John Daub: So here we are in Asakusa.
This is the cultural heart of the city of Tokyo.
Loads of things to see and do here.
The history, for me, is fascinating.
Things going back centuries.
And there's also a lot of street food.
More than one person could eat.
Eric Berg: Hey, and are you ONLY in Japan, John Daub?
John: Eric Berg! Come on over here! Eric: Oh my goodness!
Eric: Wow! Did you say something about street food?
John: I did. I was going to make a street food episode. Eric: Wow!
John: But since you're here...
Eric: I would love to join you.
Was this an invitation?
John: It is now. Eric: Wow! Alright!
John: Eric Berg, so let's go eat! Eric: Yeah!
(♬ Intro music ♬)
Irrashaimase! (Welcome!)
Peter von Gomm: ONLY in Japan!
John: (voice over) From the Kaminarimon lantern to Sensoji Temple.
You have to walk the 250 meters through Nakamise Dori's 89 shops.
One of Japan's oldest shopping streets loaded with souvenirs and street food.
Opened in 1688, reformed during the Meiji Era,
what you see here today is almost entirely rebuilt following World War II.
The street food has evolved in this area:
a mix of traditional, modern, and international goodies are all around.
We'll skip through here to another of Asakusa's traditional streets.
John: Oh, hey! So this is Denpoin Street.
This is an old street right off of Nakamise Dori,
and it's loaded with street food.
Eric: It is. Shall we split up so we can get double the food?
John: Sounds like a good plan. Let's go!
(upbeat music)
(voice over) This is Anshinya, a Taiwanese chain, now in Tokyo.
Eric hones in on some deep fried sizzling to the left.
Eric: Fried chicken?! Hello?
John: You can smell the chicken.
Eric: (Unintelligible joy)
Oh my goodness! I had no idea it was this big!
Wow! It's like one item and I'm going to be full it looks like.
John: (voice over) This massive deep fried chicken is called Zajipai
with six interesting taste accents.
I stepped to the right side where a small shop
sells a famous street food.
Asakusa Menchi almost always has a line of people waiting.
Still hot from the fryer.
Served in a paper envelope to grab and go.
Golden brown, crunchy.
This menchi katsu is a lot more than just minced pork cutlet.
John: Oh, this is hard to do. It's alright. I just ripped this in half.
Woah, that's hot, isn't it?
Eric: It is hot.
John: Itadakimasu!
(voice over) A total taste explosion.
Let's compare items to see which is best.
Eric: Not like any other fried chicken I've ever had.
John: I've never seen chicken like that.
Hold on I gotta get a shot of that.
Flip it... turn it around on the other side.
(voice over) Eric's chicken is flat and long meaning a lot of golden fried crunch on the crust.
Eric: It's savory. It's everything.
The sauce on it too. Sort of like a shoyu taste.
John: (voice over) The chicken has left an impact on Eric. How about that menchi katsu?
John: Menchi katsu is like, just a deep fried, battered meatball, right?
Eric: Mm hmm.
John: (voice over) My menchi katsu is super juicy.
Kanagawa koza pork and fresh onions
Doesn't need any sauces.
John: Super juicy. Do you want to change?
Eric: And there was a huge line earlier for these, right?
John: Yeah.
Eric: There was probably, what, 15 to 20 people in line earlier for this?
Oh there's some vegetables in here as well, too.
Is that onion? Grilled onion?
John: Yeah.
Wow!
Eric: What do you think?
John: I don't know which one tastes better.
Eric: Does it taste Korean (translator's note: Taiwanese), or what?
It's got a weird sort of flavor to it.
John: There's something in the batter
but the chicken's great.
I love it. It's crunchy.
Eric: And you're right about this. It's juicy.
John: (voice over) So who wins round one?
Eric: This is bangin'! I think you got the better item.
John: Really? Eric: Uh huh.
The chicken? Hmm.
I'd like it better if it was a little more spicy.
John: (voice over) At the end of Denpoin Street is a big intersection with one of my favorites:
Mochi.
This shop, called Kaede, is famous for it on a stick called dango.
(speaking Japanese)
They have several kinds of dango on sale, so I picked two that looked pretty special.
This shop has been selling dango for almost a quarter of a century
but why dango?
Shop operator: In Asakusa, sweets are quite famous.
There are a variety of delicious wagashi
like Ningyoyaki cakes and Kaminari-okoshi crackers
Few shops were making other sweets besides that
here in Asakusa.
So in 1999 we opened this dango shop
to serve customers something different.
John: (voice over) One of my favorites is grilled, or yaki, dango and they some really good ones here.
When there's good grilled color to it, flip,
and go to the next important stage, the tare, or the sauce.
Which makes it a delicious, mitarashi dango.
Not too much sauce.
Just lightly coat it so it doesn't overpower the grilled mochi.
