate in restaurants where no one spoke English, the menu had no English - the only thing I could understand was the price. But I could point to a particular dish - and the food was always very well prepared, presented and flavorful. Sometimes not a flavor I liked - but that was my choice.
In general, I find that smaller restaurants in Japan to be of a higher quality than small restaurants anywhere in the world. The Japanese cooks take great pride in their food, and if it isn't very good - a restaurant won't survive on local trade.
RayChuang From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 7711 posts, RR: 5 Reply 13, posted (3 months 3 weeks 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 1043 times:
Quoting PHX787 (Reply 1): 9) Akihabara- go get tripped out by the creepy chicks in maid costumes....and buy some cheap electronics
Used to be true back in the 1980's if you're talking electronics, but once the Yodobashi Camera Akiba store opened and the otaku culture arrived with anime/manga "goods" stores in the area, not so much.
But getting back on topic, if you can afford it, see if you can eat at a kaiseki restaurant. Cheap they're not, but it is the Japanese equivalent of haute cuisine.
PHX787 From Japan, joined Mar 2012, 5102 posts, RR: 14 Reply 14, posted (3 months 3 weeks 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 1035 times:
Quoting AeroWesty (Reply 11): Benihana was founded in NYC in 1964, and has no locations in Japan.
I thought they had one either in Roppongi or in Shibuya? My friend worked there a while ago.....
Quoting rfields5421 (Reply 12): You do realize that teppanyaki is a concept created to cook gaijin food in a gaijin manner for gaijin in Japan after WWII.
That's why I hesitated to originally post it. I asked around to my friends in Japan and they said they never really went there much, but recommended the hotel restaurant.
AeroWesty From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 19255 posts, RR: 63 Reply 16, posted (3 months 3 weeks 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 1027 times:
Goldenshield From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 5490 posts, RR: 13 Reply 17, posted (3 months 3 weeks 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 961 times:
Why not Okonomiyaki? That's pretty authentic, too.
Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.
foppishbum From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 746 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (3 months 3 weeks 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 954 times:
I'd imagine it would be difficult to find authentic tepanyaki food in Japan because it's not really popular among Japanese. Last time I went to visit the distant relatives, I didn't see/find any reputable tepanyaki restaurants.
Quote: The originator of the teppanyaki-style steakhouse is the Japanese restaurant chain Misono, which introduced the concept of cooking Western-influenced food on a teppan in Japan in 1945.[2] They soon found the cuisine was less popular with the Japanese than it was with foreigners, who enjoyed both watching the skilled maneuvers of the chefs preparing the food as well as the cuisine itself, which is somewhat more familiar than more traditional Japanese dishes. As the restaurants became popular at tourist spots with non-Japanese, the chain increased the performance aspect of the chef's preparation, such as stacking onion slices to produce a flaming onion volcano.
Quoting rfields5421 (Reply 12): You do realize that teppanyaki is a concept created to cook gaijin food in a gaijin manner for gaijin in Japan after WWII.
It is not 'authentic' Japanese food, and is not very popular or common with the Japanese people. The very best teppanyaki restaurants are located in other countries, not Japan.
PHX787 From Japan, joined Mar 2012, 5102 posts, RR: 14 Reply 20, posted (3 months 3 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 859 times:
Quoting United Airline (Reply 19): I know there are a few Fook Lam Moon(s) in Japan including Tokyo. How are they? Abalones, sharks fin etc etc
Isn't all that stuff Hong-kong cuisine?
In terms of fine dining, try that Ton-katsu place i mentioned.
There's also a really nice restaurant in Shinjuku, i forgot its name it's like the Midnight cafe or midnight express or something along those lines. I gotta check back with my buddy but he's in the PRC (no facebook access) right now. But it's about a 15 minute walk from Shinjuku Sta.
Been there, it's pretty good. Grand Hyatt is very popular with Anglo foreigners just FYI for the OP.
Quoting foppishbum (Reply 18): I'd imagine it would be difficult to find authentic tepanyaki food in Japan because it's not really popular among Japanese.
Omae XEX and the Grand Hyatt are very walkable from Roppongi Station. I also love, love, love a lot of the restaurants in the Roppongi Hills development. I am not sure about a teppanyaki option there though.
Here's a tip. If you are staying at a decent hotel with a concierge, as the concierge. It's how I discovered a lot that I otherwise wouldn't have.
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and I'll be there for 2 years. If you're still there when I arrive there shoot me a PM and I can probably find time to take you spotting at HND. 
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not much of a local crowd.
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