Reviewer: Foodnut.com

Japan Travel Notes

Before leaving, get a QR code for easy immigration customs arrival. You then do not need to fill out the form on the plane. It can also be used for Tax-free shopping. Places like Uniqlo still take your passport to give you tax free shopping on purchase of ¥5500 or more.
https://services.digital.go.jp/en/visit-japan-web/

Highly recommend United Premium Plus economy. It’s about 20% more than Economy but gives you more legroom, better food and more. Business class costs 5x more.

Narita Airport Transport to Tokyo

We took the Airport Limousine from Narita to our Hilton Hotel. It was cheaper than a taxi, efficient, door to door, and can be bought at the counter (do not book ahead) that you see after exiting customs. ¥3,600 adults, ¥1,800 children. No preorder necessary. The train is faster and cheaper but you need to figure out where to transfer after a long flight! I’ll pay a little extra. They also cover Haneda and return journeys.

https://webservice.limousinebus.co.jp/web/en/

SIM card in Japan

eSIMs are used by most modern smartphones.  iPhone XS or newer, Samsung Galaxy S20 or newer and others all use this electronic chip to change mobile providers.

Many buy eSims for their phone before they arrive. It does require an unlocked phone. We recommend Airalo – Get $3 off your first eSIM purchase with Code: NORMAN2505

You need one eSIM for each phone, which becomes pricey, so we use a MiFi mobile router to share one Phystical SIM with multiple devices.

In the Terminal One arrival hall, right after you exit customs and on your right is an AEON Mini stop. You can buy a prepaid SIM card for 7 Days of Unlimited data for ¥3800.50 about US$25. It is from U-Mobile. This one does work on our Huawei MiFi router, so we can share it with the entire family. Data services only, No calling priveldges.

I had to manually set parameters to:
Name: umob
User name: umob
APN: m1.umob.jp
Password: umob
Authentication type: PAP or CHAP

https://www.kumamoto-airport.co.jp/pressrelease-media/irodori_setting.pdf

ATM
As usual, avoid sketchy and expensive ATMs to withdraw cash that are not a Bank’s. Frankly we did not need very not cash! Tap tap credit cards and Applepay work everywhere. You are not going to get the best exchange rates at the airport. Get a little Yen from home.

My goto place is Heng Long in Chinatown for great rates.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/heng-long-foreign-exchange-san-francisco-2

Japan Postal ATMs have good rates. Most have a limit of 50,000
7-11 has ATMs has 100,000 limit per transaction.

Along the back wall of the arrival hall will be a number of ATM’s including a 7-Bank ATM (they will have a 7-11’ish green look to them).

Our Tokyo Must Visits

On our first super jet lagged day, it was best to visit the Tsukiji fish market.

Foodie must visit list:
Tokyo Ramen street in the Tokyo train station – Character street is nearby

Ginza Food Garden – Food hall in the Mitsukoshi Ginza department store basement. Wow!

Izakaya alley in Shibuya or Shinjuku – Skewers, beer and more

Nerd must visits: Yodabashi Camera. 8 floors of heaven. Akihabara district is a must, with tons of multi floor stores full of anime, games, electronics and more.

Cool stores: Don Quixote, Tokyu Hands

Onsen in Tokyo in case you can’t go farther: La Qua

Tokyo Hotel

On our last trip in 2025 we stayed at the Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku. It’s located centrally right near shopping and transportation. Free shuttle to the Shinjuku station.

Japan Restaurant Reviews 2025

===

Last Visit: 2/23/25

Sushi Oedo
Shinjuku Sun Flower
1 Chome-3-1 Nishishinjuku
Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0023
https://www.ooedo.co.jp/%E3%82%B0%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%83%A1%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC

Sushi Oedo is a no frills conveyer belt sushi restaurant that was conveniently located on a busy corner. 3.9 on Google. You take items off the belt ranging from the usual ebi, toro to whale or horse meat sashimi. English is on the menu.

The food here surprised us and is better than most sushi at home. US $18 can feed 2 adults. Great for a quick informal bite.

Service was pretty hail the waitress or sushi chef to order. Self service water, tea, etc.

