Headed to Japan next month:
-Tokyo
-Kyoto
-Otsu
-Osaka (Kani Doraku @ Dotonbori is already on the list 
)
-Kobe
-Yokohama
Recommend me some restaurants you’ve enjoyed in those cities. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, high-end, street-vendor, Japanese, Indian, Italian, whatever. If it was good, lemme know about it.
God, where to start?
If you want the best you’ll need local help. Rule of thumb - if it’s in a guidebook, like the lonely planet etc. it’s just going to be average. My in-laws are gourmet otakus who keep up to date with the newest underground buzz restaurants around Osaka, so I get to tag along with them. The best places (other than the already famous 5-star hotel restaurants) will be little out of the way places that you’d never find in any book. They could be underneath a railway station, or on the 6th floor of a 5-meter wide building. There’s a yaki-niku place I know of that only has two tables and it’s never empty. You go there one time and then you’ll understand why it’s never empty. You’ve never had anything like it before.
But even if I told you the names you’d never be able to find these places on your own.
How is your nihongo? Are you fine to read a map or make a reservation by phone? If not, you’ll need some help.
I’ll take you to my yaki-niku restaurant if you want, but I’ll have to blindfold you first so you’ll never divulge my secret. 
We got up at 5 in the morning to visit the Tokyo fish market, and there’s a little sushi stand right there that has everything as fresh as you could possibly imagine. Don’t remember using English (just pointing was enough to order), but it was a perfect way to start the day.
I don’t speak more than a few words; I’ve been struggling to learn katakana/hiragana.. Wife is Japanese, so at least one of us will be able to talk/read properly. 
There was a great little yakitoriya we ate at in Shinjuku, but I’ll be damned if I can remember the name or directions from the station (all I remember is down a winding road past a pet store). The only other hole in the wall place I remember fondly was a teppanyaki place where you cooked your own food, but it was in Kamakura which you didn’t say you were visiting. Man, that was good. I’ll have to dig through the photos I have at home and see if anything else comes to mind.
Funnily enough, since I’m a bit of a fast food junkie, I had to try Mos Burger. And it’s freaking good.
Kyoto is littered with great places to eat - alas I only remember the name of one place and it was a bar.
So of you’re anywhere near the Royal Kyoto hotel ask around for the “2 Hot Chicks” bar (owned of course by 2 very good looking women). A tiny space on the second floor of a tiny building, but damn good cocktails.
It may not even be open after all this time, it’s been 8 years.
Good timing. I’ll be going to Osaka soon for 12 days for business and I have no idea what to do/where to eat yet on my off time. I’ve never been to Japan and it should be very interesting. I freaking love crab so I will definitely have to check out Kani Doraku.
Last time I was in Tokyo, I had a dinner here.
The food went down very well; and my hosts were very gracious not to choke on the bill.
WOW. Uh, that’s a bit out of our price range. Last fall we were in NYC and one night the dinner bill for both of us (w/tip) came to about $160. I can’t see myself spending much more than that. These guys are starting at around $200 per person for dinner…:eek:
Oh boy, you are in for a treat. There are so many delicious places in Tokyo that I could spend my whole life here and not see the bottom of the barrel. I tend to ramble on when it comes to food, so I’ll make another post when I’m finished writing down everything.
Do you have any diet restrictions? Things that you don’t like to eat? Things that you are interested in trying?
I’m going to jump in, since I’m visiting Tokyo in 3 weeks.
What about fun places for kids, too?
Machine Elf if you PM me with the details of whereabouts you’re staying in Osaka and what kind of food you like/don’t like, I’ll give you some tips. Cheers and I hope you have a great stay.
That’s a lot of ground to cover… I realize it might not be much use to other people, but since your wife is Japanese, I recommend pointing her to a site like tabelog.com and go to one of the top rated restaurants for the cuisine you want to eat, in the area you will be at. I can’t personally guarantee all the restaurants, obviously, but I found a lot of of really good places by using that site. For example, I used to live in Takadanobaba and thisplace had some of the most insanely delicious tonkatsu I’d ever had. It is just a little hole in the wall family place off the main street, but the businessmen line up outside before it opens every lunch time.