Five Family-Friendly Restaurants around the Tokyo Skytree

When strolling throughout downtown Tokyo, the first thing that comes to mind is okonomiyaki.

Spread the dough in a circle on the hot plate, cut up generous slices for everyone, and dig in! "Hot! Hot! This is good. . .nom, nom" go the kids, shoveling in okonomiyaki in their mouths. An authentic scene of Japanese family quality time!

But I'm going on a tangent here. Back to our restaurant in Asakusa!

This restaurant, loved by the locals, has been open for more than 20 years. The ideal place to feast on traditional okonomiyaki and monjayaki.

The most famous dish here is "Yukinko Yaki," made of mochi and minced pork shaped into a snowflake-like hexagon. The mochi is hot and chewy.

They also provide a large-sized and reasonably priced modan-yaki, as well as a variant of the monjayaki with Hakata-style mentaiko cheese. Time to gather around the iron griddle!

When imagining a typical Japanese family dinner, yakiniku definitely comes to mind! When asking the kids what they want to eat on weekends, the answer is always the same: "Meat!" That's why it is good to consider going to a yakiniku place when out with the whole family.

I discovered a yakiniku restaurant with a direct view of the Tokyo Skytree, and where the meat is so soft it melts in your mouth. This restaurant carefully selects its grade A5 marbled beef from farms in Yamagata, Yonezawa and Obanazawa.

Why not, once a year, take your children to a fancy restaurant? The spectacular view of the Skytree is an uplifting bonus. The lunch menu is wallet-friendly, and they have private rooms so parents with young children will feel at ease here.

Asakusa is the shitamachi (downtown area) of Tokyo, and Edokko are the residents of shitamachi.Edokko refers to the local population of Tokyo, those who have been living there for a long time, since back when Tokyo was stilled called Edo. (Edokko literally means "child of Edo").

Did you know there used to be vegetables exclusively grown in the Edo area (now Tokyo)? To name a few: komatsuna, yanaka ginger, senju negi... The list goes on!

This café prepares home-made juices with komatsuna, ginger ale with yanaka ginger, you name it. . . Go back in time for a visit to the nostalgic Edo period with your kids!

But that's not the half of it. There are also many of those nostalgic Western-style Japanese dishes that will remind Japanese parents of their sweet childhood. Menchi-katsu made with Hitachi beef, Shamo chicken-filled omuraisu with black demi-glace sauce... Your children will love these dishes in the same way that their parents did long ago! And children always like to listen to their parents share things about their childhood.

Last but not least, Tokyo Café's trump card: extra thick pancakes! They are 6 cm high, crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The café can also write a message on top if you came for someone's birthday.

Here is the last restaurant for this episode. Speaking of Asakusa, we could not fail to mention that Asahi Beer's headquarters is close by! This restaurant is located on the 22nd floor of the headquarters.

The vast 20m-high ceiling and dazzling lights of Tokyo's night view soothe the mind. A great venue to spend a memorable family time, along with Italian cuisine prepared with seasonal ingredients.

When in Japan, Asahi's Super Dry is the way to go! The dream place for all dads who love beer.

This restaurant also prepares a special heart-shaped cake for birthday occasions.

All this is a great recipe for a joyful family.

High chairs and children's menus are also provided.