Explore the Tokyo food scene in all its diversity with these 3 deep-dive articles

Edomae sushi is one of Tokyo’s greatest gifts to the culinary world. The techniques developed by chefs here back when the city was still called Edo now define sushi as a global culinary style, while the Edomae legacy attracts a ceaseless stream of sushi-hungry visitors to today’s Tokyo. In ‘The Essence of Edomae Sushi’, you can read all about how nigiri sushi went from quick street snack to a highly sophisticated form of food artistry. The story centres on the Nihonbashi district, the original site of Edo-Tokyo’s fish market, where chef Takaaki Sugita keeps the tradition alive at Nihonbashi Kakigaracho Sugita, one of the city’s hardest-to-book sushi restaurants.

In the interview, Sugita explains the less-is-more aesthetic of Edomae and how the style is defined by ceaseless attention to detail. The celebrated chef also touches on how all great sushi starts with delicious rice, illustrating the ways in which he goes above and beyond to serve the perfect morsels that make up his omakase meals. In addition, you’ll learn how modern-day Tokyo’s fish market in Toyosu is essential to the city’s sushi ecosystem – and why Sugita himself still makes a daily pilgrimage to the market at the crack of dawn.

If you’re catching the train heading out of or into Tokyo, you should always get an ekiben for your journey. Ekiben – from the words ‘eki’ (railway station) and ‘bento’ (boxed lunch) – are boxes filled with local specialities designed to be eaten on the go. This article takes you inside Ekibenya Matsuri, the main bento shop in the bowels of Tokyo Station, a massive transit hub that connects the capital with cities across the country. Stocking around 150 varieties of ekiben from 5.30 every morning, the Matsuri store is a logistical wonder that showcases the latest in bento technology along with mouth-watering delicacies from all over Japan.

The article takes a close look at the ‘visual art’ of ekiben, discussing how the packaging of the boxes has evolved over the years. Another key topic is that of regionality. Each ekiben is an edible expression of its place of origin, and at Matsuri boxes filled with Tokyo-born flavours compete for shelf space with mobile meals representing far-flung corners of the country. You’ll also learn about the history of ekiben, from the boxes’ beginnings in the 1880s, when railways were new to Japan, to the onboard vendors of the 1970s and ’80s and through to today’s impeccably calibrated distribution systems. Towards the end, you’ll find news you can use: an introduction to some of the most popular ekiben at Matsuri.

Despite being one of the world’s largest cities and among the most urbanised places on the planet, Tokyo boasts a wealth of local ingredients, be it produce, fish, meat or dairy. These high-quality foodstuffs mostly come from the Tama region west of the city centre, or from the capital’s outlying islands. Tokyo’s farm-to-table chops can be experienced at French restaurant L’Arbre in the western city of Akiruno, as detailed in this comprehensive feature focused on Tokyo ingredients.

As described in the article, chef Naoki Matsuo’s multicourse lunch menus provide a lip-smacking journey through Tokyo’s homegrown flavours, highlighting ingredients such as wild plants, kuri chestnuts, vanilla beans from the Ogasawara Islands, freshwater fish from the rivers of Tama, and premium ‘Tokyo X’ pork. Through their uncompromising focus on sustainability and hyper-local cuisine, chefs like Matsuo are raising Tokyo’s profile among discerning foodies looking to leave a positive impact on the places they visit.

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