Food Review:
Toro (¥820) has 3 piece and was better than most. 9/10

Ebi (¥190) was decent but not super. 8/10

Uni (¥380) looked a bit discolored but tasted fine. 8/10

Miso Soup with clams (¥280) is not just cheap, but also good. 9/10

Snow crab (¥380) also did not look great but hit the spot. 8.5/10

Cook scallop (¥480) was seared and very fresh. 8.5/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Good
Service – Good
Value – Excellent

Would we come back – Yes

===

Last Visit: 2/24/25

Soranoiro Nippon
〒100-0005 Tokyo
Chiyoda City, Marunouchi
1 Chome−9−1 東京駅一番街地下ラーメンストリート
Tokyo
https://soranoiro-vege.com/store-menu/soranoiro-nippon/

We had to eat some ramen in Tokyo and no better spot is Ramen Alley in the Tokyo Train station.
Lowish 3.9 on google reviews. We selected this spot because it had a vegan and gluten free ramen for one of us. No other spot had one listed.

You line up and then order on the terminal and pay. No English on the website. As with most other places, there are a few tables and a lot of spots sitting at a counter facing the wall.

All our ramen was great. We did not expect the best ramen at this restaurant with its wide ranging menu, and were pleasantly surprised. Vegan must visit. Eggless noodles are a great for those allergic to eggs.

Service was fast and mostly drop and go. They did show us an allergen chart, which made things safer.

Food Review:
Soranoiro (¥1430) soy sauce ramen with all the toppings including an egg. Rich but light broth and thin wheat noodles. Quantity was good, quality was very good but not great. 8.5/10

Soy sauce ramen with cha-shu (¥1350) is completely eggless and has really nice thin slices of chicken. The cha-shu was not great. 8.5/10

Vegan dandan ramen with Gluten free ramen (¥1600) hits the spot for vegans and vegetarians. It is hard to find this elsewhere! Nice sized bowl with a mushroom broth. 9/10

Vegan boiled gyoza (Gluten free) (¥650) taste gluten free but hit the mark for those who need it. 7.5/10

Japanese Coke (¥350) tastes like it has star anise in it! 8/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Very Good
Service – Good
Value – Excellent

Would we come back – Yes

===

Last Visit: 2/24/25

Omotenashi Toriyoshi Nishi Shinjuku
〒160-0023 Tokyo
Shinjuku City
Nishishinjuku, 1-chōme−10−2 110ビル
Tokyo
050-3085-7081
https://toriyoshi.jp/

https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1304/A130401/13156744/

Omotenashi is a Japanese concept that means to wholeheartedly care for guests. This restaurant has multiple locations.

Shinjuku is famous for Izakaya spots. We randomly found this one after looking for nearby spots with a > 4.0 rating on Google, 3.4 on Tabelog. We walked into this 11th floor restaurant and found it has really nice decor. You put your shoes in a locker, then proceed to a table. Ordering is via a QR code that has English. The menu is in Japanese as is the website. (A good sign)

Food choices are wide ranging from skewers to wings to fish dishes. Lots of drink choices. Another great choice for a memorable meal in Tokyo.

Prices are probably half that of the San Francisco Area.

Note: Downstairs on the 10th floors is all you can eat high end spot Rokkasen.

Service is pretty much drop and go, but you can hit the Call bell button for help.

Food Review:
Complimentary cream of potato soup.

Quick Pickle with sesame oil (¥539) was so good we ordered another. Not really a pickle! The cucumber is really crisp and lightly seasoned. 10/10

Red Miso soup (¥242) is small but packs a lot of flavor. Small mushrooms. 9/10

Grilled Shiitake Mushrooms (Picked from Tokushima) (v748) is a cool dish. They bring a stand with a sterno flame to cook it at your table. 5 minutes per side. Fun and tasty. 9/10

Roast Hitachigyu beef on sushi (¥1078) had 4 good sized pieces. The meat was fairly bland, but it took care of our beef desire. 8/10

Assorted Yakitori (5 skewers salt style) (¥1320) is much easier to order than picking individual ones. Quality is very good. Not a skin fan, but this one is better than most. 8.5/10

Green Onions Salt (¥198) had several large pieces. 8.5/10

Sea Bream and rice in green tea (¥1078) is a cool dish that looks fabulous. Mixing the ingredients up for a fun and tasty rice dish. 9/10

Sautéed and simmered lotus root (¥649) is perfect for vegetarians. Slight kick. Not the greatest of dishes. 8/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Very Good
Service – Good
Value – Excellent

Would we come back – Yes

==

2/25/25

Kyubey
Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo
2 Chome-2-1 Nishishinjuku
Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-8330
03-3344-0315
https://www.kyubey.jp/ensp/ensp_shoplist_keiou

Kyubey was our one splurge sushi meal in Tokyo. This Shinjuku location was near our hotel and is open for lunch and dinner. Lunch is cheaper than dinner. Note: The Ginza location is their flagship location. You have to call to make a reservation, no online booking. The person spoke very little English. 4.3 on Google. 3.54 on Tabelog. No Michelin star or even mention.

