7 Places to Eat: From Pork Cutlets to Sushi in Tokyo

For sheer urban energy, you can't beat Tokyo -- densely populated, affluent, juiced up with a thirst for whatever's new. Even if the cultural demand for corporate entertaining hadn't boosted the city's restaurant stock, one suspects that Tokyoers would find other reasons to dine out constantly. When everyone lives in such tiny apartments, what else can you do but live life intensely in public places?

In the West, there is one catch-all category for "Japanese food," but in Japan, there's a full gamut of cuisines, each satisfying a different hunger. Sushi, of course, is Japan's signature food, and Tokyo's high-end sushi bars serve sushi that's a quantum leap finer than what you'll get in other countries. One of the most esteemed is Fukuzushi (5-7-8 Roppongi; tel. 81/3/3402-4116; www.roppongifukuzushi.com), in bustling Roppongi, which was founded in Hokkaido in 1917 and moved here in 1968. Past its serene traditional courtyard, you'll enter a slick black-and-red interior that makes you feel like you're inside a bento box. Set menus change seasonally to make use of the freshest ingredients -- highlights include sea urchin in spring, abalone in summer, delicate hirame (brill) in autumn, and meltingly tender tuna belly (otoro) in winter. Hayashi (2-22-5 Kabuki-cho; tel. 81/3/3209-5672; also 2-14-1 Akasaka; tel. 81/3/3582-4078) strikes a more rustic mood, with an interior imported intact from the mountain region of Takayama. An oasis amid the skyscrapers of Shinjuku, this small, intimate restaurant provides a Zen-like version of the Benihana experience, as you cook your own set menu on your table's sumiyaki charcoal grill (kimono-clad women servers are there to help out). The cook-your-own technique is also part of the fun at cheery, efficient Shabusen (Core Bldg. 2F, 5-8-20 Ginza; tel. 81/3/3571-1717), in the heart of the Ginza shopping buzz, where diners sizzle their own paper-thin slices of meat and vegetables in a bubbling pot of seaweed-flavored broth; here you can sit either at a table or at a round counter.

A longtime favorite for tonkatsu (deep-fried breaded pork cutlet) is Maisen; while there are a couple of branches around town, the one in trendy Harajuku (4-8-5 Jingumae; tel. 81/3/3470-0071) is the most interesting, occupying a converted pre-World War II public bathhouse, with high ceilings and original architectural details. Maisen is especially known for its black pork, originally from China and prized for its sweet, intense flavor. For soba noodles -- the ultimate Japanese comfort food -- try Matsugen (Hagiwara Bldg., 1-3-1 Hiroo; tel. 81/3/3444-8666), a serenely spare restaurant amid a cluster of noodle shops in the Ebisu nightlife district. Sit at communal tables and watch the chefs roll out the buckwheat noodles by hand; eaten cold, either dipped in seasoned soy sauce or plain, the noodles? earthy, subtle flavors are a revelation.

The ultimate Japanese dining experience is a full kaiseki meal, a ritualized series of tiny, elaborately prepared dishes served with great ceremony as you sit on the floor in a tatami room. The intricate progression of flavors, textures, aromas, colors (even the serving vessels are prescribed by custom) raises dining to the level of art. Don't skimp on kaiseki; go to a classic place like expensive Takamura (3-4-27 Roppongi; tel. 81/3/3585-6600), in a gracious 60-year-old house secluded by gardens on a hillside at the edge of Roppongi. Similar to kaiseki but a little less formal (and less expensive), kappo meals allow an individual chef to get more creative with his precisely choreographed dishes; one of the city's most respected kappo chefs is Hiromitsu Nozaki at Waketokuyama (5-1-5 Minami-Azbu; tel. 81/3/5789-3838), near the Hiroo station in the Minato district. Try to nab one of the seats at the chef's counter for a close-up view of the intricate preparations -- it's some of the best theater in town.

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