A new gourmet restaurant section is to open up at the Ichibangai shopping complex at Tokyo Station’s Yaesu Exit on March 25th. Ichibangai (also called “First Avenue”) is already blessed with many restaurants, cafes and specialist sections such as Tokyo Ramen Street, and the confectionery section Tokyo Okashi Land. The new section is to be called “Nippon Gourmet Kaido” or “Japan Gourmet Street”, and will feature restaurants serving regional specialties from across the Japanese archipelago.
Ichibangai’s new gourmet section opens on March 25th
Among the new stores opening on the gourmet street is the first branch in Tokyo of the Hiroshima chain restaurant, Denko-Sekka. Denko-Sekka, which literally means “lightning speed”, specializes in Hiroshima-yaki, the regional variety of Japan’s famous okonomiyaki savory pancakes. The Hiroshima variety is distinctive for having layered rather than mixed ingredients and also for containing noodles.
Denko-Sekka’s signature dish is packed with meat, eggs, squid, cheese and topped with spring onions
From Hakata in Kyushu comes the Kanefuku-Takefu restaurant which serves steaming nabe style hotpots with liberal servings of spicy mentaiko cod roe, along with mentaiko-tempura and Nagasaki style sashimi.
Kanefuku-Takefu’s Mentaiko-Motsunabe
From Kagoshima in southern Kyushu comes the Kurokatsutei restaurant which specializes in deep fried pork loin and fillet cutlets, served with rice and shredded cabbage.
Kagoshima style pork cutlets are famously tender!
Shokoku Himonoto is an izakaya style casual restaurant specializing in dried and fermented foods from all over Japan. The restaurant has a fine collection of regional sake varieties to complement each local delicacy.
Mackerel from Hokkaido goes down nicely with a sip of rice wine
Alongside these new restaurants are more selling sushi from Hokkaido, beef tongue from Sendai, shrimp tempura from Toyama, and shumai dumplings from Yokohama’s Chinatown! Whether you go for breakfast, lunch or dinner, you are sure to find something to your liking at Ichibangai’s Japan Gourmet Street!
Download an English PDF guide to the Ichibangai shopping complex.
Article by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.