Their menu includes nigiri, sushi kaiseki and other items at varying levels of prices. 15% service charge

Service was spot on. No need to ask for anything. The chef accommodate our request for dietary restrictions, including one person that was vegan and another that could not have fish. He was conversant and giving us great feedback.

Food Review:
Karatsu (¥12,650) has 12 pieces of assorted sushi roll and soup. This meal had no modifications and showed off the chef’s talent. Highlight included the toro and sea bream. 9/10

Kyubey (¥18,975) has appetizer, 16 pieces of assorted sushi roll and soup that were modified to not include fish. Top notch pieces include the Uni (Sea urchin), Tako (octopus) and Cooked Shrimp. Huge pieces of unagi. 9/10

Vegan Course (¥2530) accommodated our vegan with top notice rolls that are far better than most. Kappa, radish and other rolls. 9/10

Overall – Excellent
Food – Excellent
Decor – Excellent
Service – Excellent
Value – Excellent

Would we come back – Yes

===
kyorakudo
Mitsukoshi Ginza
Food Garden
4 Chome-6-16 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-8212
https://www.kyorakudo.co.jp/

Strawberry Mochi (¥540) have a large strawberry atop some eggless mochi. They are individually packaged and fantastic. We first had this in Osaka and dreamed about them afterwards. A chestnut mochi and red bean mochi are also available and solid. 10/10

There is a packaged strawberry mochi at another counter that is not as good.

Overall – Excellent
Food – Excellent
Decor – Excellent
Service – Excellent
Value – Excellent

Would we come back – Yes

===
2/25/25
Reviews of restaurants in and around the Hakuba area during our 2025 trip.

Kin Kitchen
Hokujo, Hakuba, Kitaazumi District
Nagano 399-9301
0261-72-6666

Home

Kin Kitchen is a South East Asian cuisine restaurant near our hotel in Hakuba. We came here for lunch. The restaurant is not fancy and what you expect in a ski area.

Unfortunately the food in this Echoland area seems touristy expensive and not great. Even the lunch at Happo One ski resort was better and cheaper.

Food review:
Nasi lemak (¥1500) is a dish with several items. All were solid, not super duper. 7.5/10

Broccoli & Mushroom (¥1000) is simple stir fry vegetarian dish. Small portion size. 8/10

Beef Rendang (¥1500) had lot of beef that was very spicy and a bit cold in the middle. Rice and veggie side dish was good. 7/10

Overall – Good
Food – Good
Decor – Good
Service – Good
Value – Very Good

Would we come back – No

===
2/26/2025

C’mon Food Truck Park
2937-154 Hokujo
Hakuba, Nagano 399-9301
https://www.instagram.com/cmon_park/?hl=en

A small gathering of food cool food trucks with some tables. We came for dinner, even though it was about 30 degrees out. It was more buy and take out food, far too cold and windy to eat here. The food at the trucks were reasonably priced and included Izaykaya, Vietnamese, and American options. Beer, wine, cocktails were available. This is definitely tourist targeted.

From ?
Vietnamese Wagyu Pho bowl (2000) was very small and did not have much of any soup. 7/10

From KIIIYA at Car
Gyudon rice bowl (¥2500) was tiny but decent. Love the way the juice were absorbed by the rice. 8/10

Churro (v800) with whipped creme (300) was the star. Fresh, hot crunchy. Light creme. 9/10

From Plume:
Azuki bean Crepe (¥550) is plant based, vegan and gluten free, yet still satisfying with all the rich cream and subtle sweetness of the beans. 8.5/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Very Good
Service – Very Good
Value – Very Good

Would we come back – Maybe

===
2/27/2025

karakusa
3020-694 Hokujo
Hakuba, Nagano 399-9301

Dinings

https://www.instagram.com/karakusa_local_dining.bar/

karakusa is a small Japanese eatery with a compact menu. Authentic Japanese rice bowls and set meals, featuring signature dishes like the Wagyu Sukiyaki Bowl.

