Their haunts include smoky yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) stands crammed under the Yamanote Line tracks and raucous beer halls, like Beer Lion.

BBC: Seeing Tokyo along the Yamanote Line

Yakitori skewers of chicken skin and (especially) tail are succulent little delivery devices for fat. (Yakitori okra is worth trying, too.) Several dishes feature fantastically tender pork cutlet under a perfectly golden shell of panko bread crumbs.

NEWYORKER: Ootoya