Journeys in photographs and words.

A little of each town’s story

Taito, Tokyo

Noodles from Asakusa Kaikaro

From: An Asakusa food diary that begins at an old coffee house

Eating at the counter beside stacked noodle boxes
Eating at the counter beside stacked noodle boxes

A noodle maker founded in 1950, in the Inaricho area of Taito Ward. It listens to what each shop owner wants and makes noodles just for them. The chewy, thick noodles in Fuku-chan's yakisoba come from here too; boxes marked Kaikaro were stacked beside the counter.

Sources: nippon.com

This moment in the journey

Asakusa Yakisoba Fuku-chan

And the specialty of the underground street is, of course, Asakusa Yakisoba Fuku-chan. Open since 1964, it has watched over the entrance to the arcade for more than fifty years. It's also the place where Hirayama, the hero of the film Perfect Days, has his evening drink after the bathhouse.

Motsu stew, a Tokyo shitamachi classic, and yakisoba topped with a fried egg. The wall is lined with menu cards and there are plenty of other good dishes, but I always end up ordering this combo. Red pickled ginger and a soft fried egg on an aluminum plate; the stew was full of daikon and sliced green onion. Delicious, as always.

Watch this scene on YouTube5:11

Read this scene in the full journey

Yakisoba frying on the griddle
Yakisoba frying on the griddle
The Asakusa Yakisoba sign
The Asakusa Yakisoba sign
Hands at work by the griddle
Hands at work by the griddle
The shop beneath the arcade entrance sign
The shop beneath the arcade entrance sign
Yakisoba with red ginger and a fried egg
Yakisoba with red ginger and a fried egg
Menu cards lined up along the wall
Menu cards lined up along the wall
Motsu stew with daikon and green onion
Motsu stew with daikon and green onion
Picking up motsu stew with chopsticks
Picking up motsu stew with chopsticks