Good sushi doesn’t always need to be expensive or intimidating. Yoshi Sushi is an easygoing Ueno spot I like for quality sushi with family and friends.

This is the soba I grew up with. Handmade Tokyo-style soba in Ueno, owned by my grade-school friend and still one of my favorites.

Ueno has a long connection with American casual style. Hinoya is one of my favorite places to see that history through Japanese denim.

One of the first sushi restaurants I felt comfortable visiting on my own. Sit at the counter, talk to the chef and definitely try the negitoro.

Great chicken, yakitori, sake and oyakodon to finish. This is one of my favorite ways to spend an evening around Ueno.

Military jackets, MA-1s, camouflage and classic Americana. Nakata Shoten is part of the wonderfully chaotic shopping culture around Ueno.

Beer, nikomi, skewers and seats under the train tracks. Daitouryo is one of those places where Ueno feels completely like Ueno.

Small space, tons of stuff, locals and tourists all mixed together—Yamashiroya is wonderfully chaotic and, to me, very Ueno.

An old-school tonkatsu restaurant that has been part of Ueno for generations. