Once the menu is presented, the strange and often thrilling journey outside the comfort zone begins. Though Japanese cuisine is based on the familiar — rice, noodles, soups, tofu, fish, livestock — it also appears to embrace most of the other creatures that inhabit the region, with the exception of Hello Kitty. About 450 types of seafood are sold at the city’s Tsukiji fish market, the main restaurant supplier, and chefs aren’t shy about serving up their odder parts, such as abalone liver, fugu fins and those squid guts.

“One of the interesting things about living in Japan is that you end up eating things you have no idea what it is, so you just have to go with it,” Spreckley says. “As long as you view it as a constant adventure, it can be fun. Things change all the time.”

Of course, for more enlightenment and ideas on what you should look out for and which you should better not dare try, head on for more Tokyo eats at the Tokyo Traveler.

Photo Credit: Gustty

Post from: Let's Visit Asia

In the Tokyo’s Omotesando, there’s Pure Cafe, featured on a recent article in the International Herald Tribune. Am not sure what a macrobiotic diet is. But I know that the Japanese are known for leading long healthy lives, and diet must play a big role in it. Metropolis Magazine gave Pure Cafe a stellar review:

We’ll spare you the old sob story about how Tokyo is hell for people who don’t eat meat—even worse for the vegans among us—because Pure’s strength isn’t that it’s vegetarian-friendly, but that it’s quite simply the best organic eatery we’ve found, whatever your culinary persuasion.

If you subscribe to such an eating preference, here’s the address to look for, next time you’re in Tokyo:

PURE CAFE (Omotesando)
Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Shibuya-ku TOKYO
Phone: 03-5466-2611

For other vegetarian dining options in Tokyo, check out the restaurant listing at the Tokyo Vegetarian Guide.

Post from: Let's Visit Asia