9 must-visit Japanese specialities in Asakusa Temple

Chalet Ichimatsu, a Japanese restaurant that has been operating in Asakusa for three generations, is a place where you can enjoy exquisite Japanese cuisine in a Japanese atmosphere. The restaurant offers kaiseki cuisine, which changes its menu every month, as well as lunchtime set menus and Japanese desserts!

Whether it's the stone tiles that run from the entrance or the traditional Japanese architecture of the building, you can feel the tranquillity of a place that's far removed from the hustle and bustle of the streets of Asakusa.

"Located near Asakusa's landmark Thunder Gate, Asakusa Ushikatsu is a small, cosy restaurant with only bar seating. The restaurant's special three-quarter-rare steak is served on a hot stone plate on the table, so customers can grill the steak to their preferred degree of doneness before enjoying it. The

crispy breading wrapped around the soft and juicy beef is a great flavour that is addictive after one bite. The fried steak also goes well with the set menu of white rice, potato salad and miso soup.

"Raimon Kisuke" is a 50 year old single-family house renovated into a modern restaurant that serves chicken dishes and oden (Japanese-style omelette).

The menu features a wide variety of dishes such as Kyoto-style okonomiyaki with soup, chicken skewers grilled over charcoal, and "だし巻き玉子" (Japanese omelette). The restaurant also offers affordable lunch sets for around 1,000 yen, including seafood rice bowl, fried tuna, and parent-child donburi, which is also a great choice.

At Izakaya Kazuchi, the owner, who is also a bartender, recommends about 50 types of sake and dishes that go well with sake. The restaurant uses mainly organic ingredients and offers a modern take on traditional Japanese cuisine.

The 60-year-old kimono shop has been converted into a high-ceilinged, open-plan space, and the cosy wooden décor makes for a relaxing experience.

At Fish Cuisine Enshuya, which has been in business for about 60 years, you can enjoy seafood meals made from seasonal fresh fish specially selected by seafood experts. The menu includes hot pot dishes such as seafood shabu-shabu, as well as a variety of sushi and donburi, with more than 200 choices, all of which are worth trying.

In addition to the signature tuna donburi and daily specials at lunchtime, the hearty and well-presented kaiseki dishes are also popular.

At Torafutei Asakusa, a speciality puffer fish restaurant, you can enjoy Japanese-made tiger puffer fish delivered directly from the place of origin, regardless of the season.

There is also a large water tank inside the restaurant, where a licensed puffer fish chef kills the puffer fish right after the customer orders and prepares a variety of set menus such as "Yumigigi Torafugu" (live tiger puffer fish feast). The freshly-killed puffer fish even twists and turns on the plate as it is served, a sign of its freshness.

Opened in 1902, "Puzzleo Iidayataya Tataya" serves a variety of loach dishes such as "Puzzleo Nabe", which is stewed in a secret broth, "Puzzleo Kabayaki", which tastes similar to kabayaki unagi, and "Puzzleo Tangyan", which is a dish of loach that is fried in a deep frying pan.

There are various types of seats such as table seats and private booths, and the tatami seats are the most recommended, so you can feel the strong atmosphere of Japanese olden days while you eat.

Established in 1926, Kamaishi Chun is a long-established restaurant that was the first to offer "kama-ryori" for one person. The kettle rice served at the restaurant uses different seasonal ingredients according to the seasons so that customers can enjoy the freshest and best flavours.

During the cooking process, the flavour of the ingredients is fully absorbed into the rice, and you can feel the richness of the flavour spreading in your mouth as you take a big bite. In addition to kettle rice, there are many other delicious table-side meals such as grilled chicken skewers and sashimi that you can enjoy here.

"Asakusa Unatetsu is famous for its "Unagi no Hitsumabushi" (three eel dishes), which is prepared by a professional chef who carefully applies the sauce to the eel and slowly grills it over charcoal to bring out the freshness of the eel's flavour.

In addition to the classic eel dish "Unagi Shige" (eel boxed rice), you can also try a variety of eel dishes that you can't find elsewhere, such as skewered eel with various parts of the eel grilled on a skewer, or "Unagi Ham No Smoked" (smoked eel with ham).