Trip to Little Tokyo, Makati!

The Arc and Bridge

Little Tokyo is one of my favorite places. Stepping inside this place makes you feel like you're actually in Japan (or, maybe not, because I've never been to Japan); aside from the general setting, because of the reason that most of the customers are from the country of Japan, a person somehow feels he's teleported to the country.

Anyway, the restaurants here are all authentically Japanese. You have a wide array of choices, which means that you can find the perfect restaurant that your wallet can accommodate. Little Tokyo can be found in 2277 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati. The entrance's landmark is an arc with the words "Little Tokyo" on it. This arc leads to an empty alley, which leads to a whole different world. Since a number of people ask me where to find this obscure place, I've placed a map at the end of this entry.

For Christmas?

Right now, the place seems to be decorated for Christmas... or maybe they just decided to make the place brighter, I honestly don't know. The arc itself has bright lights and beautiful lanterns hanging from it, and the alley is decorated with a row of lanterns!

Look at the pretty lanterns!

 My friend's favorite restaurant in Little Tokyo is Oishinbo, which upon entering is the restaurant on the furthest side. It's a simple and homey place, just like most of the other restaurants. It's also affordable, which is why that's where we decided to eat dinner in.

Entrance to Oishinbo

Couldn't read so many things!

Their menu

Forgive me for sounding like a geek, but it looks like a scene ripped straight from a local Japanese movie or tv series. Pretty cool if you want to feel as if you're in Japan, but don't actually have the money to travel there -- just do what I do, go to Little Tokyo and use your imagination. I had a friend who took a lot of pictures and posted them on facebook with captions like "My trip to Japan!"... and because people are oblivious of the amazing place which is Little Tokyo, they actually get duped.

Ginger Pork - P360

Ginger Pork - P360

I ordered the Ginger Pork set meal. Their set meals come with miso soup and various sides (see the pic!). I absolutely loved the Ginger Pork! I ordered it on a whim and was actually surprised on how good it was. It was very flavorful, and if I ever learned how to cook it, I'd probably be eating it all the time.

Shouyo Ramen - P270

My friend ordered the Shouyo Ramen. I wasn't able to taste it, but according to him, it tasted pretty good as well. He also ordered salmon onigiri (aka rice balls), but I wasn't able to take pictures of it. While he was eating the onigiri, all he did was rave about it, which means it was good as well.

Here's a map to Little Tokyo (from Metro Manila Directions):



View Metro Manila Directions Map in a larger map

Posted in: japanese, little tokyo, makati