MikeFromTokyo

Pickles

Well, it is the Honten now, as the original is now a construction site soon to be another one of those faceless "Tokyo 2020" buildings. To make way for that building they knocked down the Tokyo Sanshin building and its old-school "New World Service" kissaten, there since the days of SCAP. A real shame.

As for the Honten, the reason it has that Meiji era feel is because it used to be a sento. You can still see the dividers between the men and women's side along the middle of the main room.

LapLap

Thanks, Pickles! We went after my kid's 753. Devoured lunch at close to 4pm having had an early start and meagre breakfast. We were famished! Details of the room are very fuzzy now.
Will forcibly shove the Aoyama Maisen Honten diversion on topic by pointing out that this particular branch is a tonkotsu restaurant that offers other foods;
sushi, sashimi, soba, and pork shabu shabu are examples. Not the worst option for sushi for someone shackled to fish averse family or friends.

jib71

Tonkatsu - Katsu from Katsuretsu (Cutlets)
(Tonkotsu is an altogether different concoction - Kotsu deriving from the German Kotzen)

LapLap

Q Shoe Guy

So wonderful to see you a few of you oldsters on here ! :P Didn't we eat there LapLap (Maisen) it was just down the street from my old apato.....remember?

LapLap

You introduced us to Maruichi bagels. Now we go back there every time we visit.

bluemeansgo

Did Jiro live up to your expectations? Worth reserving a spot or overrated?

bocastephen

For me, since I've eaten a few times at both Jiro locations, it's really hard to answer - it depends on your knowledge of and appreciation for sushi - can you really tell the difference between his quality standards, the flavor nuance of his rice, does the specific temperature he serves each piece make a difference in the flavor and texture that you will notice and appreciate? Are you fascinated or interested in observing someone who has dedicated their entire adult life to perfecting one very simple thing with unwavering passion, dedication, and never losing interest or focus?

For me, the answers to the above were 'yes' - and I have no problem wanting to return to either of his sushi shops when I'm in Tokyo if I can get a seat - however, there are very good sushi places that are worth trying that are no where near that level, but still 1000x better than even the best sushi you'll find in North America. For example, I will put the stand-up sushi bar inside Shinagawa Station head to head against the most expensive non-foofoo $200+ sushi anywhere in LA or NY.

bluemeansgo

I love the craft of it all. How do you go about making reservations? or did you just walk in? Have a preferred location?

bocastephen

You need to make a reservation through a hotel concierge, and only some hotels are allowed to make reservations - walk-ins are forbidden. Alternatively, a friend in Japan can call the restaurant for you, but this is far more difficult and might not work if the restaurant knows you're a foreigner and not coming with the Japanese friend - they need a way to guarantee the reservation.

More hotels are able to book Jiro Roppongi (except the Westin, which is blacklisted), and only top hotels like Four Seasons, Peninsula, etc., have better luck booking Jiro Ginza. You will need to guarantee the reservation with a credit card, complete a contract regarding conduct at the restaurant and reservation policies, and you cannot cancel or no-show within the week of the reservation.

This is not just for Jiro, many mid-price and high end restaurants in Japan have this policy which was brought about due to unacceptable behavior by westerners. I have a reservation at a mid-priced sushi restaurant next week (I posted upthread to see if anyone knows it), and they have the same procedure for this restaurant as for Jiro.

Ginza is the only location where you can eat with Jiro, but both lunch and dinner are the same price, the same menu and the same pace - you will be done in 30-40 minutes, and Jiro may, if not busy, be willing to step outside for a photo. You can ask for extra pieces (figure about $15-30 per piece) up to a certain point.

At Roppongi, you can modify the menu slightly by adding a sashimi course (must be pre-reserved) which I recommend, and the pace is less formal, more relaxed, you can chat with Jiro's son and his senior apprentice in English (Jiro does not speak English, but one of his senior apprentices does). If you book the second seating at Roppongi, there is no rush to finish, and you could be there a long time - I was there almost 2hrs and needed a wheelchair to get out of there after the sashimi course, extra sashimi, sushi course, and extra sushi. It was super expensive, but worth it.

bluemeansgo

Thanks for the information!
I can get by in Japanese, maybe I'll see if my Japanese wife will call and reserve me a spot. She'll think I'm crazy, of course.

bluemeansgo

MY daughters LOVE natto, which is about as far from what most would consider kid-friendly as you can imagine.

Saying that, tamago-yaki (sweet egg omelette) is a pretty easy to eat for most kids. Flying fish roe is common with kids in Japan (tobiko).

RaginPlainsman

Re: booking at Jiro's. We (3 of us) booked through the concierge at the Park Hyatt for next month. They were not able to get us in to Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten for any of the three days (Thurs-Sat) we had available, but did get us into the Roppongi location for lunch.

They also told us that Jiro is now taking reservations from repeat customers "in advance" (presume that means before the normal window), making it even harder to get in than it was already.

od_sf

I assume you're talking about the Uogashi nihon ichi location inside the station?