I was doing some Tokyo food research for my novel and came across this New York Times article from 2007 by Adam Sachs. It's one of the best short pieces I've read about Tokyo's food scene and the evolution of Japanese cuisine. After an illuminating experience at a high-end oden restaurant, Sachs talks about Japan's "culinary verticality":
"Where oden is served is also typical of Japan's culinary verticality, which is rarely found in the West: the same basic dish is served in high-priced haunts like Ogura; in cheap street stalls that pop up in the winter and stay open late; in serve-yourself form at yakitori joints; and as fast-food snacks at every convenience store in the country. Most of what the Japanese eat every day is like this: available in every neighborhood of every prefecture, across all social layers, dependable elements of the most formalized culinary landscape in the world."
Read the entire article here: They Eat Horse Sashimi in Tokyo, Don't They?