Food Review:
Wagyu Sukiyaki Bowl (¥3100) is on the sweet side with a reasonable portion size and lots of ingredients. Great Rice. Side of Miso soup full of green onions. 7.5/10

Vegetable Curry Bowl (¥1900) is also gluten free. Perfect option for those with dietary limitations. Ample amount of veggies. 8/10

Overall – Good
Food – Good
Decor – Good
Service – Good
Value – Fair

Would we come back – No

==
2/28/2025

Hakuba Shokudou
3020-503 Hokujo
Hakuba, Kitaazumi District
Nagano 399-9301

Hakuba is a small restaurant with a short menu of set meals. We came for a quick dinner and walked in. (Could not make reservations for Marukame across the street) No options for vegetarians. This is not a fancy, relaxing restaurant. Eat and go.

Food Review:
Teriyaki Chicken set meal (¥2000) comes with some light accompaniments. You have to get your own rice and miso soup. The chicken arrives with reasonable quantity and quality. The salad dressing was too salty. 8/10

Overall – Good
Food – Good
Decor – Good
Service – Fair
Value – Fair

Would we come back – No

==
3/1/2025

Gyoza Las Vegas
4086 Hokujo, Hakuba
Kitaazumi District, Nagano 399-9301

We walked by Gyoza Las Vegas, saw it had a 4.7/5 rating (95 reviews) on Google and gave it a try for lunch. It has a compact menu with dumpling, noodles and rice bowls. You write your order on the order sheet.

A better bet is Yamagami Ramen next door.

Food Review:
Grilled Dumplings (890 for 5) were nicely fried with tender skin and good filling. We could see them making them as we walked in. 8.5/10

Gluten free Soy Sauce Ramen (1380) is eggless. The noodles were rubbery and the broth mediocre. 6.5/10

Overall – Good
Food – Good
Decor – Good
Service – Good
Value – Good

Would we come back – No

===
3/1/25

Sobasyubou ZEN
3020-49 Hokujo
Hakuba, Kitaazumi District
Nagano 399-9301
0261-72-3637
https://zen.artbi.net/

Zen Soba was recommend by a local. It was Great to visit a non touristy spot on the main road! Make a reservation ahead of time. It is hard to get a reservation on weekends, so we arrive at 5pm to put our name on the list. They open at 530pm and there was already a line.

Located down by the main road, this spot was not as touristy as the rest of Echoland and has lower prices and better quality!

Food was excellent and half the price or less compared to restaurants in the SF area. Food Quality was better than what we have at home. You ring the bell on the table when you need service. Lots of Tatami seating, so be prepared. English menu available.

Food Review:
Cucumbers with Japanese sauce (500) 9.5/10

Cucumber with Ume sauce (500) 8.5/10

Agedashi tofu (700) is a level above the ones at home. 9/10

Local Fried Eggplant (800) is perfect for vegetarians. Tender eggplant cooked just right. 9/10

Karaage Chicken (900) is an eggless version with 5 large pieces. Crisp but not overly crunchy. 9/10

Tendon Small Tempura (650) has prawn, squid, vegetables pieces a top rice. Nice eggless tempura that is hard to find. Pre soaked with tendon sauce. 9/10

Hot Soba (1150) is their signature dish. Lots of noodles in a hot broth. Al dente noodles with some tempura bits. You can order 2/3 or 1/2 portions. 10/10

Hot tempura soba set (1800) bundles it all in one dish. 10/10

Overall – Excellent
Food – Excellent
Decor – Excellent
Service – Very Good
Value – Excellent

Would we come back – Yes

==
3/2/25

Pasar Miyoshi Service Area
Kamitome Miyoshi SA Upline, Miyoshi-machi
Iruma-gun 354-0045 Saitama Prefecture

https://www.driveplaza.com/sapa/1800/1800011/1/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1121079-d12622729-Reviews-Pasar_Moyoshi-Miyoshi_machi_Iruma_gun_Saitama_Prefecture_Kanto.html

On our bus trip to Narita while on the Kanetsu Expressway, the bus stopped at this marketplace. It has everything from groceries to produce to gifts to fast food stalls. Locals were buying produce. Wow was it fun. Prices were not marked up. Wish we had more time here!

There are similar locations elsewhere including Hasuda

Items bought:
Matcha soft serve sundae, roasted yam, yam chips, sushi
We also bought several gifts.

Overall – Excellent
Food – Excellent
Decor – Excellent
Service – Very Good
Value – Excellent

Would we come back – Yes

==

 

 

Restaurant Map: