Han-tei Nezu

Nezu is a neighborhood where the present and past coexist. Han-tei Nezu embodies this blend of old and new, with a historic building visible through the gaps in a modern iron fence. The rare and valuable three-story Japanese wooden building, constructed entirely from zelkova in the Meiji period and said to have survived the Great Kanto Earthquake, is designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. The restaurant originally opened in Ueno in 1970 as a kushikatsu restaurant called Kushiichi. When it moved from Ueno to Nezu, it was renamed Han-tei, inspired by the desire to move “half a step” forward and by the “han” in Ueno kohan, meaning the shore of Ueno’s pond.

The atmospheric interior is the setting for an array of kushikatsu made with carefully selected ingredients and frying oil. Each skewer is expertly fried in a blend of four oils, resulting in a light yet rich flavor. In addition to staples such as shrimp wrapped in shiso, Yanaka ginger wrapped in meat, and lotus root stuffed with meat, the extensive menu also features seasonal kushikatsu.