For obvious reasons, Thanksgiving tradition isn't celebrated by the general populace of Japan. In spite of this, the number of Turkey Day options has been growing steadily. At the end of the day, you don't need to be American to enjoy these classic culinary traditions, whether they're served at a restaurant or at home. Here are some of the best choices in the Tokyo area.
Restaurants
Thanksgiving at Four Seasons Hotel
Nov. 22-27
Lunch ¥5,500; dinner ¥7,500
Get ready to pack on the pounds with a four-course meal at the ekki BAR & GRILL in the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo in Marunouchi. The meal includes pumpkin and butternut squash cream soup, roasted turkey and gravy, homemade cranberry chutney and homemade apple pie.
Granny Smith Apple Pie and Coffee
Year round
¥3,000-3,400 per pie; ¥450-650 per slice
Nothing says “home for the holidays” like a piece of grandma’s homemade pie. Now you can pick up a piece of grandma’s homecooking at Granny Smith Apple Pie and Coffee in Aoyama and Mishuku. The shops offer a variety of pies including sweet potato, Dutch crumble and classic rum raisin.
Nov. 27
Lunch ¥1,700; dinner ¥4,500
Celebrate the holidays right on the waterfront with T.Y. Harbor’s lunch and dinner options. Lunch features turkey, mashed potatoes and green beans while dinner includes creamy salmon chowder, roasted turkey breast and, of course, pumpkin pie.
Nov. 27
Dinner ¥8,500
Located in Aoyama, beacon offers a hefty, yet sophisticated, meal. The dinner special has cream of autumn mushroom soup, roast turkey, spiced pumpkin cheesecake and a cup of coffee to help fight off the tryptophan.
Nov. 27
¥3,500
Have a classic Thanksgiving meal with a BBQ twist at Smokehouse near Meijijingumae Station. The meal comes with smoked potato clam chowder, BBQ turkey breast plate and pumpkin pudding for dessert.
Nov. 15
¥1,500
For those of us who don’t have the money or the stomach capacity for a proper holiday meal, you can drop by crisscross in Omotesando and pick up a special Thanksgiving sandwich. The sandwich is topped with smoked turkey breast on a rye bun with cranberry relish, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato.
Nov. 26-30
Dinner ¥6,500-7,100
For five days, ANA InterContinental Hotel adds some Thanksgiving classics at its buffet. Visitors can choose from roast turkey, mashed potatoes and a choice of traditional American pies.
Nov. 27-30
Brunch ¥3,800; lunch ¥2,600; dinner ¥5,800
The American-style restaurant will offer a wide variety of options this holiday including a special Thanksgiving brunch. Dishes include free-range Californian turkey, cornbread dressing, velvet potatoes, pure pumpkin cheesecake and egg nog ice cream.
Nov. 27-29
Dinner ¥3,900
People looking for a sit-down meal or a catered affair can look to Good Honest Grub in Shibuya. Dinners include turkey, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce and pumpkin carrot cake.
Retail
Nov. 27
¥20,000
Pick up your Turkey Day dinner at breadworks with a meal that should satiate a group of eight. The meal consists of a whole roasted turkey, mushroom gravy sauce, cranberry relish and original cornbread stuffing. Make sure to reserve your meal in advance to guarantee a happy Thanksgiving.
If you’re looking for hard-to-find food for the holidays, The Meat Guy has you covered. While technically listed as their Christmas selection, their supply of turkeys, cans of cranberry sauce and stuffing mix are perfect for Thanksgiving. The Meat Guy ships to anywhere in Japan.
When searching for the perfect Thanksgiving ingredients, don’t forget what is arguably the most important part: dessert. Kyle’s Bakery in Nakano Ward has a variety of pies and treats to satisfy your guests, including applesauce spice cake and traditional pumpkin pie.