Shop operator: Here in Tokyo, Mitarashi dango are famous sweet dango.
But our shop's dango is inspired by Nagoya's sweet sauce.
Nagoya's soy sauce is bit stronger, sweet and salty.
So hot-grilled dango aroma with this sauce
makes a wonderful combination.
If you eat our hot-grilled dango
you can't enjoy other dango from like a convenience store.
Customers tell us this all the time.
It's a really popular item here we're proud of.
John: Who doesn't love a good dango?
So what do you got there?
Eric: I've got the nori dango with the seaweed on the outside.
John: Yeah this is mitarashi dango.
John: I guess this is like a sweet um... Eric: Sweet shoyu?
John: Sweet shoyu sauce, yeah.
John: Soy based sauce here. Eric: Good choice.
Eric: Oh wow it's got some sweetness
John: I just love the consistency of mochi, you know.
The chewiness of it.
But the sweetness of the sauce and the burnt areas of this one
really make it.. really make it special.
I see you're enjoying that a lot more than I am enjoying mine.
What's so nice about yours?
Eric: This one's very wholesome.
The, uh, the nori's got a bit of a crunch to it and it's dry
John: You say you need it you need a cold drink with that, huh?
I think that's our next stop: cold drink.
Eric: Or maybe it was just we spent too much time getting the close-up shots and it cooled down.
John: We spent about five minutes trying to get the right blur.
It didn't work.
It's a good effort.
I find with food shots, the iPhone works really well.
Oh you should, okay, so that's a competition.
You beat me, is that it?
Eric: You talk too much.
(Eric laughs)
Yum.
John: And during New Year's you know that mochi is quite dangerous.
John: I think every year a dozen people die from choking.
Eric: That's right
You need to chew it.
Take the time to chew it.
That was pleasant
John: Gochisosama deshita (Thank you for the meal)
Very nice
(voice over) Next door is Oimoyasan selling satsumaimo sweet potatoes since 1876.
The sweet potato tarts are incredible; soft, a natural subtle sweetness.
But we went a different route.
John: So what do you got there?
Eric: I've got some sweet potato ice cream.
John: That's melting
Eric: It's melting because we had to get the close-up shots right.
A thumbnail I think we were going after.
John: I think we did a pretty good job with it. Eric: I hope so.
John: What's this called?
This, I know, this is satsuma imo too. It's in...
Eric: It's in a... she said that's called mizuame is the sauce.
I thought it was honey but she called it mizuame.
John: Mizuame, interesting.
(voice over) My sweet potatoes were good but I was quite jealous about Eric's sweet potato ice cream.
Eric: Oh this is fabulous
[laser beams]
Eric: It does have a sweet potato flavor.
John: There's a lot of biting here.
This requires a lot of chewing.
Eric: Doesn't it?
Eric: Do you need something to drink? John: Yeah, we'll go get something...
Eric: would you like some ice cream?
John: (voice over) Of course I did. [more laser beams]
Eric: Use a spork. That might work.
John: I wanted to get a close-up of your ice cream.
Eric: The ice cream is a fabulous.
John: Wow
Eric: It's really, really creamy.
And it's just it's really a thick cream.
John: Really enjoying that huh?
Eric: This is the best ice cream I've had in a long time
I typically get my ice cream out of a vending machine or at a convenience store so...
John: Oh wow Eric: This is definitely a level up John
Eric: Yeah. Best day of my life. John: Oh really?
Eric: I haven't said that in a while
John: (voice over) Mizuame is a Japanese sweetener used in wagashi to give it a sheen.
Made by converting starch to sugar similar to corn syrup and taste.
Certainly better with tea or coffee.
Maybe a little too sweet for my palate but they sure do look good.
John: Yeah but it doesn't have that honey taste to it.
John: It's just like pure sugar. Eric: Is there shoyu? Oh It's a pure sugar.
John: It tastes like pure sugar but i guess there's some of that brown sugar that they have.
Eric: Let me try one. John: Yeah go ahead.
Eric: Oh brown sugar? John: Maybe.
Eric: That would make sense John: Maybe.
What do you think?
Eric: Delish John: (voice over) Time to steal some ice cream
Eric: Oh look, it's got a candy coating on the outside of it doesn't it?
John: Oh wow this is good. (voice over) Ooh creamy light sweetness. Perfect.
Yeah Eric wins this one.
We wandered through the shotengai,
a covered shopping street, towards Asakusa's metro station
where a load of street food is also on sale.
This is Sekine, famous for nikuman, or steamed pork buns.
We got two right from the steamer.
John: So wow um I'm pretty excited about this one.
I love nikuman.
Eric: You love nikaman, do you? John: Yeah.
Rip it open and then you'll be able to let the steam out here.
Eric: Okay that's a good idea. Oh that's a good idea.
