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Jul 06 2020 16 Comments

Old school Tokyo take out yakitori

Grubby little bars are without a doubt the best places to enjoy yakitori, but similarly grubby little take out shops are definitely the best alternative.

an old and grubby Tokyo yakitori shop

Categorized: Food and Drink, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carter says

    7/6/2020 at 9:36 am

    Oh man there’s so much to like about this. Great photo!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/6/2020 at 3:37 pm

      Thank you! Yes there really is. Years of clutter and patching things up. Always a joy to see.

      Reply
      • john says

        7/8/2020 at 1:26 am

        but it does look like rather well organised clutter.

        Reply
        • Lee says

          7/8/2020 at 7:22 pm

          The best kind of clutter!

          Reply
  2. George says

    7/6/2020 at 11:08 am

    This is one of your best shots. Lots of atmosphere. Plus, love the phone number.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/6/2020 at 3:39 pm

      Thank you. Very good to hear. I’ve passed by this place loads of times in the day time, but the lights definitely added to it. A real treat.

      Reply
  3. YTSL says

    7/6/2020 at 11:17 am

    Take out yakitori seems like such a strange concept; in that yakitori is best eaten when hot and it surely will not be so by the time one takes it home? Still, I’d much rather get it from a stall like this than from supermarkets (where I’ve also seen it being sold). Also, would a stall like this get a lot of customers buying a skewer or two and just eating it while standing by the stall?

    And yes, cool pic! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/6/2020 at 3:44 pm

      It is. There’s no doubt about that.

      Personally I very rarely buy from places like this, but on this occasion we were a bit peckish before eating more yakitori in a bar, so bought a few sticks to keep us going. Other people do the same, although from what I’ve seen, most customers seem to buy to take home. I was in a place in Hokkaido once famous for its yakitori and at the end of the night the owner was making loads to ship all over Japan. An even stranger concept!

      Thank you! Very pleased with how it came out.

      Reply
  4. Stephan says

    7/6/2020 at 12:58 pm

    This is a very cool shot. Thereโ€™s just so much to enjoy and gotta love the display flowers! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/6/2020 at 3:45 pm

      Cheers! And yes, those flowers are great. A lovely little extra I didn’t even see at first, which made them even more special.

      Reply
  5. Ken says

    7/6/2020 at 5:30 pm

    Brilliant picture as always but as I haven’t visited Japan for the last twelve months it has made my withdrawal symptoms even worse.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/6/2020 at 8:59 pm

      Thank you. Sorry for the withdrawal symptoms, but just imagine how good the yakitori will taste when you do get back.

      Reply
  6. cdilla says

    7/6/2020 at 6:38 pm

    Wonderful photograph.
    What is it that makes it so warm and appealing looking? The yellow certainly, but it’s the patina of time that does it for me.
    It looks as if the guy has to set out the cooking and counter area every day from the look of those black pallettes they stand on.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/6/2020 at 9:01 pm

      Thanks a lot.

      Yes, couldn’t agree more. The grime, little bits of tape and so on. All so appealing. Good call. Hadn’t thought about that. Hope so, cos that means he gets those flowers out each and every day!

      Reply
  7. PaulS says

    7/6/2020 at 8:00 pm

    The can full of used skewers shows you cal also eat your order hot off the grill (as God intended).

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/6/2020 at 9:02 pm

      It does, and that’s definitely the way to eat it.

      Reply

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