The Restaurants of Wakakozake
Every restaurant shown in season 1 of the Japanese television drama Wakakozake. You’re Welcome.
If you already know all about Wakakozake, scoot yourself down to the epic list below. If you’re one of the uninitiated, let’s get you up to speed. Wakakozake is a bizarre spin-off tv drama based on a somewhat obscure short form anime put out by a Japanese tourism agency. You can find both incarnations of the show on crunchyroll.com for free! If you’re a Japanese food fanatic or otherwise addicted to food tv… you're in the right place. The live action series follows Murasaki Wakako, a salary-woman who lives for her nightly solo jaunts through Tokyo seeking good food and good booze. She approaches food and alcohol with a religious like intensity and zeal… sometimes coming off as a total lush.
The viewer follows Wakako’s inner dialog as she carefully navigates the menus of the various izakaya or restaurants that often feature regional specialties from around Japan. Her alcohol selection is wide ranging from a thoughtfully paired nihonshu (sake) or a hulking mug of cheap draft beer. Its a wonder she can walk out of the restaurant most episodes.
When the food arrives, Wakako-chan eats with concentration and utter devotion to the experience, savoring each bite and letting out her token catchphrase “Pshuuuuu” when the dining experience hits a climatic point. Its the closest you can get to Japanese food porn without actually watching porn. Self indulgent and voyeuristic, this show allows you to experience an authentic Japanese dining experience but without, ya know, the food.
Ah, but here’s the catch. All the restaurants in the show are real! If you’re in Japan and want to live out your wakako-fantasies, you totally can. I’m planning on visiting Japan very soon and asked the internet for a list of the wakako restaurants… turns out it doesn't exist. So, after some digging, the world now has a complete list of every restaurant featured in Wakakozake, organized by episode. The restaurant title contains a link to the Yelp page when possible or to the Tabelog (the Japanese equivalent). I’ve also added the alcohol pairings and any key notes mentioned in the credits. Enjoy :)
“Murasaki Wakako, age 26 years old. Born with a taste for liquor, I wander the night yet again in search of a place to be. A woman, drinking by myself.”
Episode 1
Shakekojima — A shop specializing in grilled salmon near Daitabashi Station. It’s our intro into Wakako’s world of late night solo dinners and sake pairings.
Sake: “Onekoete” Nakashiro Howke Brewery, Ehime Prefecture
Episode 2
Gyozasou Muro — A gyoza shop serving up the most beautiful gyoza I have ever witnessed on television. Place your order all at once and try the “horseneck” cocktail.
Izakaya Daruma (ダルマ) — The menu in this small shop rotates daily and if you’re lucky you can score some delicious meat specials “cooked with love”.
Sake: “Yuho” Mioya Brewery of Isikana
Update: In April I visited Gyoza Muro and Oh My Goodness. The gyoza are just as beautiful in person. This shop is run by what seems to be three generations of a family and is a popular spot. Here’s the skinny. If you speak and write Japanese, the waitress will hand you a paper to write out your gyoza order. If you don’t, one of the staff will work with you to figure out exactly what type of gyoza you want. Knowing just a little Japanese will go a long way here. There is an order minimum, but that will be made clear to you. A starter dish of some sort will be given to you as a “seat charge” and it will be delicious. This “seat charge” thing is common practice in Japan and no, its not just because you’re a foreigner. It’s written on the Japanese menu as well, as is the order minimum. Now that you’re set, sit back and watch the magic as the man making gyoza gets to work. Its like they appear out of thin air! Once they arrive, prepare to bliss out. We had such a good time, so be extra polite to the staff. They are very kind!
Episode 3
Izakaya Uosada — Wakako’s regular spot featuring traditional Japanese dishes and killer sashimi plates. Slide up to the counter or get comfortable on the tatami and prepare to pshuuuuu.
