Tokyo Food Page!

Here's a neat site highlighting great food in some other areas of Japan, including Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka.

They've also got some recipes you can check out if you have access to a Japanese grocery store to make at home.

Ramen!

Ramen noodles are a Japanese staple that many Americans are familiar with. In fact, I imagine the first Japanese food many of us eat is ramen. However, if all you have had is cup o noodles dried soup ( a college staple ), I suggest you give a ramen restaurant in Yokosuka a try.


Ramen noodle restaurants are pretty common in Japan, but there is an easy to find one right off of 16 and between the two gates to the Naval Base that is really good. There is a red awning on it and it is found by taking a left from the main gate, across the overpass, and about a half block further. Below, you start at "A", the main gate, and end at "B".


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There are English menus available and if you don't look Japanese you will be offered one. I really recommend getting gyoza as an appetizer. Those are the little dumplings that have pork in them. With a little soy sauce they are heavenly! Also, a small bottle of sake will run about $5 and will add to the enjoyment of your meal.

As for the ramen, there are different types. The Miso ramen is a good one to try your first time. Of course, try the one that interests you most! There is a spicy one too which I recommend.

Your soup bowl will contain a few slices of pork, some scallops, and some mushrooms that are very firm (not like the mushy kind you might be used to). Of course, there are the noodles, too, enough for two people to eat from one bowl. Ramen seems to be the only dish in Japan that can fill up an American with ease. There is also a Japanese spoon to drink broth.

If you're used to having good manners, remember that it is expected that you'll slurp your noodles here. Watch others for a hint.

A quick side note on Japanese ramen: while I've had it many times, I have only had the cheese ramen twice, in Sapporo. Apparently Sapporo (on the northern island, far away from Yokosuka) is known for its cheese, and they have a ramen soup that has a finely crumbled cheese on top. It is the best ramen I've ever had; so good I went back another day for more. While I don't know what kind of cheese it was, I would recommend if you ever have a chance to try to make this at home if you get good ramen take out. The cheese adds a little body and flavor to the broth (which is already yummy) and certainly brings it to the next level. I think freshly grated parmesian would work well.

okonomi-yaki

There is a mall called Shopper's Plaza (but often known as "Daiei") just a block away from the main gate of the naval base, and inside it is a wonderful food court with many varied menu items that are bound to confuse most travelers who cannot read Japanese. On the first floor as you enter, you'll see a Wendy's (pretty standard Wendy's fare if you're interested) and a conveyor belt sushi restaurant that is so-so. Going up the escalator finds you on the 2nd floor, but skip up to the 3rd floor for the food court. There you will find, among other places, a tonkatsu restaurant, a Big Boy (Big Boy!), Ducky Duck, a sit down sushi restaurant, and more.


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The okonomi-yaki restaurant might be a little puzzling to non-Japanese. The tables have flat top grills on the tops that is used to cook your own food. The food itself looks a little bit like a pancake or an omelet, and contains a mixture of cabbage, egg, meat, and batter.

I hadn't visited this place in three years of living out here because I was a little uncertain about the process and how it all worked. However, my wife was initiated into it by a friend and she showed me, and we found it to be very easy with easy to read English menus. The staff was also very helpful and checked up on us from time to time (I had a baby in my lap, so the wife cooked; when she and a friend, both with babies, visited, the staff cooked for them).

I chose pork and cheese, and put a mayonnaise type sauce on the top. The wife chose shrimp and put a barbecue sauce with mayonnaise on top of hers. It looked to me like she had more shrimp than I had pork, which was a shame, because the pork tasted very good.
This is the first flip of our meal. Four minutes left!

Now we add the toppings. BBQ sauce and mayo for the wife, special Japanese mayo sauce for me (near).

Cut into quarters, this is how it looks on my plate. I'm not sure if they have forks, but the chopsticks aren't the easiest way to eat this concoction.

This is a great place to check out for yourself. The staff is very polite and helpful, and won't give you a hard time for not knowing Japanese or how to cook it. We had put too much oil on our flat top and the host came and wiped off the HOT OIL with paper towels, and was very kind about it all, which we thought was extra spectacular.

Give it a shot and cook for yourself!