Everyone has their routines and preferences and my son and I are no different when we visit Tokyo. As many of you already know, we are dedicated techno dweebs of the first order and it should be of no surprise that we like to stay close to “otaku” heaven in Akihabara. Actually we stay in Ochanomizu at a small hotel adjacent to Kanda Myojin which overlooks “Akiba”. Checkout time at the hotel is 10:00 and most shops in that area don’t really get going until 11:00 so we generally hang out at “Cafe Solaria” aka “Linux Cafe” located one block off the main drag in the shadow of the new black office building on the main corner in Akiba. The coffee is good there and they have patio tables facing the street which make for good “maid” watching as they bounce to work.(Not recommended this time of year as it’s too cold to sit outside). My son, famed carbohydrate killer, also enjoys their pastries.
If we arrive in Akiba directly from Tokyo station and it’s near lunchtime we generally head for “Star Kebab” which is located an Ichiro Suzuki baseball throw from the aforementioned Linux Cafe on the same street.
“Star Kebab” started out as street vendor a few years back selling what the Turks call “Donner Kebab”, the Greek “Gyros” and the Levantine Arabs “shwarma”. Did I leave anyone out? Basically it’s finely sliced meat stacked on a vertical rotisserie and slowly cooked as it rotates. I fell in love with these in Jordan and Syria back in the day as they were, cheap, filling and delicious-although of suspect sanitary standards. At “Star Kebab” 1 sandwich is equal to about 3 in volume if compared to street vendors in Damascus. I enjoyed the selection in the Middle East as you can get beef, chicken and my favorite lamb.
My son’s favorite is the “donburi” rice bowl with the kebab meat topping and yogurt sauce and we prefer to eat in the shop so I can enjoy a nice cold draft beer with my sandwich. The service is friendly and multilingual-Japanese, English and Turkish.
“Star Kebab’s” success has spawned several other take away joints in Akiba, but I prefer making the walk to their shop.
So, if you ever get to Akihabara before the rush begins, I recommend “Solaria”, aka Linux Cafe for a light breakfast and “Star Kebab” for hearty fare at lunchtime.
