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TokyoEsakiGonpachi HigashiyaKappabashiKyubeyRobataShunjuSushi Kanesaka Yururi | FAVORITE RESTAURANTS Since then, Ikebukuro has grown into a huge shopping, dining and entertainment district, and was recently featured in the New York Times as one of the "up-and-coming" neighborhoods in Tokyo. I recently returned to Ikebukuro to visit my cousin's (her son's) cozy restaurant on Romance-dori, Yururi. If it were not for my family connections, I wouldn't have found this place, as it is located on the lower level of this very busy neon-lit street.
Likewise, most of Yururi's customers are regulars and people in the know: local businessmen, students and neighbors who enjoy the good food, elegant, yet relaxed atmosphere and great prices.The long-time staff — many of whom were employed at my aunt and uncle's other restaurants — are still there. My cousin Shinki and his wife Ryoko often buys their seafood at the Chiba wholesale market. This is where much of the fish that winds up in Tsukiji is caught. Traveling an hour to Chiba means lower prices as well as fresher seafood. During our fantastic lunch, we enjoyed some of the days' catch, including big-eye tuna and aji (horse mackeral.) Prices during lunch are especially low, almost to the point where I'm left wondering how my cousin manages to make a profit. The sushi specials are only 1,000 yen, and are HUGE. On previous visits I also tried the grilled melo, which was meltingly soft and mouth-wateringly succulent. You may ask, what's in the Ikebukuro area that would warrant a special trip? Well, did you know there's a Frank Lloyd Wright building in Tokyo? That's right, and it's only 10 minutes away from Yururi. Built in 1921 by Wright and his assistant Arata Endo, the Prairie-style compound of wood and stucco was originally a school for girls called Jiyugakuen (School of the Free Spirit). It sits on an expansive, tree-shaded lot in a residential neighborhood, with an incongruous backdrop of skyscrapers. It went through a period of disrepair, but was fully restored in the early 2000s by a group of devoted preservationists. The building is now run as a cultural center called Myonichikan. |
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