Japanese restaurants in Asia
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Uosue
Uosue is one of the best value Japanese places in town. It’s a traditional Kyoto-style restaurant with a clean interior and friendly proprietors. For lunch, try the wonderful nijū bentō for ¥1000. At dinner, the omakase ryōri kōsu is a great way to sample kaiseki ryōri without breaking the bank: it costs just ¥3800. It’s next to a tiny shrine – keep an eye out for the sake barrels out the front.
reviewed
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Honyaradō
This woodsy place overlooking the Kyoto Imperial Palace Park is an institution. It was something of a gathering spot for Kyoto’s countercultural elite during the hippy days. It has the lived-in feeling of an eccentric friend’s house, with stacks of books and magazines and interesting decorations. The lunch deal (a daily stew set) is good value. Surprisingly, considering the ambience, there aren’t many veggie options. It’s a good place to relax over coffee.
reviewed
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Aunbo
Aunbo serves elegant, creative Japanese cooking in traditional Gion surroundings. The last time we were here we started with sublime sashimi, moved on to fried yuba pockets and went from there. We recommend asking for the set and leaving the difficult decisions to the master. Aunbo takes reservations in the evening. There is an English menu but no English sign; look for the traditional Japanese façade.
reviewed
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D
Royal Hana Garden
This place is a bit of a secret – there are two outdoor hot-spring baths (admission Rs 340, includes towel and shampoo, Thursday to Saturday from 3pm only) where you can luxuriate for as long as you like before heading inside for a very reasonably priced Japanese meal. It’s perfect for small groups and it’s worth ringing ahead to book a soak. The restaurant is in Lazimpat, just north of the Hotel Ambassador.
reviewed
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Yakiniku Station Bambohe
If you've got a big appetite and quantity is important, head here where you'll find an all-you-can-eat yakiniku (grilled meat over table-top hibachi grills), including dessert and soft drinks, for a reasonable price. The restaurant is just off of Kokusai-dōri, across from the covered arcades, and is easily recognised by its bright yellow English sign.
reviewed
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Kana Kana
Inside an 80-year-old machiya in Naramachi, this simple, relaxing place serves healthy Japanese food, much of it (but not all) vegetarian. We recommend the kanakana-gohan set (daily lunch special). It's tricky to spot, since it hardly looks like a restaurant at all; look for the pile of rocks outside next to a house with a tree in its front yard.
reviewed
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E
Fujino-Ya
This is one of the easiest places for non-Japanese to enter on Pontochō, a street where many of the other restaurants turn down even unfamiliar Japanese diners. Here you can feast on tempura, okonomiyaki, yaki-soba and kushikatsu in tatami rooms overlooking the Kamo-gawa.
reviewed
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Sushi Hiro
This glorified restaurant is one of the many authentic sushi bars tucked away in commercial buildings, much like the way it is in Tokyo. Like other sushi bars of this grade, it offers a seasonal choice of fish that changes on a weekly basis, and the chef will happily pick the best for you.
reviewed
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Mikatzuki
There are several shokudō on the main drag in Arashiyama and this is one of them. The thing that distinguishes this place is its English menu and the fact that it is a little more spacious than the others. Dishes include the typical shokudō noodle and rice classics. The tempura teishoku (¥1600) gives value for money and should power you through a few hours of Arashiyama sightseeing. The sign is in Japanese; it’s black-and-white and one of the Japanese characters looks like a bullseye.
reviewed
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Mon
This Kōbe institution serves a peculiar Japanese speciality known as yōshoku: Japanese versions of Western food like steaks and pork cutlets. It's pretty much what the Japanese imagined Westerners ate morning, noon and night when they first started showing up in those black ships. If you're in the mood for something heavier than noodles and rice, this might satisfy. The sign out front has a hilarious picture of two 'barbarians' who look like they could really go for a nice steak.
reviewed
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Mitsutaya
At this atmospheric former bean-paste mill, dating from 1869, the speciality is eight varieties of dengaku; these are bamboo skewers with deep-fried tofu and vegetables such as taro basted in sweet miso paste and baked over charcoal. Herring (nishin) is also superb. Facing west from the main post office, walk down Nanokomachi-dōri, then take the second left; it's just near the intersection with Nanokomachi-dōri. No English, but a picture menu makes ordering easy.
reviewed
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Nishiki
Operated by a Japanese expat, this authentic Japanese restaurant takes full advantage of the city's excellent fish markets. When we were there, the master served up some thick slices of tender yellowjack tuna that were as good as any we've had in Japan. The atmosphere is pleasantly traditional, right down to the sushi counter. There are good-value set meals, sushi sets, and plenty of à la carte choices. You won't find authentic Japanese food for this price anywhere else outside of Japan.
