| Restaurants |
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Where to Dine
Up-market Restaurants
Japan's premier restaurants are a culinary experience not to be missed. Although prices are rather steep, these restaurants in Japan are among the finest in the world. Most are located in internationally renowned hotels or in fashionable city districts such as Tokyo's Ginza, Roppongi, Akasaka, and Harajuku.
Popular Restaurants
Eating
scrumptious delicacies need not be expensive in Japan. Most moderately
priced restaurants are located in office building basements, department
stores, urban shopping centers, and underground malls. They have become
favorite eating places with the lunchtime crowd and most would order teishoku,
a low-priced complete meal on a tray.
Most eateries display realistic plastic models of their dishes to show patrons their specialties or offers. To order, point to the dish you wish to try. You can also grab a quick bite at noodle stands, coffee shops, fast-food outlets, and vending machines that provide a variety of food and drinks at low prices.
Paying methods varies for different outlets. Most restaurants practice billing their patrons after meals while others may require advance purchases of meal coupons before ordering. Inexpensive restaurants, coffee shops and fast-food outlets accept cash only; conversely, credit cards are accepted in other places. As a service charge is implemented, tipping is not necessary.
Novelties
Apart
from restaurants, Japan does offer different unique ways to fill your
stomach and satisfy gastronomical cravings. Here are only some of them
:
. Sold
aboard trains, box lunches with a regional flavor make for an inexpensive
meal.
. Dinner
on a cruise ship presents city lights in addition to good food.
. Street
side "yatai" stalls, some with stools to seat diners, offer inexpensive
treats.
. Dinner-shows
at deluxe hotels combine fine food and live entertainment for a complete
(though expensive) night out.
. Convenience
stores have sandwiches, box lunches, and other cooked dishes that can
be taken out.
. Department
stores are great places to sample different types of food.
. Kaiten
Sushi is a place where customers sit at a round counter and receive low-priced
sushi on a circling conveyor belt. Definitely a good way to try various
sushi!
