On the way to Shibamata Taishakuten, there is a shop that has its roof sticking out just like back in the old days. This it Yamato-ya, which is the model of Tora-san’s parents’ house. For lunch, you can have tendon, a bowl of rice topped with tempura, or tempura dish. As you can see in the picture below, you can actually see the chef frying the tempura from the outside. It is an open-style kitchen.

Even without entering, you hear the energetic “welcome” from the store and the good smell of tempura lure you into the restaurant. Once you get in, you can choose between tatami mat and chair. This time I sat on the chair seat. I ordered tendon. Tendon has shrimp tempura and eel tempura. If you do not like eel, you can ask and change it to sillaginidae.

Soon, green tea and eggplant pickle came. I moisten my throat with the tea and supplied myself a salt with the pickles. With the good smell of tempura and stimulation to my stomach, my stomach is ready for the meal.

A picture with a nostalgic Showa feel.

The miso soup is in fact normal. It may be rude to say this but there is nothing special about it. However, this miso soup will have a great meaning later on.

This is the traditional working-class’s tendon! The little thick taste and the picture of big tempura covering the rice are the Tokyo style that never changes. It is not an elegant tempura but if you are asked if it is not good, the answer has to be NO. With the crunchy coating, you will not be able to reach the shrimp with the first bite. This may be a no in a high quality restaurant but this type of tempura is delicious as well!

The crunchy texture and thick taste are the best combination so that the customer will want to eat the rice more. If you have miso soup left by the time you finish eating, you can wash away the oil in your mouth so you might want to save some for the last. If not, you might have the oily feel left in your mouth. By being full but not too full, the next stop is the restaurant across the street to eat kusa dango, a rice-flour dumpling flavored with mugwortn.

Take a look at this thick coating! Eat by making the crunchy sound.

■Yamatoya
Yamatoya has been a place of shooting since the first movie of “Tora-san”. Kiyoshi Atsumi, Chieko Baisho, and the shooting staff visited often. The tendon, or bowl of rice topped with tempura has good quantity and is only 998 yen.

Hours: 11:30-17:00
Holiday: Irregular
Access: 2 minute walk from Keisei Kanamachi Line Shibamata station
Address: 7-7-4 Shibamata, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo

■Related Post
*Walking “Shibamata” the Town of Tora-san