The first perfect place for people traveling solo is Ueno Yabu Soba which is located about a 3-minute walk from the JR Ueno Station and is also very near Keisei Ueno Station.

This soba shop has been in business since 1892. It is an elegant shop, unobtrusively tucked away among the row of more colorful dining establishments, and visited regularly by Japanese who work in the Ueno area as well as by many foreign tourists.

Neither the first floor or second floor dining areas are visible from the street, so it is a place even individuals can easily enter and enjoy a leisurely meal in its relaxed atmosphere. From the counter seats on the first floor you can observe the chef making soba by hand behind the glass partition. The authenticity of this soba is highly acclaimed by Japanese connoisseurs of soba.

Soba served in hot soups, such as Tempura Soba (1,810 yen excluding tax) and Kamo Nanban (1,810 yen excluding tax), are especially popular with foreigners traveling alone. In fact, Tempura Soba is the most popular dish on the menu. It comes with two large prawns cooked tempura style which means they are plump and soft on the inside yet the breaded coating has a nice crisp texture.　The noodles are cooked to perfection and go perfectly with the highly flavorful soup.

The noodles are most delicious when eaten in the recommended traditional way of slurping them. This is how soba should be eaten. For foreigners unaccustomed to or for whom slurping is frowned upon, this may be difficult at first, but with a little effort you should be able to get the hang of it and once you do, the soba will definitely taste even better.

There are other items on the menu, including appetizers and sake, which also are recommended. The menu is available in English, Chinese, Korean, French, and Spanish, so even if you can’t read Japanese, you should have no trouble ordering.

Our next place on the list is Meat and Japanese Sake Hakkeiyoi located just a one-minute walk from Ueno Station. “Hakkeiyoi” is what you can hear the Gyoji [sumo referee] shouting once a bout begins. The shop is famous for its “meat sushi” and Gyusuji Nikomi (beef tendons simmered in soy sauce), but there are many other items on the menu, too, such as yakitori, oden, and sashimi. Here you can get a real taste of the old-town atmosphere of Ueno in this izakaya having a sumo theme.

The spacious three-story shop can seat more than 100 people. There are counter seats on the first floor and none of the seats can be seen from the street so you can leisurely relax wherever you sit. There is also an English and the customers are mostly people who are in Ueno running errands or tourists.

This is the signature menu item: meat sushi made with Kuroge Wagyū [Japanese Black Beef]. Sumo wrestling terms are used to describe the names of the dishes which include Oshikiri Mori (plate with 3 servings) (1,800 yen excluding tax), Yorikiri Mori (sirloin, salmon roe, and sea urchin) (2,599 yen excluding tax), and Daiban Kuruwase (wildly throwing cushions) (899 yen excluding tax). The latter refers to spectators wildly throwing their cushions towards the ring when a lower-ranked wrestler beats a Yokozuna (Grand Champion). Here you can also get a taste of Japanese culture while enjoying a delicious meal.

Gyusuji Nikomi (599 yen excluding tax) is also another popular menu item and one we highly recommend. This scrumptious dish uses several types of miso in an original blend for the sauce that is loaded with vegetables and the meat is so tender it will melt in your mouth. About twenty percent of the meat used in the dish, which goes really well with sake, is sirloin and it has a rich flavor fit for a Yokozuna,

Another highly popular dish, especially during the cold season, is Oden [vegetables, fish dumplings and various other articles of food stewed in a thin, soy soup, and served hot]; during the warmer seasons Sashimi [raw sliced fish, shellfish or crustaceans] is very popular. Other popular side dishes include Edamame [green soybeans in the pod] and potato salad which go really well with Japanese sake.

Our next place on the list is the Ueno Kushi Katsu Center located about a 3-minute walk from the north exit of JR Ueno Station. This shop specializes in cutlets served on skewers hot out of the fryer that are prepared by hand every day. We recommend this spot because you can see inside the shop from the entrance, so if you are out walking about alone and want to stop for a drink even in the afternoon, you can do it here without hesitation.

This cozy shop has both counter and table seating. The shop is also popular with women. You place your order by indicating what you want on a form which you then give to a waiter. The menu is also in English and Chinese, so even if you can’t read Japanese you can easily order. This is a convenient way to order what you like when you like. The shop has a relaxing atmosphere that welcomes individuals.

There is a cabbage otoshi (mandatory appetizer) surcharge of 200 yen per person (excluding tax). Prices for the cutlet skewers start at 99 yen and there is a large selection from which to choose. This is a great place to stop by when you want a quick, light meal. The skewered cutlets pictured is the Daily Special 5-piece Set (479 yen excluding tax). On this day it consisted of Iberian pork, salmon, onion, and ginkgo nuts This is a good choice to begin with if you are unsure of what to order.

The ochazuke, Japanese tea poured over cooked rice, is also very popular among Chinese visitors. There are three types from which to choose: shake chazuke [salmon], mentaiko chazuke [walleye pollack roe], and ume chazuke [plum] (380 yen excluding tax for each). We recommend you try one of the ochazuke to have with your skewered cutlets!

This last shop on our list of recommendations is Kurofune-tei, a restaurant that has been serving Western-style food since the Meiji era. It is a 5-minute walk from the JR Ueno Station, and a 2-minute walk from the Keisei Ueno Station located on the 4th floor of a building. This is a famous restaurant that offers carefully handmade "Western dishes that suit the Japanese palate" based on French cuisine. Here you can enjoy dishes taken from around the world that have been sublimated in Japan and designated as “Yoshoku” which means "Western food".

Its signature dishes are those made with demi-glace. The most popular of these is Hayashi Rice [hashed beef rice] (1,700 yen excluding tax). It takes more than a week to prepare the demi-glace which is made by hand and is the pride of this shop. Koshihikari rice from Minami Uonuma, Niigata is used.

We also recommend the Beef Stew (3,300 excluding tax) pictured here. This is a scrumptious dish; the stewed meat soft and tender and richly flavored with homemade demi-glace and wine.

“Yoshoku” is Western-style cuisine that has been arranged and prepared in a Japanese style making it uniquely different; the Hayashi Rice, rice omelet, and crab croquette being excellent examples and highly recommended.

It is also possible to order half-sizes of items on the menu. If you order half-sized items, you can then sample more than one of these delicious dishes.

There are many different restaurants in Ueno from which to choose and the four introduced in this article are perfect for anyone traveling alone. Ueno is an area where you can feel the charm of shitamachi - old neighborhoods - and warm hospitality is evident everywhere. If you are traveling alone, make it a point to visit Ueno and experience the culinary delights awaiting you here!