To start off, if you are ever hungry and craving for some Japanese cuisine go to St.Marks.  The ramen/sushi restaurants are delicious, cheap, friendly, and completely authentic.   They are satisfying to the taste buds of any person wanting Japan’s well-known dishes.  With St.Marks already being popular for their clothing stores and tattoo/piercing parlors; Japanese food is another reason for that.

 Japadog

30 St Marks PL (between Cooper Sq & Astor Pl) New York, NY 10003

646.476.2324     http://www.japadog.com/newyork_En.html

The Japanese restaurants are more or less the same in St.Marks but Japadog is worth highlighting because it is not your typical Japanese food in New York City.  Instead of ramen, udon, or sushi they serve hot dogs. Yes, hot dogs.  What makes it so special and oh so mouth watering is that they top it off with yakisoba, teriyaki sauce, kimchi, or have edamame inside the hot dog.  They have various combinations on their menu that will make you want to try each one.  Along with it you can order fries as well but then, once again, you will have to make a difficult decision of what flavor you want.  Butter & shoyu flavored fries are amazing but they also have more “daring” flavors like shichimi and garlic, curry, or wasabi.  And if you are in the mood for something sweet after the meal you can order the “Ice Age” which is a deep fried bun filled with ice cream with many different flavors.   Your stomach should be growling by now so go and head to Japadog.

Otafuku

236 E 9th St (between 2nd Ave & Stuyvesant St) New York, NY 10003

212.353.8503     http://otafukunyc.com/

It looks like a typical Japanese storefront.  Everyone has to eat outside because of it’s small size.  They are most popular for their takoyaki.  It’s freshly made all day long and is an absolute treat when I stop by.  They are perfectly chewy and savory and for all I know Otafuku makes the best takoyaki in the city.  Not to mention that the food is cheap so you can buy a lot of takoyaki and drink some Ramune as well.

Sushi Park

121 E 2nd Ave (between 7th St & St Marks Pl) New York, NY 10003

212. 533.8448

50% off sushi.  Yes, this restaurant is a favorite for me and my friends because we don’t have to pay a lot but we still get quality sushi.  Their sushi selection is huge, so do expect discovering new flavors that will make you come back for more.  I always tend to order Godzilla sushi roll because it’s fried and have a bunch of things rolled in to it.  Everything is delicious and I recommend it if you ever stop by.  Plus during lunch time they have $1 appetizers which I always take advantage.  For example, I get edamame or dumplings.  Right next to the restaurant, there is also a good spot for 50% ramen.  It just depends what you’re in the mood for.  Both restaurants will not disappoint any Japanese cuisine lover.

A lot of our readers and students of the Japanese language have all been to “Japan Town” in New York City. However, if you look on a map or read a guidebook, there’s no official listing of Japan Town in New York. There’s definitely a Chinatown and Koreatown (Koreatown is actually written on 32nd street) so where’s the Japan Town? And why has it been called that?

The “where” is easy to explain. St. Marks Place is actually another term for East 8th Street. The “Japan Town” location is centered between 2nd ave and 3rd ave, if you’re going to take the subway, take the 6 to Astor Place or the R or W to 8th Ave NYU. Then walk east along East 8th Street or St. Marks Place and you’ll come across a street loaded with Japanese goodness.

Although not nearly as conspicuous as Chinatown or Koreatown, Japan Town does have it’s own charm and feel. Every sign might not be in Japanese, but there are plenty of good yakitori, izakaya, sushi, ramen, and other Japanese restaurants to lure in the passerby.  Before you get to 2nd avenue on the north side of the street don’t forget to stop and take a look inside the JAS Mart, a small little convenience store that sells foods and other articles that are uniquely Japanese.

The ambiance of  St. Marks Place though is not really reflective of Japan. Although Japanese are lured to the area due to Izakaya’s, Yakitori Places, and of course the ever famous and popular Setagaya Ramen, the area’s main demographics seem to have more of an NYU feel. Lots of young close to graduation college students mix with asians of all backgrounds to make you feel like you’re more in Roppongi than Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Despite the contradictions, anyone interested in Japanese language or culture in New York should visit Japan Town at least once. The food might not be Tokyo quality, and the karaoke (the popular Sing-Sing) might not be the best price around, but it does feel like a New York version of Japan. And who knows, 日本語で話しかけたら誰か答えてもらうかもしれない！