Each Prefecture in Japan has its own food culture, which is well known as the local cuisine of the area. Here are some recommended restaurants where one can enjoy this kind of local cuisine while in Tokyo. Enjoy a feeling of travel with flavors from places never visited before, and long for the local flavors of faraway places. Think of each local area while trying local cuisine in these restaurants with rich local color.
Roppongi - Yamaguchi Local Cuisine Double
Enjoy the local cuisine and sake of Yamaguchi finished off with Kawara Soba.
Yamaguchi Local Cuisine Double lets guests enjoy the local cuisine of Yamaguchi. It is located close to Roppongi-itchome Station. Here, guests can fully enjoy flavors directly shipped from Yamaguchi, including high-quality ingredients such as fugu and Choshu Wagyu beef and local sake. The Shimonoseki Specialty Kawara Soba is especially recommended. This representative local Yamaguchi cuisine features vivid green tea noodles, Choshu Wagyu beef, and egg garnish placed on a piping hot tile. Lemon and grated daikon with hot pepper change the flavors, making this dish perfect for the last serving.
It has a hideout-style, relaxing atmosphere despite being close to the station, and guests can enjoy their time here in various ways, including the Japanese restaurant and sake bar. They have counter seats, table seats, and private rooms, making them useful for both business and personal situations. This restaurant is perfect for quiet and mature Japanese food. The private rooms (which require a fee to use) are for 3–4 people and also come with a karaoke bar. They are recommended for small gatherings.
Yamaguchi Local Cuisine Double
Access: 1 minute walk from Roppongi-itchome Station
Nakameguro - Wappameshi Ichiya, Niigata
Guests can get their fill of Wappameshi and local sake from Niigata, famous for its rice.
Wappameshi Ichiya is a restaurant that offers local Niigata cuisine. It is located a 1-minute walk from Naka-Meguro Station. They take the greatest care in providing Niigata items, from the seafood directly shipped from fishing ports to the branded meat and seasonings. Their specialty, Wappameshi, features rice and ingredients cooked with homemade broth, packed and steamed in a circular "Wappa" (lunch box). So many excellent varieties are available that it's difficult to choose. Enjoy the best alcohol that Niigata has to offer, including the local sake and Niigata-made whiskey and wine.
The restaurant interior lets guests feel the warmth of wood. It has counter seats, table seats, and private rooms available, making it great to use in various situations. Their two private rooms, which can accommodate 6 or 4 people, are recommended for family use. They also take full restaurant reservations for 15 people or more and have course cuisines that are recommended for banquets. This restaurant lets guests thoroughly enjoy Niigata with delicious local cuisine and sake.
Wappameshi Ichiya
Access: 1 minute walk from Nakameguro Station
Kanda - Izakaya Nomuzu, Yamagata
Guests will smack their lips at the delicious Yamagata soul food such as Yamagata Specialty Boiled Taro and Tama Konnyaku.
Izakaya Nomuzu is located close to Kanda Station. It is a popular izakaya restaurant where guests can eat local Yamagata cuisine using soy sauce and ingredients directly shipped from Yamagata, which is the restaurant's hometown. Their Yamagata specialty, boiled taro, should definitely be tried first. The taro roots, beef, and white onions are gently boiled in soy sauce ordered from Yamagata. The plump textures of the Yamagata soul food Tama Konnyaku (Konjac Shaped Ball) are also quite addictive.
Izakaya Nomuzu
Access: 1 minute walk from Kanda station
Uchisaiwaicho - Kadoya Hibiya-Tei, Ehime
Enjoy the blessings of Ehime, Uwajima, and the Seto Inland Sea in this luxurious space.
Kadoya Hibiya-Tei is located a 2-minute walk from both Uchisaiwaicho Station and Kasumigaseki Station. This restaurant lets guests enjoy local cuisine from Uwajima, Ehime. They stock ingredients mainly from west Japan, including high-quality white Japanese bluefish and blackthroat seaperch caught in the seas near Uwajiama and the Seto Inland Sea, as well as Awa Japanese Black Wagyu beef. They serve flavors that are unique to each season. The Uwajima Sea Bream and Rice, which uses natural sea bream fragrant with rich bonito broth, is a dish that lets one enjoy the delicious flavors of fresh sea bream.
Kadoya Hibiya-Tei
Access: 2 minutes walk from Uchisaiwaicho Station
Yurakucho - Zarai Oita, Oita
Enjoy the culture of Oita with local cuisine and crafts.
Zarai Oita is located near Yurakucho and Ginza Stations. Here, guests can enjoy local and traditional cuisines that use carefully selected ingredients from Oita. Their signature menu is the Sekimono Sashimi Fresh Fish of the Day, using Seki mackerel and Seki horse mackerel, which are known as luxury seafood brands. The fish is firm and fatty. The "Ryukyu" features kabosu yellowtail covered in a special sauce and topped with branded green onions. It is finished with kabosu fruit squeezed on it to add a refreshing taste.
An official souvenir shop of Oita, the interior decorations of the restaurant use a variety of Oita ingredients. Their "Ishinoma" is covered with charcoal stones from Usuki and uses lighting made by a Taketa glass artisan. "Takenoma" includes lampshades made with exquisitely crafted bamboo that catch one's eye. They also have a gallery line with Oita foods and crafts, letting guests fully enjoy the culture of Oita in Tokyo.
