Fukagawa-meshi
深川めし · Fukagawa-meshi
- Ward
- Koto
- Price
- ¥1,200~2,200
- Hours
- 11:30-17:00approx. (varies by
- Closed
- Mon (varies by shop)
- Getting there
- 4 min walk from Kiyosumi-shirakawa Stn; also Monzen-nakacho Stn
- Founded
- 1987
- There are two dishes under one name
- Bukkake was food eaten fast on a boat
- Land reclamation ended the clam beds and the dish vanished
We do not republish copyrighted photographs. Use the links below to see the actual venue.
Obvious to locals, invisible to visitors
There is a simple reason guidebooks leave this out: to the people who live here it is too obvious to be worth explaining.
There are two dishes under one name. The original bukkake is the fisherman's version — clams and onion simmered in miso, poured over rice. The takikomi style, rice cooked in clam stock, came later so carpenters could carry it as a packed lunch.
Bukkake was food eaten fast on a boat. Restaurants themselves say to put your mouth to the bowl and shovel it in with chopsticks. It looks rude by Western table manners; for this dish it is correct.
Land reclamation ended the clam beds and the dish vanished. After the Fukagawa Edo Museum opened in 1981 and visitors returned, a local restaurant rebuilt the recipe by consulting surviving fishermen.
What it is
Koto is a ward of canals, reclaimed land and Fukagawa. Midday and dusk leave completely different impressions. Come at the wrong hour and it is just an ordinary block. You will walk farther than expected — wear something comfortable. Hours go irregular over long holidays; check before setting out. Menus are often Japanese-only; showing a photo or pointing works perfectly well. It would be a waste to stop at just this one — there is more of the same density within five hundred metres.
What to order
Why locals keep coming
It costs nothing, so it fits any itinerary regardless of budget. It is closer to seeing the city's reverse side — nothing like a manicured observation deck.