reviewed
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Ume-No-Hana
This traditional, elegant restaurant is rightfully renowned for their tōfu-ryori, kaiseki (elegant, multi-course Japanese meals) meals that showcase tofu and yuba (tofu 'skin') in beautifully presented small courses. Both niku-nashi (vegetarian) and meat-inclusive sets are available, but ordering will be problematic unless you have a Japanese speaker make the reservation for you and help you decide the best set for you and your party.
reviewed
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Munch
Japanese reggae is the soundtrack at this youthful contemporary izakaya. Order small plates like agedashi-dofu (fried tofu), basashi (horsemeat sashimi) or niku-jaga (meat and potatoes), washed down with ichigo (strawberry) or mikan (mandarin orange) sake. Or say how much you want to spend and let the chef surprise you. From the Zenkōji exit of the station, turn right through the alley and just past the car park.
reviewed
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Tokugetsurō
Open since 1870, this is the place to come to if you have a fat wallet and want to try immaculately presented Tosa-ryōri (local cuisine). Unfortunately, this can be a difficult place to visit if you don't read Japanese as the kanji-heavy menu changes daily, though you can always choose which setto-cossu (set course) you'd like based on the price. It's in a traditional building directly across from the Dentetsu Taminaru-biru Mae tram stop.
reviewed
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Mokran Pyongyang Restaurant
Offers a mix of Japanese and Korean dishes. Sushi is half-price here on weekends but the real reason to come here is to experience the 'Friendship Cultural Centre of North Korea'. There are paintings of North Korea on the walls and you can watch North Korean DVDs while you eat (ask to see the Mass Games DVD). It's a unique chance to speak with the North Koreans who run the place and well-worth visiting if you have an interest in the hermit kingdom.
reviewed
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Cha Cha Ni Moon
Sophisticated minimalist chic prevails in this softly lit old house. There's a bar downstairs and two floors of intimate semiprivate dining rooms upstairs. The beautifully presented dishes here are based on traditional Kyoto cuisine. Look for the small orange sign out the front.
reviewed
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O
Sakana-Ya Ajisen
Although this neighbourhood sake pub is hidden away from the tourist masses on the island of Tsukishima, it's the real deal, and worth seeking out if you want to sample real brews and indulge on traditional dishes. The lack of an English menu means you'll have to work hard here if you don't speak Japanese, though it's worth the effort to sample rare koshu (aged sakes) and the house speciality, anago (braised seawater eel).
reviewed
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Sushiko
The strip known as Soi Thaniya is home to dozens of Japanese restaurants ranging in quality from dive to opulent. Sushiko, Japanese run and frequented, is a good middle ground. The restaurant is divided into three levels, with the ground floor specialising in sushi and sashimi, the 2nd floor serving tempura, and the 3rd serving sukiyaki and shabu-shabu. There’s no English-language sign here, so simply look for the white corner restaurant.
reviewed
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Gyūbei
This brick-walled basement workhorse of a Korean barbecue joint is a fine place to grill kalbi (short ribs) or chicken in any of four exotic marinades over hot coals set into your table. For an extra treat, order a dish of namuru (marinated Korean vegetables) and generous pours of Korean soju (what Japan calls shōchū ). It’s across the three-way intersection from both H&M and Tōkyū department store.
reviewed
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Asian Dining
Sure, it's a bit tacky, but there is definite novelty value in eating dinner at the top of a three-storey plastic banyan tree, and the views of the nearby port aren't too shabby. The speciality of the house is Southeast Asian cuisine, though there's also a good offering of Okinawan specialities and other Japanese fare. The tree (which isn't too hard to miss) is right around the corner from the Okinawa International Youth Hostel.
reviewed
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Inagiku
Inagiku is, in a word, perfection. It’s one of the best (and priciest) Japanese restaurants in town, with tasteful interiors and harbour views to boot. The kaiseki (traditional many-course meal) showcases seasonal ingredients that are impeccably prepared and artfully presented. Fans claim the branch at the Royal Garden (2733 2933; 1st fl, Royal Garden Hotel, 69 Mody Rd; MTR Tsim Sha Tsui East, exit P2) is even better.
reviewed
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Japanese Restaurant
There's no prizes for guessing the cuisine on offer. What's more surprising is the heart-warming story behind it. An initiative of Michio Koyama, the first Japanese to be granted citizenship of Hué, it's designed to given training in Japanese cuisine and employment to some of the adolescents his Japanese Association Supporting Streetchildren (JASS) supports. The food's excellent and the service exceptionally polite.
reviewed
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Koketsu
If your focus is more on eating than soaking, then Koketsu is probably the best Japanese place in town. It takes a brave person to order sushi in the Himalaya but the seafood here is flown in fresh from Thailand, as are the takosu (marinated octopus), squid and roe. The focal point of the restaurant is definitely the central teppanyaki grill. It’s no coincidence that the Japanese embassy is across the road.
reviewed
