Tokyo in 2002 was the backdrop for some of Anthony Bourdain’s very first steps into television on A Cook’s Tour. These early Season 1 episodes captured a younger, hyper-curious Bourdain confronting a culinary landscape that was both intimidatingly precise and profoundly alien to him at the time. The food culture in Japan is built on intense dedication to craft, specialization, and flawless ingredients, ranging from the dangerous thrill of toxic fugu to the serene perfection of high-end sushi and the robust, communal joy of sumo wrestler stews. Bourdain’s angle was pure discovery: he threw himself headfirst into the culture, eager to experience extreme cuisines and find the perfect meal. It marked the beginning of his lifelong, deep-seated obsession with Japan. To retrace the origins of his love affair with Tokyo and experience the same sense of wide-eyed culinary wonder, here are the essential locations he visited.
When Anthony Bourdain visited Atami and Tokyo on his show A Cook’s Tour, he and his crew picked many restaurants. Here are all the addresses and the dishes showcased in a convenient list.
This is A Cook’s Tour, season 1, episodes 1, 2 and 6. They first aired on January 8, 2002, January 12, 2002 and February 5, 2002.
READ MORE: WHAT TO DO ONE WEEK IN TOKYO: THE BEST ADDRESSES
DISH – “Japanese Seafood Dishes” – Anthony Bourdain Tokyo
WHAT IS IT?
First: Slowly simmered octopus with sweet plum sauce.
Second: Different kinds of sushi like flounder, prawn, toro, marinated tuna and eel.
“I’m ready to die now. I will have lead a full and rich and satisfied life at this point.” -Anthony Bourdain
WHERE IS IT?
Sushi KARAKU
Japan, 〒104-0061 Tokyo, Chuo City, Ginza, 5 Chome−6−16 ビル 地下一階 銀座西五番館
Tokyo, Japan
READ MORE: JAPAN: ALL OF THE RESTAURANTS PICKED BY ANTHONY BOURDAIN ON NO RESERVATIONS
DISH – Nabe – Anthony Bourdain Tokyo
WHAT IS IT?
Nabe is a soup that is usually at the center of the table and beef, chicken, meatballs, seafood, mushrooms, green vegetables, tofu, onions, radishes, egg, and rice are commonly added.
“I really had no idea what to expect. One of the first surprises is that chanko is fun. Sort of like a living dish, in that as the conversation proceeds and the subject matter changes, the character of the dish can change as well.” -Anthony Bourdain
WHERE IS IT?
Chanko Edosawa
3 Chome-24-11 Ryogoku, Sumida City, Tokyo 130-0026, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
DISH – “Kaiseki Cuisine” – Anthony Bourdain Tokyo
WHAT IS IT?
First: A small snack which is a candy and green tea.
Second: Anthony sampled some food like dried mullet eggs with radish, oyster cooked in soy sauce, smoked trout with lotus root and sea cucumber seasoned with its own liver.
Third: Fish liver, slightly grilled squid, softshell turtle soup and grilled local lobster.
Lastly, fresh local mushrooms and miso broth.
For breakfast: Seaworms with potato dumpling as described by Anthony Bourdain and a fermented bean.
WHERE IS IT?
Ryokan Sekiyou
749 Miyakami, 湯河原町 Yugawara, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa 259-0314, Japan
Kanagawa, Japan
READ MORE: ANTHONY BOURDAIN OSAKA : ALL OF THE RESTAURANTS PICKED ON NO RESERVATIONS
DISH – Fugue Fish – Anthony Bourdain Tokyo
WHAT IS IT?
Fugue fish or blowfish is a toxic fish that is being prepared carefully and only by professional chefs in Japan and Anthony Bourdain is here to taste it.
First: Anthony Bourdain sampled the fugue sashimi served with soy sauce, chives and brown radish with red pepper for dipping.
Second: Fugue in Nabe style. A soup of fugue, tofu, mushrooms and cabbage made in a pot.
Lastly, battered and fried fugue.
“Okay, so fugue actually taste rather bland. I guess the thrill of eating fugue is all in the risk. I mean, this is a great cocktail party story. Yeah, yeah I ate the poisonous blowfish and I survived. So, I was a little disappointed. I was kinda looking for a buzz frankly and maybe a little numbness around the lips.” -Anthony Bourdain
WHERE IS IT?
Nibiki
3 Chome-3-7 Shitaya, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0004, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
NOTES – Anthony Bourdain Tokyo
Unfortunately, this restaurant has since closed its doors.
DISH – Soba – Anthony Bourdain Tokyo
WHAT IS IT?
Cold soba that is to be dipped in hot duck broth with duck meat, scallion and wasabi.
“This is really a treat, it’s really good. That’s so good. Nothing like it. Soba, just the comfort food I was looking for.” -Anthony Bourdain
WHERE IS IT?
Honmura-an, Serving soba since 1924
2 Chome-7-11 Kamiogi, Suginami City, Tokyo 167-0043, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
DISH – Yakitori – A Cook’s Tour Tokyo
WHAT IS IT?
Yakitori is a a grilled, skewered items kind of snacklike, like a shish kebab. The marinade is made of sugar, soy sauce and mirin or sweet rice wine. In this bar, Anthony Bourdain ate elbow cartilage.
“This is, you know, kind of like a big Italian meal. You know, same thing. Everybody’s sitting around, talking, and drinking and eating. Controlled chaos.” -Anthony Bourdain
WHERE IS IT?
Yakitori Bar
Tokyo, Japan
NOTES – A Cook’s Tour Tokyo
We do not know exactly the name of the bar that Anthony Bourdain visited.
READ MORE: TOKYO: ALL OF THE RESTAURANTS PICKED BY ANTHONY BOURDAIN ON PARTS UNKNOWN
These early Tokyo episodes are historically significant for marking the inception of Bourdain’s enduring fascination with Japan, a country he would return to repeatedly throughout his career. It captured him in a raw, exploratory phase, willing to try anything—even risking a brush with death by eating fugu just for the story. This journey laid the foundational ethos for his entire television career: stepping out of one’s comfort zone to truly understand another culture. The episodes remain a brilliant time capsule of his early adventurous spirit. Book a flight to Tokyo, find a tiny yakitori bar, and start your own culinary awakening.
