The Hotel East 21 Tokyo is serving a New Year's Ise-ebi (Japanese spiny lobster) lunch course at its Chinese restaurant Toen through Jan. 31.
The Ise-ebi lobster is seen as a lucky charm for bravery and longevity, and it has traditionally been used as a decoration for Japanese New Year's celebrations.
The special lunch course features a Japanese spiny lobster stew with seasonal vegetables along with five other dishes, including a salad of soft, sweet ama-ebi shrimp; garlic-steamed fleshy prawns; and a soba stew with Shiba shrimp. To enjoy such a celebratory lunch at a Chinese restaurant after having one's fill of Japanese osechi (traditional New Year's foods) is another sort of pleasure for the New Year in Japan.