Why #rwueats?

The only thing rwu might like as much as food? A good deal.

Eating with rwu isn't just about finding the best food in town (that's easy, and usually expensive) it's about finding the top rated locally recommended and affordable places to eat in town!

This doesn't mean every meal we had was cheap by any means, but it does mean that every great meal doesn't have to be expensive.

Why should you care?

Between rwus obsession with good deals on great food, and my obsession with spreadsheets, organization & technology we did two things;

• Curated the best of and must-do food (and some other) items in Japan
• Built a mobile friendly search & browsable web app for you to actually use & find them

This isn't just a blog post you scroll and forget, it's a web app you can save to your phone and utilize while you travel through Japan.

How do I use it?

• Browse the whole list, or filter the food by place, price and rating

• You can click to view more info including;

  • Store hours & locations / address
  • Whether you need a reso, can walk-in, or when to line up

• a quick note from us on our experience there

• Whenever possible we included a link to their website, instagram, or whatever page we used to find more information about them so you can too :)

👉simondamb.org/collections/japan

Japan Must DosOur top currated affordable and delicious recommendations you must see & do in Japan!the bifrost

Use now - pay later (optional)

Although we put this together for anyone to freely browse, use, and share - it did take a LOT of time to research and build and many bloggers will gate keep this type of thing behind a pay wall - but we're doing the opposite.

If you loved it and used it, we'd love you to let us know by making a small donation of $5-10 (or more if you're feeling generous). %100 of proceeds will go to feeding rwu more delicious food, which obviously we'll share with you!

MAKE A DONATION (paypal)

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First thing on arriving very jet lagged after being awake for 2 days of travel & time change we started on Rebecca's food list with @roastbeefohno (last pic) and I'm not sure if it was the fatigue but that was the best clear soup / broth I've ever had in my life.

The next morning we headed into the Tsukiji Fish Market where we checked off a number of food items as well, and I got a taste for what our daily calorie consumption was on pace for...

We'll make a full list of recommendations available later, for now just a few of my fave 📸 from the market.

I then got to experience my first time at @donki_jp_en which was a gloriously overwhelming experience (not pictured, yet).

After that we got our steps in (30k/day minimim) as we headed to @age.3_ginza for what can only be described as gloriously creamy half sandwich things, which we managed to (barely) beat the massive lineup up around the block for.

Thanks to our weird (and non stop) eating schedule this was a trend for the majority of the trip...

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We made our way over to the mayhem that is Shibuya. I'd been here before many moons ago for a bachelor party - it was nice to experience a different vibe (and be sober enough to remember 😅).

A quick snack at the locally top rated hole in the wall for Ramen (full food list will be done seperatelt) fueling us for a big day of eating in the rain the next day.

The day started with @r_wu getting in line 45min before opening for Mukai, which had a bigger area to line up than the resteraunt itself. Worth it. 🤤

We hitup @i.m.donut which was easily worth the wait in the rain, then it's sister bakery up the street to pack some protein on top of all that sugar.

We then took a train across town for a coffee shop so that Rebecca could hold @pongthetort in her hand with some impressive artwork from @hat_coffee

Then one of many stops at Pokémon stores, obvs.

One of the craziest things about Tokyo is everywhere feels like a city center. You pop out of a train station into what seems like a popular area... Then you look in any direction and realize every area is a popular area. Insanity and I loved it.

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Day 3 of #thorwudoesjapan and the first of many animal cafes.

The first and probably best animal Cafe of the trip, not just because these giant rodents are hilarious but because it's the only one that actually gave us a little lesson and talk about them.

Whats your favorite random capybara fact? The one I didnt realize is that they're the world's largest rodent... And they really are just 100lb rats 😅 but adorable, friendly attention seeking rats...

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#thorwudoesjapan the final day in Tokyo (before spending 2 days at #disneyland).

Did you know Michelin star shaved ice was a thing? Because I didn't. But that's why @r_wu was in charge of the food 🤤. She managed to nab us an elusive booking in the 6 seats available for one of those life changing experiences with food. After eating one each (and French toast) someone beside us ordered the torched banana one... We tried to order a 3rd but they said we were our of time 😅

We then continued around #shinjuku where we waited in line at a tiny hole in the wall coffee shop for another top rated life changing basque cheesecake 🤯

After a couple hours shopping at my new favorite store #GU we then finished the days eating with cook it yourself beef tonkastu that no words can describe.

After a very long day of eating and shopping it was time to pack our bags and head to the Disney hotel to prepare for 2 big days at the happiest (and top rated in the world) place on earth.

We'll be putting together a full pdf with food names, locations, and recommendations once we get over this jet lag - stay tuned.

