Tokyo Food Tour: Discovering Culinary Delights in Kichijoji Neighborhood
4.9
38 Ratings
Musashino

Our food tour of Tokyo

— the world’s biggest city, and perhaps its most delicious

— explores the exquisite culinary heritage of a single neighborhood, Kichijoji, sampling our way through old school yakitori joints, gleaming department stores, avant grade taverns, hopping street food stands and much more.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Kichijoji - Our food tour of Tokyo \- the world’s largest metropolis, and arguably its most flavorful \- delves into the rich culinary traditions of a distinct district, Kichijoji, tasting our way through classic yakitori spots, shiny department stores, cutting-edge pubs, vibrant street food stalls, and beyond.

  • Inokashira Onshi Park - Our gastronomic journey in a Tokyo neighborhood kicks off at a depachika to immerse ourselves in one of Tokyo’s magnificent department store food emporiums, where culinary offerings honor both age-old customs and the latest fads. Navigating through coveted pickled delicacies, regal-quality fruits, and the corridor of Japanese snack foods, we make our way to the sushi bar favored by the residents.

Strolling down Kichijoji’s lively shotengai shopping avenue, we’ll mingle with the residents as they carry out their everyday shopping, gaining insight into the fundamentals of Japanese cookery and sampling some of its staples, like yakitori skewers and street-side served octopus dumplings. We’ll encounter a family of three generations of senbei craftsmen working together in their compact store and workshop, and further along, we’ll explore an eatery that specializes in miso. We’ll try exotic dishes seldom found outside of Japan, such as sake flavored with fugu fin, the notorious blowfish, as well as impeccably made classics like tea and confections.

What's Included
  • Bottled water
  • Lunch
  • Snacks
  • Tea and coffee
What's Not Included
  • Private transportation
Location
Kichijōji Station
Please go to Kichijoji Station and meet at the JR Ticket Office - Ask for the "Midori no Madoguchi" if lost.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(38 Ratings)
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Userdebtex
May 2, 2024
Other great CB experience! - This was our second Culinary Backstreets tour (first was in Istanbul). Elly guided us through a neighborhood a typical tourist would not have on the radar. Each stop was a delicious bite of Japanese cuisine from sushi to puffer fish. We worked our way through small allies and neighborhood streets. One of your guests had a dietary restriction that Elly thoughtfully accommodated. We talked about Japanese and American culture and etiquette. The food portions are generous, not your typical bite. The note about not needing dinner reservations is spot on!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Traveler26608800261
Apr 20, 2024
Fantastic food tour in Kichijoji neighborhood of Tokyo - Had a fantastic food tour with Elly in the neighborhood of Kichijoji in Tokyo. She was warm, friendly and very knowledgeable about the neighborhood. She tailored the tour on the spot according to our tastes. We went to some very interesting spots and had wonderful food. She was terrific!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Betweenjobs
Apr 19, 2024
Fun neighborhood food tour - Backstreets tours gives you a chance to try many specialties of an area. We had street food, restaurant food, skewers, sushi and more. Ken, our guide did a wonderful job of explaining the food, culture and history of the area. This is our 4th Backstreets tour and all have been brilliant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kaitlynm77
Apr 18, 2024
Great tour - Excellent tour! Really enjoyed the variety of food options and Phoebe's great insight about Japan. Make sure to come hungry!
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Liz
Apr 18, 2024
Great tour with fabulous food - We visited several unique businesses as well as fascinating streets and alleyways. Phoebe’s knowledge was outstanding and you can see she has built up a strong rapport with the locals, making our tour all the more enjoyable.
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Stevetr8001lb
Apr 8, 2024
Lacking of superlatives, the bestest food tour! - Everything was just so utterly perfect it is hard to know where to start. Let's begin with Kichijoji, what a pleasure to escape the bigger districts of Tokyo and find yourself in an area just a little more remote but booming with life, food, thrift shops, parks, you name it. Phoebe was the most extraordinaire guide one could hope to navigate the neighbourhood, a lively, bubbly Brit, with the highest sense of hospitality, and so casually fluent in Japanese, unlocking all the doors you could never, you sort of feel confident and proud to wander around by her side. We loved that we started it off with sushi, just to get the most obvious Japanese item done and started digging in some more unknown stuff to ou European palates. We tried so many foods it is hard to remember everything and don't mean to spoil the fun but the tour was perfectly paced to allow for tasting, some postprandial explorations, and more tastings after that. Would 1,000% recommend it was by far one of our favourite days in Tokyo.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nibormahdeen
Apr 8, 2024
Outstanding Foodie Tour! - One of the best tours of our 30 days in Japan. Our guide, Ken, was very experienced and adapted really well to the small group. It allowed us to sample and understand a wide range of cuisine tailored to our comfort levels. Highly recommend to anyone traveling to Tokyo!!
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Passenger52819529876
Apr 4, 2024
Favorite Part of Our Trip! - We really enjoyed "Small Town in the Big City: Tasting Tokyo's Kichijoji". Ken (the tour guide) was so knowledgeable and informative. We definitely experienced some food and places we wouldn't have on our own! Mailing us the picture of our tour group was a really nice touch.
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Reginabrewer1963
Apr 4, 2024
Wonderful guides and fantastic food! - We loved our food tour with Phoebe and Elly! We did not know anything about Kichijoji and it was such a wonderful food town! Every meal, snack, and store visit was delightful and exceeded all expectations. The craziest thing we ate was blowfish! So beautifully prepared and Phoebe and Elly explained why it is such a special treat to the Japanese. The tour through the food department in the department store was unbelievable. The strawberries were the sweetest we've ever eaten. We ate many places including a small very local sushi restaurant and a very lovely elegant restaurant. All of he food was outstanding. Really, Phoebe and Elly made the tour so special. They were very funny and had so much knowledge about the food, restaurants and Japanese culture. We give this tour the highest rating possible. Everyone needs to take this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
M1185mrwilliamw
Apr 12, 2024
Great Experience - Just be ready for a full day of it! - Mairi was an incredible tour guide - I got to taste things (including fugu) that I never would have if I had tried to find it on my own! Unfortunately, the miso shop that’s normally on this tour was closed on the particular day I took the tour, so that was a bummer. Overall, though - a very good time and worth the investment if you have the time and energy (it takes 6-8 hours overall).
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up to 6 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
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