Mitsumasa Shimbashi | Traditional Yakitori & Motsuyaki in Tokyo

The other day, I visited Mitsumasa, a long-established kushiyaki restaurant in Shimbashi.

It is extremely popular with Japanese office workers in the area, and getting a seat without a reservation can be difficult.

There are many restaurants in Japan like this — places that are not widely known among foreign visitors, but are genuinely delicious and strongly supported by local Japanese customers.

I really wish more international visitors could experience places like these.

Maybe it’s the language barrier...

I wonder if there’s some good way to solve that...

Popular local restaurants are already busy serving their regular customers, so they may not have enough time or staff to provide detailed support for foreign guests.

At the same time, restaurants that are popular with tourists are not necessarily bad. Some truly want international visitors to enjoy great Japanese food.

But being famous among tourists does not always mean a restaurant is the best choice for everyone.

Japan has many excellent restaurants that are still relatively unknown to foreign visitors.

So if you are interested in Japan, I hope you gradually learn more about the country, explore beyond the famous tourist spots and well-known restaurants, and slowly expand your world of Japanese food.

There is still so much to discover.

What I Ordered

【 From left: Kawa, Negima, Tan 】

The seasoning and grilling are both spot on.

With kushiyaki, the flavor can change a lot depending on how it is grilled and how much salt is used, but Mitsumasa gets that balance just right.

The ingredients themselves also taste fresh, especially the pork and liver, which makes each skewer even more enjoyable.

【 From left: Reba, Shishito 】

The liver is extremely fresh, so it is grilled with a slightly rare center.

That soft, delicate texture is what makes it so delicious.

And of course, the grilled shishito peppers are also excellent.

【 Hatsumoto — the base of the heart where the blood vessels connect 】

Hatsu, or heart, is a fairly common cut in Japan, but Hatsumoto is a little more unusual.

Chicken Hatsumoto can sometimes be found at yakitori restaurants, but pork Hatsumoto is much harder to come across.

It has a distinctive texture and plenty of flavor.

And of course... it was delicious!!



It had been a while since my last visit, but Mitsumasa was just as delicious as I remembered — and just as loud, lol.

I guess that is part of the charm. Everyone is enjoying great kushiyaki, having a few drinks, and getting pleasantly tipsy.

That lively, noisy atmosphere actually feels very fitting for a place like this.

If you get the chance, I really hope you try Mitsumasa at least once.

So, everything is going well (*´▽｀*)

Thank you for reading!
Japan has so much delicious food to discover.
Let’s explore it together!