Hyperlocal Tokyo

I remember waiting in line for about two hours on a summer weekend when I visited Hanayama Udon in Ginza, but when I arrived at this location on a weekday at 11:30, I was seated in about 30 minutes. Even so, the surrounding restaurants had no lines, which speaks to the popularity of this place. Ordering can be done via QR code or verbally, which is convenient. They also have a Haneda Airport-exclusive menu, which was a nice touch. Thank you for the meal.

I heard about Airport Garden on the media and arrived around 10:30 am. I was surprised to see a line already forming in front of the store. I considered other options, like all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu, but ultimately decided on Hanayama Udon. When I got there, there was a line of about 10 groups! It seems like the line always forms around the escalator. At 11 am, when the store opened, they called people in one group at a time and led them to their seats. The atmosphere was very Japanese, something that foreigners might enjoy. Everything was unified in a traditional Japanese style. Even the teacups were unique, as you can see. After ordering and waiting for a while, the noodles arrived! They were thicker than kishimen noodles. I haven't seen noodles this wide before! They were truly substantial. Each noodle was carefully arranged on the plate. You can't see it in the picture, but the characters on the small soy sauce dish were aligned so that they were visible from the front. It really showed how meticulous the chef was. The taste was, needless to say, excellent. I understood why this place is so popular. I'm always looking for something new and exciting in food, and this place definitely delivered. This is definitely a place I want to visit again! If you want to get in at 11 am, I recommend arriving around 10:30 am on Sundays. Be prepared to wait in line, as this place is always busy.

I happened to go the day after it was featured on TV, so there was an incredibly long line. I think I waited for about an hour. Even on the day I went, there were TV crews filming at the restaurant. The noodles looked like houto (a thick wheat flour noodle dish), but they were actually udon. They were delicious, but I'm not sure if I'd go back for another meal. I was a little disappointed because the menu listed a popular "baked manjū" and I ordered it. I thought it would be something like a baked pastry, but it was more like a white bread dough with a sweet sauce on top. Hmm, is this really baked manjū? I wondered. The udon was pretty good, and I think it would be great for people who like this kind of flat noodle.

Hanayama Udon, a popular udon restaurant in Ginza, Japan, known for its long queues. The Airport Garden branch at Haneda Airport has relatively shorter lines. On this day, I was able to enter around 1:00 PM with almost no wait! Their signature wide noodles, called "Onihimokawa", are delicious when served cold. They have a smooth texture that's easy to eat, but also substantial and satisfying. It's no wonder this place is so popular. The a la carte dishes are also delicious, so I highly recommend trying them. My family's favorite was the "Tane-ki de Pon" (a dish with a fried egg and a sauce). It was even better with a drizzle of honey. Thank you for the delicious meal!

I stumbled upon Onihimokawa Udon the other day and was blown away by its quality, comparable to Sanuki udon. I was hooked and finally made it to the actual store. It was around 6 PM on a weekday, and there was a line of about 20 people. The store is next to the International Terminal, so about 80% of the customers were tourists. I ordered the Onikama set for ¥1250. It was exactly as I expected, with smooth, chewy noodles. Since Onihimokawa Udon is originally a dry noodle, I bought a bunch to enjoy at home.