Sake: “Takahimizu” Akita Shurui Brewery
Update: In March of this year I was also able to make a pilgrimage Sushi Uosada! The food was delicious and the atmosphere was very authentic. I’m talking smoking indoors and salarymen at the counter. Not being geared towards tourists or foreigners, there was no english menu or english spoken AT ALL. But don’t be deterred! We were waited on by a very sweet and friendly young fellow who helped us best he could and we got by with on our shoddy Japanese. Just know some basic words and be respectful. Specifically, learn to say please, thank you and “what do you recommend”. That will help you get by in most of Japan. I maybe got caught up in the spirit of wakako and drank too much sake, but it was worth it. Try the salted fish guts aka “shuto” and hot sake.
Episode 4
Hidamariya — A bright and welcoming restaurant, Hidamaiya has over thirty varieties of nihonshu and serves what they describe as “creative Japanese cuisine”. The zaru tofu is the featured dish in the episode but the mentaiko looks out-of-control good.
Sake: “Senkin”, Tochigi Prefecture
Episode 5
Kushiyaki Sakurachika — Upscale and elegant, Sakurachika specializes in kushiyaki. Enjoy your skewered meats while bobbing along to some smooth jazz in this tranquil spot.
Sake: “Kanemasu Red” Kanemasu Brewery of Nigata
Episode 6
Girls night! Wakako and her buds have a snack-a-thon while drinking a large shopping bag’s worth of hard liquor. Why not have a night in with friends and make your own takoyaki like Wakako? There are some decently priced takoyaki grills here.
Sake: “Kuromatsu-Hakushika Honjozo” Tatsuuma-Honke Brewing Co.
Episode 7
Oota Pub — This little pub in the yanesen (yanaka, nezu, sendagi) neighborhood serves up classics like oden and omurice. Their tamagoyaki looks transcendent and the area is great for taking a leisurely stroll.
Sake: “Ichinokura” Ichinokura Brewery, Miyagi Prefecture
Episode 8
Another episode that has us eating at home, but this time, alone! Wakako holes up in her dubiously spacious Tokyo apartment and drunkenly eats through the contents of her fridge. Get lit on Suntory Delica Maison, Suntory Whiskey Yellow Label, and Suntory Kinmugi and join me in questioning if this episode was sponsored content.
Episode 9
Mantendo — As Wakako says, fried chicken just doesn’t play fair. Get your munchies on with bone-in chicken or a pile of fried chicken pieces. Bonus; the owner looks like a Guy Fieri impersonator. They also accept take-out orders!
Miyazake Shoten — Prepare to get smoky and oily because Miyazake Shoten specializes in Yakitori. They’ve got chicken meat, skin, liver, gizzards — take your pick and take it slow. Place your orders a bit at a time so you never have to eat a bite thats gone cold. Giant beer required.
Episode 10
Taking a break from Tokyo, Wakako heads home to Hiroshima to hang out with her high school friend Aya and eat herself silly.
Sake Shichisai — Located in Hiroshima, Wakako’s hometown, Sake Shichisai has raw oysters as big as your hand and their menu is built entirely around local ingredients. They even have Hiroshima sake!
Naka-chan — This is where you go to pull a literal all-nighter. Naka-chan’s grill stays running well past midnight, pumping out a huge variety of dishes off a flattop bar which is vaguely reminiscent of the set up in american hibachi bars.
Toshinoya — Okonomiyaki is what dreams are made of. Luckily, that is the specialty over at Toshinoya. Heads up, it can take up to 20 minutes to make, so grab some of their savory appetizers while you wait. The beers are inhumanly large. Kampai!
Episode 11
Wakako attends an upscale wedding and spends the entire event guzzling wine and staring longingly at her fork laden with a seemingly endless supply of fish in cream sauce. Seeing as the wedding was western-style, my advice is to get invited to a wedding with a pre-fixe anywhere in America.
Episode 12
Shinjuku Pojangmatcha — Take a culinary vacation and fill up on Korean street stall food at Pojangmatcha. They’re sticklers for the quality of their ingredients.
Wakako spends the rest of this episode revisiting some of her favorite spots such as Izakaya Uosada, and Miyazake Shoten
And that’s a wrap for season 1! Thanks for making it this far and stay tuned for the breakdown of the shops featured in season 2.
To be continued….