John: Oh it is a meatball Eric: It's a meatball huh?
John: (voice over) Looks like it's sticking its tongue out at us.
Eric: Meatball and gravy dumpling
John: (voice over) Delicious steamed dumpling bread soaking in some of that meat juices.
I had a lot to say about it
(somewhat unintelligible chipmunk speak)
Eric: This is fabulous.
John: You still hungry? Eric: I could still eat.
John: You can still eat? Alright, let's go!
(voice over) Between Sensoji Temple and Asakusa's Hanayashiki amusement park is one of my favorite melon pan shops.
Located in the Nishisando shopping street, they sell fresh baked melon pan right from the oven.
The owner has a special fermentation method closer to making sake
than bread to get it super fluffy and crispy.
They sell about 3000 of them a day.
Eric: Special recipe you say?
John: Wow Eric: I'm just going to bust it in half here
John: Wow Eric: There you go John: Thank you mate
Eric: This pan is uh dry John: Yeah this sort of scrunched pretty, pretty good.
John: Yum
Eric: Oh yeah.
John: It's good, right? Eric: It's very good.
It kind of reminds me of Hawaiian sweet bread. It's very nice.
John: When they come out of the oven and they're hot, they're so much better.
John: You have this steam that rises from this so soft inside Eric: Really?
John: And the outside of it, crunchy and sugar goodness.
It is one of my favorite, uh, bakery items here in Japan when it's done right.
Eric: I think it's perfect just the way it is now. It doesn't need to be hot.
John: Yeah top has a cookie crunch to it
Inside like like, uh, freshly baked bread. Buttery.
(voice over) Eric once said I talk too much.
(more somewhat unintelligible chipmunk speak)
John: Are you finished? Eric: I am finished.
John: You still hungry? Eric: I could eat another three of them.
Eric: Oh my gosh. That's the best melon pan i've ever had John: Really?
Eric: I gotta remember this place.
John: Let's go on. Move on. (Eric laughs)
John: (voice over) I came back without Eric -- don't tell him --
to try one of the most popular variations with whipped cream.
It may be good on its own but like this?
The chilled whipped cream light, yet rich, slowly melting into the hot melon pan's soft insides.
Like a sandwich, the cookie crunch top makes it a perfect sweet experience.
Turns you seven years old again.
Oh they have ice cream too; perfect for the hottest of days.
Eric: Oh, yeah. Spicy. You like it spicy? Hot and spicy?
John: (voice over) We did make a pit stop for more chicken. Karaage, my favorite.
This deep fried chicken is at Yukari, a chain shop, but wow it's good.
They'll put it in a bag which you can eat outside on the street.
Eric: Whoa, look at that!
Oh I can smell the heat.
John: She dumped a bunch of sauce on it. Do you know what that sauce is?
Eric: I'm not sure something spicy I assume. John: I would hope so.
(voice over) There are other kinds of karaage, Japanese deep fried chicken. Different sauces and batter.
Eric: Oh yeah. This is dark meat chicken, chicken thigh.
Oh yeah.
Oh scrumptious.
Eric: You feeling the heat yet? John: Yeah.
The spiciness sneaks up on you.
It doesn't come right away.
It takes a good five, ten, seconds before.
It just build right now. It's even getting spicier.
I think they put it inside the batter and it starts to unleash with a couple of chews.
Eric: It's a very nice boneless fried chicken, isn't it?
John: That was good.
Eric: Good crunch? John: That was great
(voice over) We cruised back through the shotengai to visit the temple.
John: So this is Sensoji here.
The temple is really beautiful. Have you been here before, right?
Eric: I have, yes.
John: Many good memories. This is the site where...
In fact Asukusa, this whole area, the site where one of Tokyo's biggest festivals takes place
Sanja Matsuri, Sanja Festival.
(whistles and clapping)
(voice over) The Sanja Matsuri is one of Tokyo's big three festival
-- certainly the wildest -- with about 700 years of history.
The area sells an extraordinary amount of street food on the third weekend of every May.
John: Uh I think three million people come to that every year.
Eric: That's crazy!
John: It's crazy. It's been suspended for the last couple of years.
Eric: Like for New Years as well too, right? Just crazy amount of people, right?
John: Hatsumode, the New Year's prayer, the line goes way out
Eric: And today? Nobody.
But you know come to think of it.
This is probably the least crowded time I've ever been here
It's just so few people here. It's a ghost town.
John: (voice over) We cruised behind Sensoji Temple to Kototoi Avenue
where they have some great shops and cafes in the alleys.
Our destination was the incredible Taiyaki Sharaku.
Taiyaki is named after the fish: tai in Japanese; red sea bream in English.
Red sea bream were quite expensive a century ago and eating one brought luck and fortune.
