Where to Dine - Tokyo - page 139

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required). The English-language menu and an English pamphlet include instructions,
making this a good bet for the sukiyaki/shabu-shabu novice.
1-3-4 Asakusa. & 03/3841-0010. www.chinya.co.jp. Reservations required for set dinners. Sukiyaki or
shabu-shabu ¥3,200-¥8,100; set dinners ¥5,500-¥12,000; set lunch ¥4,300. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Sat
noon-9pm; Sun and holidays 11:30am-9pm (last order 7pm). Station: Asakusa (1 min.). On Kaminarimon
Dori; located to the left of the Kaminarimon Gate, if you stand facing Asakusa Kannon Temple (look for
the SUKIYAKI sign).

* Komagata Dojo DOJO This is a restaurant very much out of the Edo
Period. Following a tradition spanning 200 years and now in its sixth generation of own-
ers, this old-style dining hall specializes in dojo, a tiny, sardinelike river fish that translates
as “loach.” It's served in a variety of styles listed on an English-language menu, from
grilled to stewed. Easiest is to order one of the set meals (described in Japanese only),
which includes a popular dojo nabe, cooked on a charcoal burner in front of you (dojo
nabe ordered a la carte costs ¥1,700). Otherwise, look around and order what someone
else is eating. The dining area is a single large room of tatami mats, with ground-level
boards serving as tables, and waitresses in traditional dress moving quietly about.
1-7-12 Komagata, Taito-ku. & 03/3842-4001. Reservations recommended for dinner. Dojo dishes
¥850-¥1,700; set dinners ¥2,450-¥7,300; set lunches ¥2,400-¥2,550. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 11am-9pm.
Station: Asakusa (3 min.). Walk south on Asakusa Dori (away from Kaminarimon Gate/Sensoji Temple); the
restaurant—a large, old-fashioned wood house on a corner, with blue curtains at its door—is on the right
side of the street, about a 5-min. walk from Kaminarimon Gate, past the MUFJ Bank.
La Ranarita Azumabashi ITALIAN The Asahi Beer Tower may not mean any-
thing to you, but if I mention the building with the golden hops poised on top, you'll
certainly know it when you see it (the building was designed by Philippe Starck). The
Asahi Beer Tower is the high-rise next to the golden hops, looking like . . . a foaming beer
mug? On the top floor (in the foam), this Italian restaurant has soaring walls and great
views of Asakusa. It's a perfect perch from which to watch barges on the river or the sun
set over Asakusa as you dine on everything from pasta and grilled lamb with rosemary to
fresh fish of the day prepared baked, grilled, or meunière. The set lunches include an
antipasto, salad, a main dish, and coffee. If you want a ringside seat, make a reservation
at least 3 days in advance, avoid weekends and holidays, or arrive just when they open.
Asahi Beer Tower (on the opposite side of the Sumida River from Sensoji Temple), 22nd floor, 1-23-1
Azumabashi. & 03/5608-5277. Reservations recommended on weekends. Pizza and pasta ¥1,300-
¥1,800; main dishes ¥2,200-¥5,000; set lunches ¥1,800-¥4,800. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 11:30am-2pm
and 5-9pm; Sun and holidays 11:30am-3pm and 5-9pm (last order). Station: Asakusa (4 min.).
( Mugitoro YAM/KAISEKI Founded about 65 years ago but now housed in a
new building, this restaurant specializes in tororo-imo (yam) kaiseki and has a wide fol-
lowing among middle-age Japanese women. Popular as a health food, the yams used here
are imported from the mountains of Akita Prefecture and are featured in almost all the
dishes. If you're on a budget or want a quick meal, come for the weekday lunch buffet
offered until 1pm; it includes a main dish such as fish or beef, yam in some form, vege-
table, soup, and rice—just deposit ¥1,000 into the pot on the table and help yourself.
2-2-4 Kaminarimon. & 03/3842-1066. Reservations recommended. Set dinners ¥5,250-¥10,500; set
lunches Sat-Sun and holidays ¥2,625-¥3,675. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Fri 11:30am-9pm; Sat-Sun and holi-
days 11am-9pm (last order). Station: Asakusa (2 min.). From Sensoji Temple, walk south (with your back
to Kaminarimon Gate) until you reach the 1st big intersection with the stoplight. Komagata-bashi Bridge
will be to your left; Mugitoro is beside the bridge on Edo Dori, next to a tiny temple.

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