As most countries get fatter, they emphasize healthy eating and portion control. Japan, on the other hand, has an affinity for huge portions to the point where restaurants offering such menu items are often featured on television. Here are five insane items that might make you feel full from just thinking about it.
Jumbo Curry at Kurumi ¥ 800 ($10)
This is a menu item from a place in Kyoto called Kurumi. It comes with 5 gos of rice (about 1.7 pounds) and you can ask for more curry if needed. Many places that offer huge portions will often give you a guilt-free option of not finishing it (which comes with a pretty hefty price), but Kurumi only charges ¥500 if not finished (about $6), because you can’t take this challenge just for kicks, you have to qualify. People who have been able to finish two medium jumbos (half of the jumbo) can order this menu item the next time they visit. Pretty serious business!
The Five Story Pagoda Salisbury Steak at Onion ¥3000 ($39)
This crazy dish is offered at the Onion in Miyagi. Compared to the normal size (which is 200g), the meat pagoda has five patties that each weigh 1kg, which means you’d be 5kg (11 lbs, that’s like a perfect dumbbell!) heavier by the time you finish it! This place has a few rules of their own as well. You only have an hour to complete the challenge, and you’ll have to eat everything that comes with it (the bit of pasta on the side, a salad, soup, and rice) before you can take a bite out of the meat. You can’t get up to go to the bathroom or take home what you couldn’t finish, but if you complete it, the meal is on them and your picture gets posted on their wall!
Mt. Fuji Tempura Soba at Minatoan ¥900 ($12)
Minatoan is a chain soba restaurant that offers all the soba you could possibly want at a very inexpensive price. This place also has no rules so if you really wanted to you could order this and share it with your friends, but that wouldn’t be epic!
Beef Bowl at Life ¥950 ($12)
Yoshinoya ain’t got nothing on this place! This is a nice little place in Shinjuku near Waseda University. This meal was created out of the owner’s kindness as he wanted to offer an item that would allow poor students to get full. BUT if you fail to finish it, you’ll have to pay ¥1800 ($23) so make sure you’ve got quite an appetite!
Baseball Tako-yaki at some food cart ¥250 ($3)
These oversized octopus balls are made by guy who has a food cart in Ueno. Although it looks like a tako-yaki, it doesn’t have the usual ingredients because it’s so big! It has cabbage, corn, beni-shoga, mochi, and sausages…but no octopus? Not to worry, it still tastes delicious! Apparently, the mochi allows for less batter and time so that it doesn’t take forever to cook, and you still get to enjoy the doughy softness of a regular octopus ball.
The Millennium Curry w/ Everything at Moyan Curry ¥1300 ($17)
This one’s a bonus. Another curry item from Moyan in Shinjuku. This place is interesting because for some reason they offer all-you-can-eat/drink potato and coffee. The millennium size with everything comes with rice, weighing 2kg (4.4 lbs), and curry with beef, pork, chicken, shrimp and cheese. And to give off a more “millennium” image, they stick a lighted hand-held firework in your rice!
That’s all the ridiculous sized menu items from Japan for now. I hope you’re still hungry!
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