The Cabagges Tokyo Travel Guide
See where we shopped, what we ate, and where we stayed in the Japanese capital.
We’ve been talking about visiting Japan since we started Cabagges—we’ve both been before, but this was our first time taking a trip there together. Our recipes have always been influenced by our Japanese backgrounds, and it only felt right that we make it out there to taste the meals we’ve been trying to emulate from our home kitchen.
Typically when we travel there’s very little on our to do list. We’ll save some things on a shared Google Map and show up without too much of an itinerary. Tokyo felt different, and while we definitely left a lot of time open for spontaneity, we knew we wanted to hit specific restaurants and shops. There’s so much to do and so much to eat, and though we barely scratched the surface, we’re sharing how we spent our 6 days and 5 nights in Tokyo.
Where we stayed
Hotel The Celestine Tokyo Shiba
We were looking for something with a view of the city and found this hotel for a reasonable price. It’s located close to the Yamachi station on the Yamanote line and the Mita station for access to the Asakusa and Mita subway lines.
The Neighborhood
The hotel is located in Minato City—east of Shibuya and just south of Ginza. The neighborhood immediately surrounding us was quiet and comprised of a mix of office buildings, small shops and restaurants. Our quiet, nightly stroll home from the subway station was always a great way to decompress after a busy day.
We blindly stumbled into Passage Coffee nearby and the coffee was shockingly good. Upon further research, they were the world Aeropress champs in 2014.
Where we shopped
Clothing
Sukima
Department Stores
Nothing compares to Japanese department store shopping. We visited almost every BEAMS we saw, and wandered the many floors of department stores like Daimaru, Parco, Mitsukoshi and Isetan.
Hender Scheme’s stunning hard-to-find flagship in Ebisu with leather goods galore. We each picked up a souvenir.
Kapital
No explanation needed here. Our favorite one-stop shop for snacks, tech, skincare, and souvenirs.
Shimokitazawa
There’s a lot of vintage to see in Shimokitazawa. There are some thoughtfully curated shops ($$$) and in other stores you’ll really need to dig ($). Anna found some things at Flamingo and Kevin picked up a shirt at New York Joe. Some of the other stores we visited here were Velvet and Kimama.
SHOPPY SHOPS
Kapital has a distinctly Japanese take on American workwear. Shop hand-crafted denim and other one-of-a-kind pieces here.
Special things
Shopping here feels like a fever dream. Imagine endless aisles (and floors) of every type of electronic device imaginable.
Bic Camera
Don Quijote
Couldn’t afford anything here but this 3-winged Visvim flagship in Nakameguro is the pinnacle of Japanese retail.
Kappabashi Street
Visivim
Artek
The Artek store in Omotesando is a home goods haven. Their “2nd Cycle” section has a nice selection of used pieces.
Kitchen
We could have spent all day shopping on Kappabashi street. Here you’ll find small shops slinging colorful ceramics, massive restaurant supply stores, and specialty knife shops. You can even buy the fake food displays you often see in restaurant windows.
Once you see the gigantic chef head you know you’re there. There are shops on both sides of the street (as well as the side streets) so stroll down one side and circle back on the other.
We picked up a couple chopstick rests for our table. Anna was obsessed with all the variations of mandolins and Kevin was on the hunt for a new knife.
Kevin grabbed a vintage watch from this quaint shop in Ueno. The couple that runs this place is very friendly and knowledgeable.
Mizutani
Daimaru Produce
An elite grocery experience. Browse the gorgeous produce and prepared foods section at the basement of Daimaru.
Where we ate
Moto
Moto is worth a visit based on charm alone. It’s a cute, overgrown kissaten sandwiched between two massive apartment buildings, and it’s a fun spot to sit down for a cup of coffee and a ham sando.
Inside, every wall and ledge is full of pictures, figurines, paintings, and trinkets. The Ojisan who runs it didn’t speak English but was very sweet. We each ordered a coffee and were given 2 hard boiled eggs to enjoy with them.
Moto
1 Chome-4-16 Shibadaimon, Minato City,
Tokyo 105-0012, Japan
Manten Sushi
We really enjoyed the diversity of ingredients at this omakase counter, especially compared to what we typically see in the states. Think sea snail, abalone, a clam miso soup, and iwamozuku seaweed.