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Day 4 of #thorwudoesjapan and the first of 3 spent at theme parks (we're biiiiig disney/theme park fans) and the only park day not in the rain ☔

First thing I saw was Roger rabbits cartoon spin - and thanks to my #adhd brain I couldn't tell you what I had for breakfast, but I told @r_wu every part of that ride because I remembered it exactly from when I was ~8 years old.

This is when I really realized how much I love my @insta360 - many people will say 'put your phone away and enjoy the moment' and as I watched everyone else experience the magic while looking at their screen, all I had to do was click a button and hold it overhead to get some of my favorite shots & memories of the trip.

Seeing all your favorite classic characters in Japanese was also 🔥 😂 good thing we know every word and didn't need a translator (though they were provided for some rides too).

We were also there during #donaldducks birthday week and holy 💩 do the Japanese love him! He had a birthday parade every 2 hours that was probably everything the orange man down south could have dreamed of - couldn't hear any squeaky wheels because the crowd was going wild the whole time #iykyk 🙄

Disneyland Tokyo and Disney sea are the top rated Disney's in the world, and the only ones not owned by Disney. More evidence that bigger isn't better and a local company (even a big one) will always deliver a better more targeted experience than any generic big one #raincitysupportlocal

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I gotta pick up the pace or I'm never going to make it through my #thorwudoesjapan photos...

After a big day at Disney if was an equally big, but much wetter day, at Disney sea. Big Disney fans but @r_wu was especially calculated on this trip... After spending one night in a Disney hotel for 6 hours just to get early access, a sprint into the park while simultaneously booking rides and we hit all the big rides in the first hour before they became a 3hr lineup each 👏

The Peter pan ride was genuinely 🤯 as a theatre design graduate/nerd I could barely comprehend how they made it such an experience! And of course listening to kids belt out frozen in Japanese is 🔥 too.

After Disney sea it was a long journey by bullet train and public bus to the only time we actually relaxed (for 24hours) in hakone - where we had a private onsen bath in our suite that overlooked mount fuji. So that was pretty cool (mostly that I found a bath I fit in).

Then it was back on the bullet train to #kyoto where we got a lot more exercise than planned looking at red arches. Very happy we had our @vivobarefootcanada on as always!

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#thorwudoesjapan the next couple days in Kyoto was spent hitting up the main touristy spots, some more Michelin star eating my taste buds weren't worthy of, and failing the tism-test by getting far more excited about old trains than any neurotypical will understand.

First thing we noticed in Kyoto was how many more tourists there were. Not sure if there's just less people overall, so it seemed like more - or it's a more popular tourist spot - but it changed the vibe more than we expected.

🚉 With a much less modern rail system I got a little overly excited at all the classic trains we were taking around town 😅 to see the usual sights like the #bambooforest. We also found our next house if someone can put us in touch with the owners of the house on the hill? I took 50+ photos of it before I realized there were people on the patio 😅

@r_wu spent hours lining up for food while I wandered around taking pictures 📸

At the last spot the menu was emojis only, but the 🦆 🍜 was delicious. They'd allow 5 people to lineup in the creepy hallway then the other 50+ were around the corner on the street 🤯.

Full food list and recommendations coming soon once I finish editing my photos (which is what these posts are to help make sure I do) and we'll add locations and #eatingwithrwu official recommendations.

Next stop was one of my favorites on the trip where I got to live our my Disney princess fantasies 🦌

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#thorwudoesjapan @r_wu "we're going to a place where deer bow to you and you give them cookies"🤔🦌

A lot of the trip was me just getting us places that I'd mapped out based on a spreadsheet of rebeccas todos (mostly food)... This one I was very confused by, and had no idea what to expect but honestly ended up being one of the highlights of the trip getting to live out some of my Disney princess dreams - still upset Disneyland didn't sell dresses in my size #lawsuit

Though she was right they bowed - but then they got pretty forceful about expecting a cookie, or their 20 friends showed up also expecting cookies. Apparently these are the Canada geese of Japan. Protected species that have gotten a little agressive and entitled 😅

I'd still rather face off with 20 of these guys than a single goose though...

Oh and we got to see some old guys beat up some green stuff too #mochi

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#thorwudoesjapan aka the animal & food tour continues with our final few stops in Kyoto before heading to Osaka for the last leg of the trip.

Another favorite video from the @insta360 capturing @r_wu disappointment when the cutest pig of the bunch didn't want to hangout with her 😅 they're cute (but not cute enough to make me give up 🥓) until you try to move them, and then it sounds like the world is ending with their howls 😂

We spent a day down in Uji the matcha capital of the world. Apparently there's a matcha shortage? I'm ok with that now because we consumed enough delicious matcha / hojicha foods for at least a couple years...

