Zoshiki Walking Guide — Deli Counters, Neighborhood Chinese and a Black Hot Spring

Around Zoshiki Station (Ota-ku, Tokyo) there are 6 walking spots, ranging from a deli that has been open for over 60 years to a bathhouse with a natural hot spring. Four of the six are delis and neighborhood Chinese restaurants, and prices like ¥650 for tantanmen and ¥450 for five gyoza show this is a budget-friendly downtown walk. The route crosses Naka-Rokugo, Nishi-Rokugo, Minami-Rokugo and Higashi-Rokugo — four neighborhoods that all carry the name "Rokugo."

A suggested order

Start with a deli on the shopping street, fill up at a Chinese place, sweat it out at the bathhouse, and finish standing at a sake shop counter.

1. Takezawa Shoten (Naka-Rokugo 2-chome)
2. Meguro Shokuhin (Nishi-Rokugo 1-chome)
3. Omasu (Minami-Rokugo 2-chome)
4. Daiki (Minami-Rokugo 2-chome)
5. Teru-no-yu (Naka-Rokugo 3-chome)
6. Moritaya Shoten (Higashi-Rokugo 2-chome)

[Takezawa Shoten](/en/spot/9727e5c1-0be0-4f33-b59a-fd55bb0c5faf)

A deli on Zoshiki shopping street that has been in business for over 60 years. Its takeaway motsu-ni (stewed offal) and lemon sour are the popular picks, and plenty of people start their first drink of the day right here. The address is 2-19-9 Naka-Rokugo, Ota-ku. It makes a natural starting point for the walk.

[Meguro Shokuhin](/en/spot/c534511d-7535-4476-8257-3ed9ce6bf9a5)

A deli marked by the three characters for "oden" out front. There is eat-in seating, so you can sit down rather than just buy and keep walking. The address is 1-50-17 Nishi-Rokugo, Ota-ku. Half the fun is spotting that three-character sign as you go.

[Omasu](/en/spot/9cc40105-5dd8-4bd0-a0ee-8c8aa055889b)

A Chinese restaurant in Zoshiki, now run by the second-generation owner Tsushima in the kitchen. Tantanmen is ¥650 and five gyoza are ¥450, and the gyoza are steamed in pork-bone broth rather than water. A Kirin Classic Lager is ¥650, so noodles, gyoza and a beer together still come in under ¥2,000. The address is 2-24-11 Minami-Rokugo, Ota-ku.

[Daiki](/en/spot/3e77e8ce-475f-4108-8fd2-1922eeeeb875)

A neighborhood Chinese restaurant in Minami-Rokugo. Gyoza with a half portion of fried rice is the standard order here. It shares the same address as Omasu — 2-24-11 Minami-Rokugo, Ota-ku — so hopping between the two takes no navigating at all.

[Teru-no-yu](/en/spot/db1a0bdd-8f6b-4626-b28e-88cadf83f390)

A public bathhouse that still holds work by the painter who produced more bathhouse murals than anyone else in Japan. The headline feature is the natural "kuroyu" black hot spring in an ancient hinoki cypress tub, with a maple tree in the open-air bath as another highlight. The address is 3-23-6 Naka-Rokugo, Ota-ku. It is the place to reset a body weighed down by all that eating.

[Moritaya Shoten](/en/spot/ee56aae4-5fad-4276-bf58-019b75f1c02a)

A liquor shop where you can drink standing at the counter. Art made by the owner's son and the owner's own collection fill the space, giving it the feel of hanging out in an older friend's room. The address is 2-9-12 Higashi-Rokugo, Ota-ku. A fitting place to close out the walk with one more glass after the bath.

One last tip

Five of the six spots are places to eat or drink, so the trick is ordering a little at each rather than a lot at one. Bring a towel if you plan on the bathhouse, and go Teru-no-yu first, then Moritaya Shoten, to end on a post-bath drink. If you start at midday instead, the two Chinese restaurants work just as well up front.