Noodles

Sapporoya
B1, 3-3-5 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku
Tel. 03-3275-0024 • 11:00–21:30 Monday to Friday; Saturday until 16:00; closed Sunday and holidays
restaurant • inexpensive
At lunchtime, this simple, basement shop often has a line of salarymen out the door. Avoid the peak lunch crowd if you can—go in the late afternoon or early evening. While the shop has hot bowls of ramen, it is the cold ramen noodles (hiyashi chuka goma dare) that the shop is known for: a large, shallow bowl of chilled noodles topped with julienned cucumbers, ham, tomatoes, a hard-boiled egg, bamboo shoots, pickled ginger, and shredded nori. What brings the dish together is the savory and slightly sweet sesame dressing. There is nothing better on a hot, steamy summer day. Don’t be afraid to pick up the wide bowl to slurp the broth.

Sembei

Some popular types of sembei:

• Agesembei Deep-fried rice crackers
• Arare Literally, “hailstones,” or tiny pellet-like rice crackers, that may also be in the shape of seasonal motifs such as autumn leaves or spring blossoms
• Ebi sembei Crackers that include small shrimp that have been flattened and baked
• Genkotsu Very crunchy, jaw-breaking rice crackers
• Goma sembei Rice crackers studded with sesame seeds
• Kakimochi Bite-size rice crackers
• Kakinotane Crescent-shaped, soy-sauce-flavored bite-size sembei
• Karinto Fried crackers with a sweet coating
• Natto maki Nori surrounding dried natto (fermented soybeans)
• Nekonbu arare Small rice crackers with chopped kombu (kelp)
• Norimaki arare Small rice crackers wrapped in nori
• Nure sembei Drenched in a sweet soy sauce, these crackers are very soft and squishy
• Renkon sembei Crackers, similar to potato chips, that are made from thinly sliced and deep-fried lotus root
• Shio sembei Salted rice crackers
• Shoga sembei Ginger-flavored crackers
• Togarashi sembei Rice crackers flavored with a layer of ichimi (dried red chili pepper)
• Usuyaki sembei Very thin rice crackers, popular in Kyoto
• Wasabi peas Although not a cracker, these dried peas with a wasabi flavored coating are considered wagashi
• Yasai sembei Crisp, thinly sliced vegetables, such as lotus root and sweet potatoes, that are laced in sugar and baked
• Yatsuhashi A popular wagashi of Kyoto made from rice flour, sugar, and cinnamon; it can be crisp or soft
• Zarame Rice crackers covered with sugar crystals

Kanda Awahei
2-13-1 Uchi Kanda, Chiyoda-ku
Tel. 03-3256-1038 • 9:00–20:00 Monday to Friday; 9:30–18:00 Saturday; closed Sunday and holidays
www.awahei.com (Japanese)
shop
Awahei is a fun place to shop for sembei because there are so many unique flavors to try including garlic (ninniku), squid ink (ikasumi), ginger (shoga), and Japanese prickly ash (sansho). Awahei is known for its ichimi tappuri, the bright red sembei coated with dried red chili pepper—your eyes start watering before you even put one near your mouth. If you go in the spring, check out the beautiful cherry blossom (sakura) sembei.

Shochu

The most common base ingredients used to make shochu include:

• Imo (sweet potato) Highly aromatic, imo-jochu is usually smooth and slightly sweet on the palate. There are many varieties of sweet potato, all contributing their own characteristics. Recommended brand: Sato
• Mugi (barley) Roasty, toasty, and often dry, mugi-jochu can be aged in barrels, making it fuller on the palate and reminiscent of whiskey (though lower in alcohol). Recommended brand: Naka Naka
• Kome (rice) Light, crisp, and food-friendly, kome-jochu is a good shochu to try first, as it is quite smooth on the palate. Recommended brand: Torikai
• Soba (buckwheat) Round on the palate, with strong buckwheat aromas. Recommended brand: Mayan no Tsubuyaki
• Kokuto (brown sugar) Only made on the islands between Kagoshima and Okinawa, this is also a good starter shochu. It’s sweet on the nose and finish, and even slightly sweet on the palate. Recommended brand: Kikaijima
• Awamori (Thai rice) Made with the addition of the black koji mold, awamori is full-bodied and pairs well with the rich and well-seasoned foods of Okinawa, where it is produced. Recommended brand: Harusame
• Kuri (chestnuts) Slightly sweet and aromatic, like marron glacé. Recommended brand: Kotanba
• Goma (sesame seeds) With a nutty aroma and a round mouthfeel. Try it mixed with milk on the rocks for a unique cocktail. Recommended brand: Beniotome
• Shiso (perilla leaves) With the unmistakable minty aroma associated with shiso leaves. Recommended brand: Tantakatan

Shochu Authority
Tokyo Station, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku
Yaesu Kitchen Street, 1st Floor
Tel. 03-5208-5157 • Daily 10:00–21:00
www.authority-online.jp/ (Japanese)
shop
Shochu Authority offers one of the best selections of shochu and awamori in the city, and the knowledgeable staff can help you find whatever you are looking for. It is conveniently located inside Tokyo station, outside of the ticket gate.