In many countries, multiple ethnic groups tend to sprout up in their own communities to keep their cultural connections close. When I visited the famous Chinatown in San Francisco, California, I literally felt like I had stepped into a neighborhood right in China itself. The crowds of people, coupled with the smell of herbal medicine and the sights of Chinese language characters, made me wonder if this was similar to being in the country at that moment and time. I had the same thought when I first visited Koreatown in Shin-Okubo, Tokyo- "Is South Korea similar to what I am seeing and feeling in this place, at this moment?

When I discovered that Tokyo had a Koreatown, I admit that I was pretty excited; South Korea has always been on my list of "to visit" places and visiting Koreatown might give me a sense of what South Korea could possibly be like if I were to visit the place in the future. *Note: Now that I have already been to South Korea, I can say that Shin-Okubo and Korea are two different experiences, both similar and different in many ways.* My trip through Tokyo's Shin-Okubo Koreatown was filled with everything well-known in the Korean culture: K-Pop, K-dramas, traditional Korean garnmets, beauty supplies, electronics, and of course, food. I have to admit, I have a HUGE love for Korean food. Bibimbap, kimbap, chapchae, bulgogi, kalbi- you name it, I probably like it. Since Shin-Okubo is filled with many different Korean restaurants (with most serving similar items), I could not decide what I wanted to eat for lunch because I wanted to try a little of everything. As I was looking up and down the streets for a good place to eat, a lady outside a restaurant beckoned me to come eat at the place she worked at. The restaurant is located right on one of Shin-Okubo's busy tourist streets and serves all-you-can-eat for lunch and dinner (I do not quite remember the name for the place, my apologies). The reasonable price and the temptation of all-you-can-eat made me decide on the place instantly.

Inside, the food items are all laid out on long tables for you to choose whatever suites your taste or cravings. The building is spacious and there are open windows against two sides of the wall that peak into the kitchen, where employees are busy preparing food. Although there is a time limit, you should be able to eat enough and be satisfied. When I went, the selection ranged from bulgogi (seasoned beef) to tteokbokki (spicy rice cake sticks). The food is all simple and not too complicated; however, it was good enough to satisfy my need for Korean food and give me the amount of vegetables I needed for the day (it is quite a healthy buffet with great vegetable selections). The downside is that the food is not hot or "fresh" in the sense that it has been sitting out for a while and the lack of meat dishes made an omnivore like myself a little sad. Nevertheless, you get what you pay for and I did get what I wanted from Koreatown.

Would I come back again? For Shin-Okubo I would come back again for the atmosphere that is reminiscent of Korea, and for the Korean products that are hard to find in Japan. For the all-you-can-eat buffet, I would probably go back again during lunchtime...mainly because of the price. If a little more quality in your food is what you want, then I suggest checking out the other Korean restaurants that line Shin-Okubo left and right.

*Special note: Make sure to try the heottok made fresh from one of the stands in Koreatown! Heottok is a flat Korean pastry that is kind of like a chewy pancake with filling. They are fried/pan fried and then pressed down on a flat surface to cook quicker and give it its shape. Fillings such as red bean, cheese, and chapchae are popular, but the best and original is the honey filling, which really tastes like a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon. Personally, I prefer the heottoks made in Shin-Okubo to the ones right from Korea because the ones made in Shin-Okubo are not fully deep-fried like their original South Korean counterparts.

More information on the all-you-can-eat buffet and Korean products in general in Shin-Okubo:
http://www.ehiroba.jp

Eat Well,
T.W.