News On Japan

Behind the Counter at a local Japanese Fried Food Sozai Shop

Feb 25 (Paolo fromTOKYO) - Featured in my Japanese Street Food Tour video in Tokyo Jujo Ginza, I'm back going behind the counter at this Japanese Fried Food Sozai shop.

This Tokyo Hidden Spot Japan Food spot is definitely worth visiting if you've never had Japanese fried food before as it has everything from Japanese Fried Chickem Japanese chicken katsu, korokke and even yakitori. Aisaika nestled in Tokyo’s local Jujo Ginza shopping street, 5 minutes from Jujo station. This Japanese Deli-like Fried Food Heaven, Sozai shop, Aisaika nestled in Tokyo’s local Jujo Ginza shopping street, 5 minutes from Jujo station. Japan Sozai shops are known for their freshly made side dishes that families buy to add to their dinner table, and this shop is no exception, serving families delicious fried food and other dishes for the last 14 years. The karaage fried chicken here tastes very similar to how the owner's mother used to make it and he says that he always loved it when she put it in his school bento box as a kid. Apparently, his customers love the karrage fried chicken too as he sells about 40 to 50 kilos, 110 lbs a day! So the shop serves quite a bit of chicken dishes by design. Due to the nature of a typical Japanese sozai shops, food is displayed out in the open throughout the day and because of this beef and pork items tend to get harder over time while chicken remains soft and juicy.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Food NEWS

Japan’s Sushiro, the world’s largest conveyor-belt sushi chain, debuted in Shanghai in early December 2025, to much fanfare. (South China Morning Post)

Today I’m going behind the counter in Japan at Omori Ramen, a family run ramen shop tucked away near the mountains of Niigata, an area known across Japan as snow country. (Paolo fromTOKYO)

Tokyo is known as one of the world’s most expensive cities… but can you actually eat well here for under 1,000 yen?

A nostalgic Japanese sweet is making a major comeback, with lemon cakes appearing everywhere from convenience stores to specialty boutiques in Tokyo as demand for citrus-flavored desserts continues to surge.

Bluefin tuna, now being caught in unusually large numbers around areas such as Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, is becoming significantly more affordable, with some restaurant operators even saying it is cheaper than horse mackerel.

Brand rice variety Yumepirika was being planted one after another in rice paddies in Higashikawa, Hokkaido, as rice planting work accelerates across Japan ahead of the autumn harvest, with attention now turning to how much this year’s new rice will cost.

Japan byFood and Shizuka are going behind the scenes to meet the international visionaries who are redefining the Tokyo food scene today. (Japan by Food)

Visitors began arriving early on May 10th for the Shirako Onion Festival in Shirako Town, Chiba Prefecture, where the region’s famous fresh onions—known for their mild flavor and rich sweetness—were sold in large quantities, with the town ranking as the prefecture’s top onion producer.