We also took part in an official tea ceremony, where I'm sure my Japanese was flawless👌🙄

Then we trained back to Kyoto and had to sprint for a dinner reso for not only the best meal of the trip, but one of the best of my life 🤤. A set meal of 3 patties and although I couldn't have eaten more, you didn't want it to end. It was 🤯 @hikiniku.to.come

As I finish up going through the photos, Rebecca is putting together the official food recommendation pdf which we'll make available for $10 because she put in months of research. We didn't eat a single meal on this trip that wasn't a specifically planned place 😬

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Been home a month but finally made it through the photos from the final leg of #thorwudoesjapan where we finished up with a few days in Osaka before one night back in Tokyo and then the journey home.

We weren't originally going to go to Universal studios, but even in the rain I'm sure glad we did. The thousands of hours I've spent in princess peaches castle I should have known it would have been magical to see it all IRL 🤩

We made a couple trips to #dotonbori because the food and entertainment goes on for miles in every direction.

Of course we had to hitup the final animal Cafe and see some #hedgehogs 🦔 #alltheanimalemojis

We hitup the usual touristy spots throughout #osaka and of course also had some Michelin star pizza because that's a thing (full food list coming soon) 🍕

And then the bullet train back to #tokyo for a night and my final trip to 711 which is honestly probably one of the places I miss most being home 😭

Full food list and photo album with travel details and recommendations coming soon. If you don't like being on your feet for 12 hours / day I would not recommend our itinerary, but if you want to see as much of Japan as possible in 2 weeks, with a major focus on animals, theme parks, and food - then I'd 100% recommend the way we did it 🔥 could have done with one extra night relaxing in hakone in the middle, but otherwise a nearly flawless trip 😊

We weren't originally going to go to Universal studios, but even in the rain I'm sure glad we did. The thousands of hours I've spent in princess peaches castle I should have known it would have been magical to see it all IRL 🤩

We made a couple trips to #dotonbori because the food and entertainment goes on for miles in every direction.

Of course we had to hitup the final animal Cafe and see some #hedgehogs 🦔 #alltheanimalemojis

We hitup the usual touristy spots throughout #osaka and of course also had some Michelin star pizza because that's a thing (full food list coming soon) 🍕

And then the bullet train back to #tokyo for a night and my final trip to 711 which is honestly probably one of the places I miss most being home 😭

Full food list and photo album with travel details and recommendations coming soon. If you don't like being on your feet for 12 hours / day I would not recommend our itinerary, but if you want to see as much of Japan as possible in 2 weeks, with a major focus on animals, theme parks, and food - then I'd 100% recommend the way we did it 🔥 could have done with one extra night relaxing in hakone in the middle, but otherwise a nearly flawless trip 😊

📸 #thortakespics #sonyalpha @insta360

#Nintendoland #universalstudiosjapan #takashitastreet #osaka #photographyjapan #photography #japanfood #japantravel #japanfoodie

First thing we noticed in Kyoto was how many more tourists there were. Not sure if there's just less people overall, so it seemed like more - or it's a more popular tourist spot - but it changed the vibe more than we expected.

🚉 With a much less modern rail system I got a little overly excited at all the classic trains we were taking around town 😅 to see the usual sights like the #bambooforest. We also found our next house if someone can put us in touch with the owners of the house on the hill? I took 50+ photos of it before I realized there were people on the patio 😅

@r_wu spent hours lining up for food while I wandered around taking pictures 📸

At the last spot the menu was emojis only, but the 🦆 🍜 was delicious. They'd allow 5 people to lineup in the creepy hallway then the other 50+ were around the corner on the street 🤯.

Full food list and recommendations coming soon once I finish editing my photos (which is what these posts are to help make sure I do) and we'll add locations and #eatingwithrwu official recommendations.

Next stop was one of my favorites on the trip where I got to live our my Disney princess fantasies 🦌

📸 #thortakespics

#photography #sonyalpha #japan #traveljapan #japanphoto #photographyjapan #bamboo #japanfood #food #japan

First thing I saw was Roger rabbits cartoon spin - and thanks to my #adhd brain I couldn't tell you what I had for breakfast, but I told @r_wu every part of that ride because I remembered it exactly from when I was ~8 years old.

This is when I really realized how much I love my @insta360 - many people will say 'put your phone away and enjoy the moment' and as I watched everyone else experience the magic while looking at their screen, all I had to do was click a button and hold it overhead to get some of my favorite shots & memories of the trip.

Seeing all your favorite classic characters in Japanese was also 🔥 😂 good thing we know every word and didn't need a translator (though they were provided for some rides too).

