We all have different ideas when it comes to Japanese culture. Some of us may think of the bustling metropolis of Tokyo, while others may think of low-rise traditional buildings with lots of history and rich culture. The latter is what I got to finally experience on the Old Town Tokyo Food Tour by Arigato Japan. I’ve been to Tokyo a few times and got to see different sides of the city, but sadly never have I been to this part of the citym until now!

The Old Town Tokyo Food Tour started off with a quick introduction to the group and the history of Yanaka. Yanaka has survived both World War II and multiple devastating earthquakes which decimated a large swath of the city.

Attention Cat Lovers: Yanaka is famous for its many cats!

The first food that got me truly excited was the minced meat cutlet! This deep-fried minced meat cutlet was absolutely bursting with flavor and juiciness. It was perfectly balanced, I could just keep eating and eating. We followed this up with a sweet treat.

I was super excited to go to the knife shop and test out some of the incredibly sharp knives. I cut a carrot like hot butter! After checking out the knives, we got to try sake on the street where we also discussed more about Japanese history and culture. I noticed that the area was filled with local people and has not yet turned into an oversaturated tourist hot spot. Refreshing.

For lunch, we had a soba meal which was the first cold soba that I truly enjoyed. Well done to Yanaka and Arigato Japan!

After our filling soba meal, we made our way down to the end of the Yanaka shopping street and turned to find our next dessert stop!

Not only did we get to try delicious food, but we got to learn about an intense drama that took place a few hundred years ago that started at a temple we visited and included lots of death. Very interesting indeed!

One of the final stops of the Old Town Tokyo Food Tour was probably my favorite stop, which was a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. I was caught up with a sense of peace and tranquility while I watched the woman prepare and serve our tea, one by one. The cup I drank from was 150 years old! We were served a salty and sweet snack that went very well with the slightly bitter tea. The tea experience was the cherry on top of the entire experience. This is a must if you visit Japan!

Towards the end of the tour, we made our way through a Japanese cemetery and to one final temple. This was a great way to wind down this action-packed tour! There was way more of a variety of cultural experiences in The Old Town Tokyo Food Tour than I ever could have imagined. The tour guides were very insightful and had lots interesting facts to offer throughout the tour. All in all, it was an absolutely wonderful experience which was way better than I expected and I can easily recommend you to try it when you’re in Tokyo, Japan!

Book your experience with promotional code “PIERRE10” to receive a 10% discount!

Arigato Food Tours Japan

Tour

Japan, 〒106-0045 Tokyo, Minato, Azabujuban, 1 Chome−2−7 ラフィネ麻布十番701号室

Phone: +81 90-6484-9577