Not far from where I live, in snack bar-infested Takeo, sits Japan's closest equivalent to America's once ubiquitous greasy spoon diner: Gyoza Kaikan. You'll smell it before you see it, a result of vapors that can only come from the incessant boiling of pork broth. Though it's repugnant, that aroma signals the presence of delicious ramen. As the name suggests,this particular ramen shop, with its fading 1970s decor and beaten-looking staff, serves up more than just ramen. In fact, it's specialty is actually something called gyoza, pork dumplings that originated in China but have long been popular in Japan. Price and quality vary, but the Takeo shop seems to dominant both categories. Eight bites of heaven, which are much plumper than their contemporaries, cost a mere 350 yen, or about $3.05.
A plate of seven gyoza...the eighth was acting up and had to be made an example of.
For anyone who gets lost while traveling in Japan, ending up in Saga-ken's Takeo-cho, Gyoza Kaikan is located near the snack bar complex along the yet to be completed bullet train line. If you get to that area but still can't find it, follow the incongruous scent of boiling ramen 'til you hit the jack pot.
1 comment:
This is the best gyoza ever. I've had it too.
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