Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2013

Flutter on the horse’s meat in the Skytree’s shadow at newly opened Basashiya Masashi (6F HK Asakusa Bldg, 1-1-16 Asakusa, Taito-ku; Tel: 03-3842-5600). Tuck into delicacies like the white fatty tategami, or the grilled senba hire steak (¥1,980). Get intimate with equine motor functions by chomping down on spinal cord tempura (sekizui), then relax with the horse-less karashi renkon (deep-fried lotus root with mustard). The goten mori offers five types of basashi for ¥2,380. Clients are mostly 60-something chain-smoking men—who know a good bet when they see one.