The following are some description and additional comments according to my very personal preference. Most of the restaurants are for students and office workers, and hence they have neither sample display nor English menu. So the best way for foreigners is to go with Japanese participants.

Restaurant Map

• Restaurant Map (PDF format)
• Restaurant Map (PPT format)

1. Inside the University of Tokyo Hongo campus

(1) Chuo Refectory (Underground)

They offer lunch sets by 400~600 yen. All the sets are displayed in the sample show case. We buy a ticket by a vending machine, and go to the service counter.There are five counters, No. 1, No. 2, … Each set is served in its unique counter. So you should remember the counter number when you choose the set. The counter number is shown by the sample.

(2) Second Refectory (at the side of “TOUDAI KOUNAI” bus station)

Similar to Chuo Refectory. But many foreign students prefer Second Refectory more than Chuo Refectory because Second Refectory is a cafeteria style restaurant but Chuo Refectory mainly serves set-menus and because ticket bending machines at Chuo Refectory are difficult to use for people who cannot read Japanese characters.

(3) Refectory Ginnan-Metro (Basement)

Similar to Chuo Refectory.

(4) Matsumotoro (Japanized Western)

This is one of the best restaurants in the campus. Actually this is a branch of a famous restaurant in Hibiya Park near Tokyo JR Station. They offer various lunch sets around 1,000 yen.My recommendation is “Omu Rice” with brown source or white source. Omu Rice is rice with chicken marinated with a kind of ketchup overlapped with baked thin egg.

They also offer a lunch set of the day. After-lunch coffee is served by additional 100 yen.

English menu is available.

(5) Sanjo Conference Hall (Basement)

The restaurant on the basement floor offer several lunch sets of the day at cost 700~850 yen.

(6) Gakushi Club (Western)

Western restaurant. They offer lunch sets of the day by 700 yen and 1,000 yen.

(7)Refectory at Agriculture Building

All the dishes are displayed in a show case. Dishes are offered a la cart. We carry a large plate and choose dishes by ourselves.

(8) Doutor Coffee (Coffee and sandwiches)

Doutor Coffee is located at Building No. 1, Faculty of Science. Doutor is a coffee shop similar to Starbucks, but their sandwiches are better than those of Starbucks. My favorite place for a coffee break.

(9) Starbucks (Coffee and sweets)

Starbucks is located at Building No. 11, Faculty of Engineering. This is typical Starbucks shop, and nothing more or less.

(10) Subway (Sandwich and wraps)

Subway is located at a pilotis of Building No. 2, Faculty of Engineering. Inexpensive food place.

(11) Capo PELLICANO (Italian)

Capo PELLICANO is a branch of famous Italian restaurant located at Azabu. Capo PELLICANO is located at 13F, Experimental Research building, Faculty of Medicine. Good place for a dinner.

(12) KOJINKAI restaurant (Main restaurant of the University hospital)

KOJINKAI is located at 1F of Inpatients Ward A of the University hospital. KOJINKAI is a little more expensive than Chuo or Second Refectory but you can get much better foods (Japanese, Chinese and Japanized Western). KOJINKAI is always full with MDs and clients, but their service is quick, and you can find a seat soon. My favorite place for lunch.

(13) UENO Seiyouken

UENO Seiyouken is located 15F of Inpatients Ward A of the University hospital. This is a branch of the famous and traditional restaurant at UENO park. UENO Seiyouken serves Japanized western foods such as Curry rice, deep fried pork. This is a little more expensive than KOJINKAI, but UENO Seiyouken has a very good outside view.

2. Outside of the University campus

(14) Monte Verde (2nd floor)

This restaurant offers dishes of mother’s taste. At lunch time, they offer a lunch set of the day and a pasta of the day, both with a cup of after-lunch coffee by 880 yen. The volume is relatively large.

(15) Reault (Ceylon curry)

This is a cafe, and they offer a Ceylon curry with steamed rice by 950 yen; this is the only lunch they offer and there is no other choice. A small cup of after-lunch coffee is also served. Background music of this cafe is usually Mozart’s chamber music, or similar.

(16) Morikawa Shokudo (lunch and dinner)

This is an old restaurant; it was already open where I was a university student. They offer various lunch sets around 800~1,000 yen. At lunch time, a lunch set of the day is served by 700 yen. This restaurant is usually crowded even at 1:30 pm. Chairs are rather small. So if you are big, you may not be comfortable.

