Tsunahachi Japan Guide for Tourists: 100-Year Edomae Tempura & Pure Sesame Oil

Quick Facts

What it is

Tsunahachi (Tempura Shinjuku Tsunahachi), founded in Tokyo's Shinjuku in 1924 (Taisho 13), is one of Japan's most historic and revered Edomae tempura institutions. Celebrating over a century of culinary craftsmanship, Tsunahachi is world-renowned for frying 100% in *pure unroasted white sesame oil (Taihaku Gomayu), delivering a signature golden-hued, aromatic crust that seals in natural ocean sweetness without greasiness. Its historic showpiece—"Hamaguri no Sugata-age"* (fresh clams and delicate seafood mousse stuffed inside clam shells and deep-fried)—has been beloved since the Taisho era. Located atop premier department stores across Tokyo, it bridges the gap between casual budget tendon joints and inaccessible ultra-luxury counters.

How to order

Dining at Tsunahachi offers traditional Japanese hospitality:

1. Enter and choose seating: Walk in. If dining solo or as a couple, ask for counter seating (Kautā seki) to watch master tempura chefs fry fresh seafood right before your eyes. Choose table seating for groups.
2. Review the multilingual menu: Request the English menu (Eigo menyū kudasai) featuring clear photography of lunch sets, dinner courses, and specialty tendon bowls.
3. Select your meal:
   • Lunch Tempura Zen (~¥1,800–¥2,800): The recommended budget luxury! Includes prawns, seasonal whitefish, squid, vegetables, kakiage shrimp fritter, rice, and miso soup.
   • Dinner Courses (~¥4,000–¥8,000): Multi-course banquets served piece-by-piece, including sashimi and seasonal catches.
   • Edomae Tendon (~¥1,800–¥2,400): A large lacquer bowl heaped with tempura drizzled in rich sweet tare sauce.
4. Prepare your condiments: Your table is set with warm dashi dipping broth (Tentsuyu), fresh grated daikon radish (Daikon-oroshi), and specialized ceramic spice wells containing flavored salts (Wasabi salt, Sansho pepper salt, and Yukari shiso salt).
5. Watch the chefs fry: If seated at the counter, the chef will place each freshly fried, crackling piece onto the paper-lined wire rack before you, one piece at a time.
6. Dip and savor: Alternate between dipping seafood into the warm tentsuyu with daikon radish, and dabbing delicate pieces into the colorful flavored salts!
7. Settle your bill: Take your bill folder to the front cashier desk to pay.

What to order first

Dishes below reflect iconic hallmarks officially featured on the Tsunahachi Official Website and verified row records:

• *Edomae Tiger Prawn Tempura (Ebi no Tempura)*: Sweet, succulent tiger prawns fried in pure sesame oil until crispy on the outside and tender within (~included in sets).
• *Clam Shell Tempura (Hamaguri no Sugata-age)*: Tsunahachi's legendary 100-year invention; fresh minced clam meat and savory surimi stuffed inside real clam shells, tied with seaweed and fried to golden perfection (~¥1,200–¥1,500 a la carte or in premium courses).
• *Deep-Fried Sea Eel (Anago no Tempura)*: A whole plump saltwater eel fried until shatteringly crisp on the exterior and fluffy inside, served with lemon and sansho salt.
• *Small Shrimp Kakiage Fritter (Kakiage): A crispy nest of sweet baby shrimp and onions; can be eaten as-is, placed over rice (Ten-don), or submerged in hot green tea (Ten-cha*).
• *Flavored Table Salts (Kawari-jio): Complimentary shiso plum salt (Yukari*), wasabi salt, and sansho pepper salt provided on every table.

Payment & practical info

Practical dining and payment guidance based on official Tunahachi policies (consult the Official Store Directory for branch locations):

• Accepted Payment Methods: Accepts cash, international credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, UnionPay), Japanese transit IC cards (Suica, PASMO, etc.), electronic money (iD, QUICPay), and department store QR code payments.
• Department Store Restaurant Floors: Prime Tokyo locations sit inside famous department stores (Ginza Matsuya, Ikebukuro Tobu, Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Yokohama Takashimaya), offering pristine English service, clean restrooms, and stroller/wheelchair accessibility.
• Lunchtime Value: Visiting between 11:00 and 15:00 allows you to experience genuine master-chef tempura for under ¥2,500—an incredible fraction of evening course rates.
• Wi-Fi & Power Outlets: Connected to host department store Wi-Fi; dining tables do not provide customer power sockets.
• Tax-Free Status: Not eligible for tax-free shopping. Restaurant dining is domestic consumption.

Good to know / Common mistakes

• Missing the flavored salts: Don't just drown every piece in soy broth! Dip sweet prawns into green wasabi salt and whitefish into fragrant sansho pepper salt to experience subtle textural nuances.
• Eating the clam shell: In Hamaguri no Sugata-age, the filling is deep-fried inside an authentic clam shell! Use your chopsticks to scoop out the delicious meat—do not attempt to bite through the hard shell.
• Skipping counter seating: If counter seats are open, always choose the counter. Watching master tempura artisans fry seafood piece-by-piece in steaming golden vats is an unforgettable culinary show.
• Tipping the chefs: Tipping is never accepted in Japan. Settle your exact bill total at the front cashier desk.

Sources

• Tsunahachi Official Website: https://www.tunahachi.co.jp/ (Verified: 2026-09-27)
• Tsunahachi Store Directory: https://www.tunahachi.co.jp/ (Verified: 2026-09-27)