For a fun Japanese meal, try the okonomiyaki at Yaiyai restaurant in Harajuku. There is only seating for 30 people at a bar or screened tables around it. Sit at the bar for the best show, where you can watch the cooks prepare the omelet-like dish in front of you.
Yaiyai uses fresh ingredients, including yamaimo instead of regular wheat flour. As well as being healthier, it gives the okonomiyaki a fuller flavor and good texture. There is a menu in English. The restaurant is loud and hot from the iron plates at the table and counter where they grill the food, so it is not the best choice for families with small children.
The Yaiyai is a 3 minute walk from the Tokyo Metro Meiji Jingu-Mae Station Exit #4, or 10 minutes from the JR Harajuku Station.
Address is 6-8-7, Jinguumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0001
Yaiyai is open late, from 5 pm to 3 am on weekdays or 12 noon to 11 pm on weekends and holidays. A website with information in English about the restaurant is: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/b647000/lang/en/
okonomiyaki in harajuku 神宮前 お好み焼き やいやい (Photo credit: rc!)