We were also there during #donaldducks birthday week and holy 💩 do the Japanese love him! He had a birthday parade every 2 hours that was probably everything the orange man down south could have dreamed of - couldn't hear any squeaky wheels because the crowd was going wild the whole time #iykyk 🙄

Disneyland Tokyo and Disney sea are the top rated Disney's in the world, and the only ones not owned by Disney. More evidence that bigger isn't better and a local company (even a big one) will always deliver a better more targeted experience than any generic big one #raincitysupportlocal

📸 #thortakespics
📹 @insta360
📍 Disneyland tokyo

Notes: Go early. Extremely busy later in the day. Many food stalls and street snacks.

Notes: Amazeballs experience. Nintendo World is a standout highlight and worth prioritizing.

Notes: Best Disney park. Unique theming, incredible design, and standout food and rides.

Japan; Notes: Iconic torii gate hike. Get there early as it gets busy after 9am. Bug spray recommended.

Notes: Capybara cafe with three capybaras. Reservation required. Calm, relaxed animal experience.

Notes: Popular cat cafe chain. Clean, well-run, and tourist friendly.

Notes: Major food and nightlife district. Neon lights, street food, and high energy atmosphere.

Notes: Second best Disney park overall. Classic Disney experience, very polished, but outshined by DisneySea.

Notes: Micro pig cafe experience. Cute, tourist-friendly animal cafe option.

Notes: Narrow riverside alley with restaurants and nightlife. Best experienced at night.

Notes: Food market street. Best around late morning before peak crowds.

Notes: 11/10 experience. About 30 minutes from Osaka or 45 minutes from Kyoto by train. Beware of aggressive deer. Highlights include bowing deer and mochi pounding.

Notes: Famous street for kitchenware and restaurant supply shops. Fun browsing even if not buying.

Notes: Electronics and otaku district. Simon dropped off Rwu at Mocha Cat Cafe while exploring electronic stores.

Notes: Scenic bamboo path. About a 45-minute walk through the area. Arrive very early to avoid crowds.

Notes: Hedgehog cafe. Very spiky experience. Interesting but brief visit.

Notes: Award-winning flat udon. Lines form early and noodles can sell out, so get a number earlier in the day.

Notes: Known for puff pastry and French-style baked goods. Good dessert stop.

Notes: Best meal of the trip. Charcoal-grilled hamburger steaks cooked in stages. Reservations open about 7 days in advance around 9am. Expect long lines without booking.

Notes: Takoyaki made with whole octopus inside. Tasty, but many other stalls nearby worth trying.

Notes: Deep-fried stuffed sandwiches. Crème brûlée filling is the standout. Expect a line.

Notes: Known for custom 3D latte art. They made Pong come to life in foam. Fun novelty coffee stop.

Notes: Japanese-inspired pizza with fermented dough. Umami pizza tasted distinctly “Japan”. Reservations open far in advance.

Notes: Wagyu roast beef volcano bowl. Simon wanted to go back just for the broth.

Notes: Rated 11/10. Long lines but absolutely worth the hype.

Notes: Tempura rice bowls. Long lines. Only hostess spoke English. Some order confusion, but food quality was good.

Notes: Popular bakery with long lines. Waited in line. Known for visually striking breads and pastries.

Notes: Tamagoyaki on a stick. Popular morning stop, expect a line. Simple and satisfying.

Notes: Famous mochi shop where you can watch live mochi pounding. Fun, energetic stop and worth timing right.

Notes: Conveyor belt sushi. Casual, reliable, and good value. Easy walk-in option while exploring Dotonbori.

Notes: Traditional Japanese sweets shop known for warabi mochi. Big midday lines, quieter near closing.

Notes: Gyoza by a Michelin-starred French chef. Papa gyoza and celery gyoza were highlights.

Notes: Best sashimi of the trip. Cash only. Arrive before opening or just after lunch rush.

Japan; Notes: Known for crème brûlée cheesecake and crème brûlée espresso. Very sweet, expect a line.

Notes: Very popular beef rice bowl stand at Tsukiji Market. Early arrival recommended.

Notes: Duck ramen specialty shop with emoji-only menu. Expect a line, worth the wait.

Notes: Hojicha-focused brand. Distinct roasted tea flavor compared to matcha-heavy spots nearby.

Notes: Local-approved ramen spot chosen based on where we were staying. Solid non-touristy choice.

Notes: Specialty tea shop. Known for Uji matcha soft serve. Good pairing with other Uji tea stops.

Notes: Shaved ice specialty shop. Reservations open 7 days in advance at 9pm JST. Very good, should have ordered three shaved ice portions.

Notes: Famous fluffy cheesecake. Not very sweet. Popular souvenir-style dessert.

Notes: Oldest teahouse in Japan. Matcha latte available; restaurant side was closed when visited.

Notes: Deep-fried beef cutlet served with a personal hot stone grill. Melt-in-your-mouth beef that is surprisingly not greasy or heavy.

Notes: Famous for matcha desserts, especially the matcha tiramisu. Reliable, high-quality stop for matcha sweets across major cities.