If you couldn't afford it, you could certainly enjoy a sweet taiyaki.
The owner Yoshino-san makes them the traditional way: baked inside an iron mold in fire.
Yoshino: The temperature. Checking the temperature.
John: Wait! Hold on a second.
You check the temperature with your face?
Yoshino: Yes, with my cheeks.
Yes, I can feel the heat with my cheeks.
John: What's the temperature?
Yoshino: I don't know that but --
I can feel the temperature to grill this.
John: (voice over) He puts the batter into the iron mold.
Everything made fresh in the shop.
Next is the Hokkaido red bean paste called, anko.
Just the right amount.
Finally another layer of batter for the top.
You won't find custard or sweet potato filling here.
It's prepared as it was originally crafted in the early 20th century.
A careful eye on the timer.
Perfect. Crunchy on the outside slightly charred for flavor.
It's easy to tell a handcrafted taiyaki by its beautiful imperfections.
It's one of a kind.
John: Wow
Perfect.
(voice over) They come out super hot.
Best to let it cool for a few minutes.
John: So, I got here some very hot taiyaki from the grill.
John: Pretty excited about this Eric: Dessert food, huh?
John: Absolutely. Eric: All righty.
John: (voice over) I got a couple to take home.
You can reheat them in the toaster oven for a few minutes
They taste great.
John: It's nice and hot Eric: Well let's dig in then, huh?
John: Do you go head first? You don't even go head first?
You go right.. you go body first?
Eric: I want to see what's inside. Got to get a good look at it.
John: Oh wow, okay. You just mauled your fish.
John: Usually go head first or tail first. Eric: You know take a look at things first.
John: Okay yeah you do. Eric: Show the cross section.
John: One second. There you go.
Yeah that is a lot of anko bean paste all freshly made here from Hokkaido he said and
he doesn't do custard or any of the other..
Eric: No John: just classic.
Eric: Just the pure stuff. John: Yeah.
That's so good.
Eric: Fabulous. Dessert food for sure, right?
John: This would go great with some green tea.
Eric: It would huh? Hey.
John: (voice over) And we finally got a couple of cans of tea from the shop.
Eric: Green tea, let's keep it pure.
John: (voice over) I asked Yoshino-san about his taiyaki style and shop.
Yoshino: I started this 16 years ago.
Young to old, everyone can enjoy this
"B-kyu" food - Japanse Soul Food
John: So you don't do custard taiyaki here?
Yoshino: No! (John laughs)
John: Traditional only
Yoshino: I boil the red beans from Hokkaido and make Anko myself.
My taiyaki is not too sweet.
The sweetness is lower to taste the beans.
John: (voice over) I wanted to know more about his unique cheek thermometer system.
Yoshino: This side to this side, the temperature can
be cooler or hotter
so I check it with my face
so the temperature is hot and balanced.
If it's too cool, it would bake
If it's too hot, it'll burn.
The top would burn, the bottom would be uncooked.
John: (voice over) No scars, the system works.
The taiyaki are delicious.
Next we walk back towards Asakusa metro station to Hoppy Street,
a lively nighttime side street izakaya experience.
The perfect place to end the street food adventure.
Come early, especially on the weekends, to claim a seat. Stay for a while.
John: All right, kanpai! Eric: Kanpai to a fabulous day.
John: So this is Hoppy Street. this is, uh, one of the more vibrant
outdoor eating on the street experiences in the city of Tokyo.
John: Pretty good place to end a good street food day. Eric: I think so.
Yakitori, yup.
This is the standard momo, I guess, uh, thigh.
John: Oh wow.
Eric: That's delicious.
John: Char grilled taste of, uh, yakitori can't be beat.
John: Not with beer. Eric: Super tangy sauce.
Eric: Oh yeah. John: It's the way to go.
We had some amazing stuff today. What was your favorite?
Eric: Wow.
I'm going to have to go with the minced katsu, I think.
That's something that I've never had. Something that just juicy and typically it's just, it's dry.
It's just... wow!
John: I would probably have to say that menchi katsu would be the number one item as well here.
But I'm sure there's more that we didn't discover.
John: That taiyaki was also pretty good. Eric: The taiyaki was interesting.
The chicken bones? Did you like that? The nankotsu?
John: I did. The nankotsu was right up there as well.
Uh there's some of the street food that we missed on Nakamise Dori.
I think that's really easy to find walking down the street.
A lot of those are pretty good.
But menchi katsu for me number one.
(voice over) Street food in Asakusa may be really spread out.
But it's one of the best places to come and just relax for an entire day.
Making street food a part of the experience.
Thanks so much for watching ONLY in Japan.
Check out another one of our shows and don't forget to subscribe.
Thank you to Ericsurf6 for being a part of this episode and making it just that much more fun.
Mata ne! (See you again!) (♫ Outro music ♫)