Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2014

While most industrialized countries have been taken over by mega stores, limited real estate and adventurous consumers are moving Japan in the opposite direction. Senmonten—shops and restaurants based around a single concept—are happy to do one thing and do it well. We take a look at a few.

Not so long ago it was difficult to find anything other than run of the mill table salt in Japan, but now home chefs have a whole arsenal at their disposal. At the forefront is Masuya (1-7-3 Azabu-Juban, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-6447-4150), which stocks a dizzying selection of the culinary mineral, from Okinawan sun-dried sea salt to smoked varieties from Cyprus. Information cards show at a glance the country of origin, whether it comes from rock, sea or lake and the coarseness of each product. They even have a “salt sommelier.” There is a tasting bar if you want to try before you buy. Of course, the shop also offers shakers and mills, but it also has salt-based “sweets,” soft-serve ice cream and inedible varieties for the bath.

Potato salad is great as a solo player in a light lunch or a  supporting actor in a larger production, but it is hard to think of it as a full meal. Potato Cream (1-25-2  Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku. www.facebook.com/PotatoCream) wants you to change your mind with their eponymous dish served in a cup with the promise of a “new taste experience.” Any place making that claim in Tokyo seems to attract long queues, but the pork and soy milk potato salad (¥550) is worth the wait.

Although French onion soup can make for a tasty appetizer, we never thought we would see a restaurant specializing in it. Awatama Stand (5-17-5 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. www.awatama.to) on Harajuku’s Cat Street does just that. They start theirs with domestically grown onions that are cooked for four hours to create the soup base. Order a bowl—complete with toasted bread and cheese (¥350)—and draw a lot for a chance to win a freeze-dried pack to make a soup or pasta sauce or to use as seasoning. Officially open until 7pm, they close their doors when daily supplies run out so be sure to go early.

Even the most prosaic of dishes can now have their own specialty shop, something proved by Cha-han O (2-16-1 Shimbashi, Chuo-ku. www.cya-ou.jp) which does fried rice. But they take it seriously and each batch of cha-han is three days in the making, starting with the stock made from ten kinds of vegetables. Minced Kyushu beef and soy sauce add the final touches.

If asked, most Japanese would probably guess that the conical pastries filled with whipped cream and named cornet (or corone) are just as European as croissants. In fact they were developed in Kobe, an example of the Japanese ingenuity of importing a concept and building on it. Although the seashell-shaped sweets are available at most bakeries, Corone Factory (Omiya station. http://coronefactory.com) is dedicated to them and takes the concept a step further with sweet varieties as well as savory ones including curry and ratatouille, all for the uniform price of ¥200. Currently the only branch is in Omiya station in Saitama, but they occasionally open pop-ups around Tokyo, so keep your eyes peeled and mouth open.