Originally Posted by
DCtrAAveler
Recommendations for a 'special occasion' restaurant? I'm traveling to Tokyo for the first time in July as part of my 40th birthday RTW, and will be in town for my actual birthday. I have little experience/knowledge of Japanese cuisine and its varieties, but am a relatively adventurous eater and am open to new experiences. I'd like something not overly touristy, but comfortable for non-Japanese speakers. I know 'traditional', 'authentic', and 'typical' can be heavily loaded terms, but a cultural as well as high-quality/interesting food experience would be nice. Thanks in advance.
You might want to think about ShabuShabu at Seryna or Zakuro. You don't find it much outside of Japan and it's usually very popular with foreigners (if you like beef). There are a lot of other.
The suggestions for kaiseki are good too, but for me, my reaction immediately after my first experience with kaiseki (a very long dinner with 20 courses) was "What the **** was that? My knees are killing me and I'm still starving." It's a bit of an acquired taste.