The Restaurant That Became Japan’s Unofficial Ambassador

In 1962, my much-older brother, who had been stationed as an Army captain in Korea, and had gone to Japan on leave, took me to Saito, which I believe was on West 55th Street. We sat on the floor in a tatami room and had sushi, among other things. I wish it was still there, too. Your article has brought back such a lovely memory, albeit about different restaurant from your subject.

The soba looks great, personally I like chasoba but in the end, friends, some beer and okinomiyaki with whatever leftovers from the frig cannot be beat.

Oh great I really needed this. My favorite restaurant for 50 years will now be overrun with shallow status seekers? Thanks a lot Pete Wells. The food stinks. Don't ruin the last decade of my life folks.

I remember sukiyaki (and tempura) in New York at Miyako, before the arrival of Restaurant Nippon.

Onions? Bok choy stems? I think that in this modern era, any "authentic" Japanese restaurant could manage negi (Japanese scallions) and possibly shungiku chrysanthemum leaves for sukiyaki, if not shungiku than Komatsuna at least! Onions in sukiyaki was in the 1970s "Betty Crocker" sukiyaki recipe, for goodness's sake!

I have dined on fugu until my lip went numb. Doesn't get any better unless you eat "good" cold soba. It is divine for the summer. Couldn't do with out it with a small portion of fish tempura on the side. Don't get any better!

Thanks, Mr. Wells, for writing about this trusty old gem in Midtown Manhattan. I’ve always liked its food, service and ambience. Its relative far-east side location is a relative disadvantage such that in the last few years I’ve almost forgotten it as a business lunch meeting place. In the general area I’ve had my favorite Japanese but many are closed (Seryna, Inagiku and Sugiyama, though the latter opened for dinner only) and figuratively (Hatsuhana); it’s good to know Nippon and Sushiden are still alive and kicking. They seem more authentic and reasonably priced than their peers (Yasuda, for example).

It sounds like another "upscale" restaurant with large designer plates that just happen to have a little food on them.

I’m no foodie, but the cover photograph looks so good I might think of becoming one…… Naaahhhhh: there’s not enough time to enjoy food anymore: it’s from grocery bag to mouth now, As I’m getting increasingly older and whole weeks are just flying by, now I am having gooder fun finishing projects that I’ve accumulated.

À wonderful praise to this 55-year-old restaurant that acquaints New Yorkers with the fine points of the Japanese cuisine. Being somewhat inspired by the movie "Shogun" and many other samurai films, I would have expected the guests to eat from the low tables, sitting on the floor Japanese-style. Sukiyaki is undoubtedly an eternally admirable dish. But I would skip the noodles and raw fish, in a hope of other Japanese incomparable fish dishes. If the owner can import fugu, other oceanic riches should be importable too.