19 November, 2009

Thanksgiving in Tokyo: Try this exotic holiday meal

On November 26, enjoy an American-style turkey dinner at multiple Tokyo locations -- even if you have no idea what "pilgrims" are or if you are all partied out from Canadian Thanksgiving

Users liked this

Tell others what you think!

TY Harbor Brewery out on Tennoz Isle will serve both a Thanksgiving dinner for ¥4,000 and a turkey lunch plate for ¥1,600.

Thanksgiving in Tokyo can be a frustrating experience for homesick Americans and turkey-obsessed locals. The big bird is not a normal menu item in Japan, and boxes of Stove Top stuffing only show up sporadically at Kaldi Coffee Farm.

This year, however, we should have no problem finding some cranberry sauce on November 26 thanks to a master Thanksgiving dinner list compiled by Tokyo food site Bento.com.

The good news: Bento.com finds 10 places that will serve you a turkey dinner with all the fixings. The bad news: Get ready to open your wallet. The cheapest is ¥3,000 a person, while Oak Door in the Grand Hyatt is charging ¥12,000 a head.

Anyone eagerly hoping to follow the strange American custom of stuffing yourself into a tryptophan-induced coma will also be disappointed: Only Pink Cow offers a buffet. Expect Japanese-style dainty portions everywhere else.

One more option not on the Bento.com list: Kyle's Good Finds (Sun Heights Nakano, 2-7-10 Arai, Nakano-ku, tel. 03 3385 8993) does a Thanksgiving bento (¥3,000) with probably the best collard greens and cornbread outside of the United States.