We will be celebrating a special anniversary (Jan 28) while on our first trip to Japan. We will be staying at Wesley Center; see
http://www.en.wesleycenterjp.com/ourlocation.html
Can anyone recommend a restaurant serving authentic Japanese food? (wife adores all varieties of Japanese food). Need not be anything flashy if the food experience is good. Budget a bit tight - say around Y4000 a head. Happy to travel further - say Shinjuku or Shibuya. It would be a Friday evening - do we need to make reservation?
Thanks in advance.

eschaton,

You are actually very close to Butagumi, a restaurant where a fellow Fodorite and I had dinner last night. Delicious food, warm and welcoming staff, and a menu available in English with some English spoken by the staff. Search for butagumi in http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...-and-light.cfm. Price is in your range.

Thanks rizzuto.
Exactly what I'm looking for. Do they take reservation in English? If so, how long in advance?

Gonpachi Restaurant in Nishi-Azabu is a killer place for dinner, in fact was an inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movie. We had a Tokyo GTG there in 2009 and the place is great.

http://www.sushi.gonpachi.jp/en/nish.../home/location

http://www.sushi.gonpachi.jp/files/i...1;！.pdf

rizzuto, this place is about a ten minute walk from the Hyatt you are staying at and worth the walk downhill. I think the intersection is called the Nishi-Azabu crossing.

Aloha!

That's a sensational looking place,ht.
We will end up doing both. Serious.

The two places are 120 seconds apart by foot.

I did not have reservations @butagumi, but we were there when they opened at 6. they didn't seem to have any waiting lines later on, on that evening. they're closed mon, btw, and i'm not sure about trying to reserve in english.

Eschaton....going along with your comment "on a tight budget"...please see cranky Rizzuto's thread for my suggestion of a funky, fascinating "hole in the wall" for the best <i> okonomyaki.</i> I've sent other Fodorites there in the past.
Enjoy your trip...and Happy Anniversary!(Everyone is special).
stu

Thanks, stu.
Indeed I have been reading rizzuto's thread - he posts like he's blogging. Enjoyable reading and informative.
For butagumi I'd just turn up at 6 pm as rizzuto did. Only 2 minutes away - how good is that. I'm fascinated that pork can generates such passion. Can hardly wait.
Gonpachi looks like high end fine dining. If that's Bill Clinton's favourite eatery in Tokyo, it might be out of my reach. Does anyone know how much I can expect to pay?

The <i>okonomyaki</i> place I recommended certainly would not fit into your plans for an anniversary celebration..but perhaps for lunch while in Tokyo. I can only tell you that the experience would be unique..very different...and your wife would love it.
stu

I think the bill for 3 couples that evening with more alcohol drinks that you will ever have came out to about $80 per couple(no tipping in Japan). lcuy or kuranosuke can correct me if I am wrong or having a junior(not senior) moment.

Aloha!

That's great to know, HT.
We are hopeless with alcohol (turn all red at the first sip) so just green tea for us.
I will tick this place as a 'must do'.
I'm so looking forward to
Butagumi
Gonpachi
okonomyaki lunch at Omotesando
I now have the pleasant job of deciding which evenings to dine at Butagami and Gonpachi - one for the anniversary and the other for the sheer pleasure of it.

We had an excellent meal and a wonderful time at Gonpachi on New Years eve for our anniversary - very cool space, but be aware there is a slight touristy/expat vibe. The shabu shabu we had at Seryna was probably a notch better foodwise, but very pricey.

It's by chance that i came across a topic about restaurant in Tokyo again. I joined some topic on this web and all is about restaurant. By the way, if you like mushroom and hotpot, Ashima (3-4-2 Shibaura Minato-ku, Tokyo) is a good choice. Good meal, good service and beautiful restaurant!