Entering a restaurant alone in Japan can be a little daunting, especially if it's behind a closed door or a noren curtain. Which is why it's nice to have an excuse to enter a hole-in-the-wall bar for the first time and know that everyone already knows why you're there and just how you found the place.
For the past five years, the Yebisu Beer x Ebisu Food Grand Prix has provided me with that excuse. Organized by Ebisu Shimbun, a local web-based newspaper, the annual competition is a great opportunity to discover restaurants around Ebisu that you may normally never find, while making friends you may never have otherwise — it's certainly helped me find a place in my local community.
