Food. I love the stuff. We all do, but what you might not know about me is I will sacrifice nearly every other entertainment expenditure to eat good food.
Soft, succulent pieces of meat that drop off the bone.
Fruit that makes your taste buds jump up and down with glee.
Sushi so exquisite that it melts in your mouth.
Boy, I’m getting hungry just writing this.
When I first came to Japan 17 years ago, I fell in love with Japanese food and each year I find more and more amazing restaurants that meet my requirements.
So today I thought I’d pass along what I’ve found out.
Some of you might think that Japan is all about fish and rice, but you’d be wrong.
In fact, Tokyo has the most restaurants of any city in the world, topping the list with 160,000.
More than 6 times as many as in NY, which comes in second.
Now, while I live in Osaka, it’s no slouch either.
You can find anything your heart desires here.
Italian, French, German, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese and the list goes on and on.
Growing up I was blessed to have traveled all over the world and, for me, Japanese restaurants are the best in the world.
BUT, with so many restaurants here, it’s easy to find some not so good ones, too.
Years of experience taught me where to eat, what to buy and whose advice to trust.
But I suppose the same can be said for almost any city in the world.
One restaurant that I try and take all my friends to is called Punraku located a stone’s throw away from my office in Hirakata.
It’s what Japanese people call an Izakaya, which is kind of like halfway between a restaurant and a bar.
The menu is extensive with all sorts of dishes – raw fish, yakitori (chicken on a skewer), pizza, karage (fried chicken), and chijimi (Korean pizza), just to name a few.
It’s great for parties and it’s always busy, especially on weekends.
So make sure you book in advance just to be sure.
Now for those reading this that are heading to Tokyo, fear not, there is actually a shop there, too, located in Shibuya, one of the busiest areas in Japan.
So if you’re looking for a great place for dinner and don’t want to break the bank, check out Punraku.
You’ll be glad you did.
Adrian Shepherd
One of the biggest differencies between here in America and Japan is obviously “FOOD”. I had heard that American food including beverages have very different features to Japanese ones. To be honest, I like American food I’m very miss japanese stuff..of course there are lots of different kinds of restaurants such as chinese, Korean, Italian,, and even Japanese here.. however, obviously they prepare food to suit the American taste.
I miss japanese food..like Izakaya food, Gyuudon, Convenience stores, and rice..something like that..