Local Eats Japan

Jojoen is probably the most famous and recognizable yakiniku place across Japan for being high end. 

Yakiniku is in plain terms where you are given raw meat to cook at a small grill in front of you at your table – one of my favorite foods in Japan. 

I am sure some of you may have heard of places like Gyu-kaku or Yakiniku king, but they are mainly known for their all you can eat options on the menu. 

Jojoen on the other hand, does not have all you can eat, and is instead to be ordered off the menu per individual dish, or eaten via means of a set course menu (generally dinner). 

The price difference is vast compared to other yakiniku spots, as Jojoen can get pretty pricey.

But this is why it is generally treated as a restaurant people will go to for special occasions and it isn’t just because of the quality of the food or notoriety of the name either, but a lot of the times jojoen has really nice locations at the higher floors of some buildings so you are also paying for the view. 

Another reason they are famous is because they sell bento-boxes and they are generally eaten on movie or TV sets, hence why they have a lot of notoriety among celebrities. They even mention it in the tv show “Tokyo Swindlers” (also highly recommended) so it is safe to say it is well known. 

I myself have been to Jojoen once, and it was for my birthday. 

It was a course meal that I had, though you also have the flexibility to order additional dishes of your choosing (which I did). 

But, I would caution you regarding this because though it was a course meal, it had a LOT of food, and even coming from a big eater myself I was surprised. But this is also a good thing because you know you are getting a good bang for your buck. 

Jojoen (like most yakiniku places in Japan) has a Korean themed menu, and it was no different from what was served with my course too. 

There were various Korean dishes timed to be brought out in between the meat as a means to cleanse the pallet or at least not have your tastebuds conflict with the different cuts I assume. 

Everything was really high quality, and I felt very satisfied with the taste of it all, but the cuts of meat definitely were the star of the show. 

Yakinniku places (including Jojoen) will have beef, pork, and chicken as the three meat options you can order and grill, but Beef is without a doubt the best in my opinion, but also the most expensive lol. 

Beef is typical for yakiniku, and I would say that the big three are Kalbi (boneless short ribs), Kata-Rosu (Chuck Eye Roll), and tongue (beef tongue). 

Kalbi I think is the unanimous winner in most peoples books because of the excellent marbling and tenderness of it – also why this is the most expensive. 

Specifically, the kalbi at Jojoen is incredible, and if you want to splurge, get their top of the line 上カルビ (Jou-kalbi), it is some of the best meat I have ever eaten. 

Rosu also has some great marbling, but has a more deep meat flavor to it, so I sometimes prefer this over kalbi. If you want to feel “I am eating meat” then maybe Rosu would be better for you. 

Beef tongue is one that when I tell people about it they get a bit turned off, but it is honestly so good, and also the meat with the fastest cooking time too (probably). It depends on the restaurant, but it can be either cut thin or thick, so adjust your cooking time relative to this. But regardless, it is usually eaten with fresh squeezed lemon afterwards, and though a little chewy it has an excellent flavor profile – I highly recommend it.

If you want guaranteed quality, then I really do think Jojoen is a good place to go. While I am sure there are places all across Japan that are cheaper and have equivalently, if not better quality food/meat, unless I knew of one off the top of my head I would save yourself the trouble and go here. Also to preface, it is about the experience as well. 

So while you are travelling in Japan, why not experience local cuisine at a very nice restaurant? When in Rome, right?

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