(17) Kodawari-ya (lunch sets)

This is a pub at night mainly serving wine and chicken. At lunch time they offer several lunch sets with the cost around 680~780 yen.

(18) Mansada (Indian Curry and HAYASHI-rice)

This restaurant serves Curry rice and HAYASHI-rice(curry – hot pepper?). Inside of the Mansada is old-fashioned and impressive. Favorite of old-timers.

(19) Darjeeling (Indian Curry)

They offer two sets, Curry Set (750 yen) and Tandoori Set (850 yen). Tandoori Set is recommended. You can choose one of three types of curry (chicken, vegetable, or curry of the day), safuran rice or nan bread. At lunch time, they offer a cup of drink. Nan bread is big. The cooks seem native Indians.

(20) Bambi (hamburger steak sets)

This is an old restaurant; it was already open when I was a university student. They offer various lunch sets with the cost of 600~1,000 yen. All the sets are displayed by photos. For all kinds of sets, meat and steamed rice are served on a single plate, and hence source for meat sometimes invades rice. Some people like it, but others dislike it.

(21) Haten (Japanese style Chinese noodle)

They offer Japanese style Chinese noodle (vermicelli) in hot soup (where “hot” means very warm, but not spicy). Vermicelli originally came from China, but this restaurant offers it in a Japanese style. We take it with a pair of chopsticks and a spoon.When you enter the restaurant, you first buy a ticket with a vending machine. Put money in the slot, and select the button. The Noodle in Soi-Source Soup button is at the left upper corner (signed 正油ラーメン), and the Noodle in Miso Soup button is at the left most column and third row from the top (signed 味噌ラーメン). Push the button you want, and you get the ticket. If you put more coins or bills than the price of the noodle you choose, a button at the bottom (signed おつり) turns on. Push it, and you get the change.

Next, you take a seat, and give your ticket to a person inside the counter. They will serve a cup of steamed rice with free if you ask it. It might be another fun to put rice in the soup and take it with a spoon after you completed the noodle.

Please note that you need some skill to use a pair of chopsticks.

This is a kind of fast food. Hence you are expected to leave the counter when you finish in order for other persons to take seats, particularly at lunch time. This restaurant is open until 11:00 pm.

(22) Keisuke (Japanese style Chinese noodle)

They offer Japanese style Chinese noodle (vermicelli) in hot miso-soup. They also serve noodle with really hot (hot pepper) soup. The system of tickets is similar to Haten.

(23) Miyamoto (fish lunch sets)

This is a kind of pub at night, mainly serving fishes. At lunch time, they usually offer three kinds of lunch sets of the day, row-fish lunch, boiled-fish lunch and grilled-fish lunch, around 850 yen. Favorite of many professors.

(24) Asahi-ya (Soba Noodle)

Soba noodle is Japanese original noodle made by soba flour. My recommendation in this restaurant is “Ten Seiro” (850 yen). “Ten” means tempura and “Seiro” means a bamboo plate. I believe soba noodle and tempura match very well. “Ten Seiro” is soba noodle on a bamboo plate together with a cup of special source in which one shrimp tempura is floating. We dip soba noodle in this source and take it while we bite the shrimp tempura little by little. This is rather a light meal. This also requires good skill of using a pair of chopsticks.

(25) Lever son Verre (French Style)

This is a French style restaurant at the lobby floor of Forest Hongo Hotel in which may participants to this symposium are staying. This is a very comfortable restaurant. It is famous in that they use materials cultivated by organic fertilizer. At the lunch time, they offer special lunch menu around 1,000~1,500 yen. I like fish dishes in this restaurant.

(26) Man-sei-an (Soba noodle)

Man-se-an is a top-level soba restaurant. The price is expensive, but you can get what you pay for. Man-sei-an has a TATAMI room, and has Japanese atmosphere.

(27) SPIGA (Spaghetti)

SPIGA is specialized spaghetti restaurant. They serve typical Italian spaghetti dishes as well as Japanized spaghetti dishes that use Soy-sauce or raw eggs of fishes.

(28) Yoshinoya (beef bowl)

Yoshinoya is a famous beef bowl restaurant. But currently they cannot sell American beef, and they serve pork bowl or other rice bowls. If you want a quick meal, this is the place to go.