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The local specialty in Nikko is a soybean-based concoction known as yuba (tofu skin); dozens of restaurants in Nikko serve it in a variety of dishes you might not have believed possible for so prosaic an ingredient. Other local favorites are soba (buckwheat) and udon (wheat-flour) noodles—both inexpensive, filling, and tasty options for lunch.
Three things about Kamakura make it a good place to dine. It's on the ocean (properly speaking, on Sagami Bay), which means that fresh seafood is everywhere; it's a major tourist stop; and it has long been a prestigious place to live among Japan's worldly and well-to-do (many successful writers, artists, and intellectuals call Kamakura home). On a day trip from Tokyo, you can feel confident picking a place for lunch almost at random.
Yokohama, as befits a city of more than 3 million people, lacks little in the way of food: from quick-fix lunch counters to elegant dining rooms, you'll find almost every imaginable cuisine. Your best bet is Chinatown—Japan's largest Chinese community—with more than 100 restaurants representing every regional style. If you fancy Italian, Indian, or even Scandinavian, this international port is still guaranteed to provide an eminently satisfying meal.
This seasonal beer hall serves a prix-fixe two-hour, all-you-can eat, all-you-can drink buffet meal that is a hodgepodge of sausages, pasta, Japanese dishes, and desserts. Of course, there are also a number of Japanese beers on tap. Beer Mountain is connected to Takaosan Station, the top station of the Takao Tozan Cable Line.
This stylish eatery serves Japanese-Italian fusion pasta that you enjoy while lounging on bedlike seats as a house DJ spins tunes. There's also a lengthy drinks menu (alcohol and soft drinks), if you want to settle in for a longer stay. It gets crowded here on the weekends, so come early to avoid a long wait.
Charcoal-broiled unagi (eel) is an acquired taste, but there's no better place in Nikko to acquire it than at this small, unpretentious place with only five plain-wood tables. Service can be lukewarm, but Sawamoto is reliable for a light lunch or very early dinner of unagi served on a bed of rice in an elegant lacquered box. Eel is considered a stamina builder: just right for the weary visitor on a hot summer day.
The interior of this cozy, inviting, casual restaurant feels like an Italian country home, one with candles on the tables and an open kitchen. On the menu are Neopolitan-style wood fired pizzas, pastas, fondue, and other dishes that include—you guessed it—cheese. The set-course menus are reasonable, filling, and recommended.
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