The portions were generous, including the finale courses like a heaping uni handroll, ikura over warm rice, and a toro/chutoro nigiri duo.
After about 17 courses we left very full and satisfied. It was a really amazing value for omakase at such an affordable price point!
Manten Sushi Marunouchi
Japan, 〒100-6990 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Marunouchi, 2 Chome−6−1 ブリックスクエア B1
Yakiniku Jumbo
Yakiniku Jumbo was one of the few reservations we made ahead of the trip. We originally heard about it through social media, most notably David Chang calling their iconic Nohara-yaki sirloin his favorite bite of food.
The gorg slice (pictured above) is cooked for you with a few quick swipes across the grill, then dipped into a silky raw egg.
Yakiniku Jumbo Shirokane Japan〒1
08-0072 Tokyo, Minato City, Shirokane,
3 Chome−1−1 第一麻布ビル 1F
Men Kurai was our first real meal in Tokyo. It’s tucked away on a small side street in Minato City and frequented by local workers. It’s known for its extra thick noodles and light but silky shoyu and shio broths.
Men Kurai
Zuicho has only 8 seats and serves only 1 thing: katsudon. For such a simple and classic dish, it’s shockingly good and well worth the 30+ min wait. The crisp and tender pork katsu is complemented perfectly by a sweet yet deeply flavorful soy glaze.
Kastudon-ya Zuicho
A coffee shop/cafe chain spread across Japan. Don’t miss morning service (before 11am), when all coffee drinks come with a side of their famous thick toast, accompanied by a side of homemade egg salad, azuki bean paste, or a hardboiled egg.
Komeda’s Coffee
Tsujihan
Tsujihan is a kaisen-don restaurant that’s blown up online, but we’re excited to report it fully lives up to the hype. Their menu consists of 4 variations of the same dish, and of course we had to go for their most known Tokujyo, which was topped with a variety of seafood like fatty tuna, shrimp, and clam, along with a generous amount of uni and ikura.
After finishing most of the seafood on top, you hand back your bowl and they ladle a hot sea bream broth over your leftover rice for a comforting finish.
Tsujihan
Japan, 〒103-0027 Tokyo, Chuo City,
Nihonbashi, 3 Chome−1−15 久栄ビル １階
Konbini
No trip to Japan would be complete without a trip to a Konbini, primarily the 7/11, Family Mart, Lawson trifecta.
Tamago (egg) sandos, onigiri, and plastic-wrapped pancakes for breakfast, a quick fami-chicki (fried chicken cutlet) from the hot case, a bag of crunchy pickled ume, a hot bowl of oden, or a chu-hai cocktail & an ice cream bar before bed.
Look for any 7-Eleven, Family Mart, or Lawson.
There’s bound to be one nearby no matter
where you are in the city.
Udatsu Sushi
Udatsu is easy to miss from the street, hidden in the backstreets of Nakameguro, but behind it’s inconspicuous entrance is a stunning sushi counter with one michelin star. We went for their lunch omakase, which started with some vegetable and shellfish dishes and transitioned into more traditional nigiri .
The unique tasting menu utilizes a lot of fresh herbs and produce alongside rich and luxurious cuts of fish, and finishes with a silky tamagoyaki that tastes like a sweet custard.
Udatsu Sushi
2 Chome-48-10 Kamimeguro, Meguro City,
Tokyo 153-0051, Japan
Instead of visiting a Japanese McDonald’s, try a MOS Burger instead. We got their iconic beef/pork burger topped with meat sauce, cheese and a thick tomato slice. Add a melon soda for the perfect midday snack.
MOS Burger
Kamukura has everything you need after a long day exploring the city. It’s spacious with no wait, and it serves up steaming bowls of ramen with cold beer and crisp gyoza, all at very affordable prices.
Kamukura
One of our favorite “fast food” chains in Japan, a gyudon spot that also serves curry, katsus and other meat dishes. You’ll pay for your items at a vending machine and seat yourself at the counter for a quick, in-and-out meal.
Matsuya
Before our trip, we also asked our followers on IG for their best recommendations & compiled them into a google maps list (along with everything mentioned here)!
