This post was written in 2008. Shop details and prices may have changed since then.
My first weekend in Tokyo: around lunchtime a friend called me out, and we headed to the Gyoza Stadium in Ikebukuro. I’d seen the Ramen Stadium in Fukuoka, but who knew there was a gyoza stadium too? Apparently it gathers the most popular gyoza shops from all over the country.
The entrance to Namja Town
It’s a theme park built by the game company Namco. Admission is 300 yen and the attractions cost extra, but today was all about gyoza, so I just paid the entrance fee and went in. There seemed to be a chocolate fair on as well, but I skipped that.
Gyoza Battle
It looks like there’s an event every three months to decide the best gyoza. They change the gyoza theme each season.
A gyoza shop from Osaka
Pao, the shop with the best reputation
The sign for the chicken-skin gyoza kushiage (deep-fried chicken-skin gyoza skewers) I ordered at Pao.
The Matsusaka beef gyoza at this place was really good.
Signs at the entrance
The plaza where you bring your gyoza to eat
A prize corner set up off to one side
The chicken-skin gyoza kushiage, the best thing I ate that day.
Instead of a regular wrapper, the gyoza is wrapped in chicken skin, skewered and deep-fried. I thought it would taste like yakitori, but it has a completely different, rich and savory flavor. I’d tried quite a few gyoza before ordering this one, but this was truly something special. (It was 350 yen, too…)
Pao’s famous beef gyoza.
The juices kept dripping out, which made it a bit of a struggle, but it was delicious.
Takoyaki gyoza
It was billed as Osaka-style gyoza, so I gave it a try. It tasted fine, but… hmm… how do I put it… I think you’re better off just eating takoyaki.
Gyoza with a whole shrimp inside
Tasty ^_^ There’s shiso in it. I didn’t mind, but some people weren’t too keen on it.
I ate lots of other gyoza too, but for various reasons I didn’t get photos. They say the gyoza theme changes every three months, so maybe I’ll go again in spring.
The sign for Big Man, a Sasebo burger shop
Apparently this is the first Sasebo burger shop in Tokyo.
Besides the Gyoza Stadium, Namja Town has plenty of other fun stuff. There are lots of kids, but it’d be a nice place to drop by on a weekend with a partner or friends. (If you’re going to the Gyoza Stadium, go with as many people as you can so you get to try more kinds of gyoza.)
After leaving Namja Town and heading back into Ikebukuro, I stopped at a small beer hall for a pint on the way home.
Kirin Ichiban Shibori Stout
It combines the smooth taste typical of a dark beer with the clean finish of a regular beer.
My first weekend cost a bit, but it was fun. ^_^ It reminded me once again that Tokyo is a fun city with so many events going on.