Food destinations within easy reach of Tokyo, worth the early start.
Food destinations within easy reach of Tokyo. worth the train, the rental car or the early start.
Famous for: Japan's largest Chinatown, with Cantonese, Sichuan, Taiwanese and Shanghainese restaurants plus street stalls
Yokohama Chinatown in Kanagawa is Japan's largest Chinatown, with 600-plus shops and restaurants over a 500-metre district. Cantonese, Sichuan, Taiwanese cuisine.
Famous for: Edo-period townscape, Kashiya Yokocho candy alley, sweet-potato sweets
Kawagoe in Saitama is the Edo-period 'Little Edo' town with 30 preserved warehouses, the Kashiya Yokocho candy alley, and sweet-potato ice cream and dango.
Famous for: Zen-temple shojin Buddhist vegetarian lunches, Komachi-dori snack street
Kamakura in Kanagawa is the medieval temple town one hour south of Tokyo, with shojin Buddhist vegetarian lunches at Kencho-ji and the Komachi-dori snack street.
Famous for: Ryokan kaiseki dinners and hot-spring towns under Mount Fuji
Hakone in Kanagawa is the onsen ryokan town under Mount Fuji where the kaiseki dinner is the main event. Eat the multi-course meal in yukata before the bath.
Famous for: Mountain-trail tororo (yam-paste) soba and the cable car
Mount Takao west of Tokyo is the day-hike mountain where the soba shops near the summit serve mountain-trail tororo soba. Cable car or chair lift up, walk down.
Peak food season in Tokyo is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Tokyo rewards trust.