An outdoor café (©JNTO)
| Tokyo has plenty of fast-food restaurants as well. Along with
the American-born establishments that started entering Japan in the 1970s, today
there are a number of Japanese chains that are modeled after the American ones
but offer a menu that can only be found in Japan. And there are the original Japanese
fast-food restaurants, the stand-up counter shops. Those often found in train
stations quickly dish up udon and soba noodles. Gyudon (bowl of rice topped
with beef) is another popular fast food, and major gyudon chains are engaged
in a fierce price-cutting war. More recently, fast-food places specializing in
onigiri
(rice balls with various fillings) and ochazuke (rice with tea poured over
it - a Japanese comfort food) have cropped up. Japanese fast-food restaurants
provide an easy way to sample the flavors of this country.
The arrival of American espresso chains on the shores of Japan has sparked a craze that is drawing Tokyoites to cafes of all kinds - not only to European-inspired sidewalk cafes but also to a new, uniquely Japanese type of establishment specializing in green tea. Another product of the cafe boom is the legion of stylish cafes serving full meals, typically platters, in addition to drinks and dessert. But coffeehouses of many different atmospheres and price ranges have been a fixture of the cityscape since long before this boom. The interiors of Japanese coffeehouses are designed to make patrons feel comfortable spending several hours there. As any visitor to the city will soon see, the dining-out experience in Tokyo is entertaining as well as delicious. |
| index | previous | next |