Kurumaya Bekkan

Surpassing its 55th anniversary, Kurumaya Bekkan still feels like the emblem of Japanese dining, with a multi-faceted space that sheathes all the quintessential cuisine. The first floor is dedicated to teppanyaki, with a room secured by a hexagonal grill counter with 22 seats. It is where irresistible spiny lobsters, abalone and cuts of wagyu sirloin headline the menu, flipped and seared by master chefs right in front of guests. The garlic rice? Expect this teppanyaki sidekick to be prepared right on the spot. The handsome upper levels overlooking Shinjuku’s buzzy pedestrian streets get treated with a more traditional makeover: semi-private rooms partitioned with plaster walls and tiled floors make it feel like time stopped a few decades earlier. The area puts a pulse on traditional Japanese cuisine. In winter, the restaurant showcases fugu—one of Japan's most revered yet dangerous delicacies—prepared as shabu-shabu or sukiyaki. Autumn brings the prized matsutake mushroom to the forefront of appetizers and sukiyaki dishes. Even a traditional, coming-of-age meal can be prepared for children. Plenty of seating also means it’s family- and group-friendly. Kurumaya Bekkan isn’t swimming against the current. It doesn’t need to. It’s here in Tokyo to put proper respect to the rich tapestry of Japanese food culture. Here’s to another half-century.