日本堤 Nihonzutsumi, Taitō Ward A secret gem nestled between Asakusa and Minami Senju. Home of Japanese manga boxer, あしたのジョー Ashita no Joe (Tomorrow's Joe). He was born in the nearby 山谷 Sanya neighborhood.

The left & right photos of Joe in 2016 (left) & 2020 (right). Alas, he is losing some of his luster.

My nephew, Kenny, with Joe in 2018 (center)

Ashita no Joe was to be the face of Olympic Boxing 2020 to be held in the Ryōgoku Kokugikan, home of Grand Sumo. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed to 2021.

---

A short city block south of Joe on the Dote-dori is: 天麩羅土手の伊勢屋 Tempura Dote no Iseya 東京都台東区日本堤1-9-2 Nihonzutsumi, Taitō Ward

The restaurant building is a registered tangible cultural property of Tokyo. (東京都の登録有形文化財)

The fourth generation chef is Wakabayashi Kikuo (四代目店主若林喜久雄). On my banzuke (ranking) of Tokyo tempura chefs (天麩羅番付), Wakabayashi-san is a dai-yokozuna (東大横綱). The restaurant is only open for lunch and is closed on Wednesdays and occasional other days. Check their schedule here.

Next door to Dote no Ise-ya is Sakura Niku Nabe Nakae (桜肉鍋 中江), a horse meat hot pot restaurant. Cherry blossom (sakura) meat is a Japanese culinary euphemism for horse meat. Their sign in the left hand photo is a cherry blossom ❀ (sakura) with the kanji 肉 (niku) [meat] in the center followed by nabe [hot pot] なべ (in hiragana). Although I love basashi (馬刺し) [horse meat sashimi], I have never visited the restaurant as I always go to Iseya.

Nakae Sakura Niku Nabe restaurant building is also a registered tangible cultural property.

---

My mother introduced me to Dote no Iseya on a visit to Tokyo in 1983. We had tendon and sake. For many years, I ordered one of the tendon offerings. However, recently I skip the rice and fill up on tempura. My new favorite order is tempura moriawase 天麩羅盛り合わせ (an assortment of tempura).

Anago spine bones (sake snack)

Kaki tempura appetizer.

天麩羅盛り合わせ Tempura moriawase (main course) in the tatami area at the back of the shop. There are three small tables in the raised area. My favorite dining spot. A time trip to the Showa Era.

Right photo at tatami table.

Anago 穴子 tempura on right.

掻き揚げ Kaki age (the finale of the moriawase course). (Photo on left in the tatami area).

---

Two hundrd feet south on Dote Dori (in the Senzoku neighborhood):

Ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Hiroshige (1853) Famous Places of Edo: Shin Yoshiwara Nihonzutsumi Mikaeri Yanagi [The Looking Back Willow] (MFA Boston) 歌川広重「江戸名所」 新吉原日本堤見返柳 Stone marker for the Looking Back Willow.

For me, I look back wistfully from the willow tree at Dote no Iseya and wonder when I can next experience heavenly tempura.

home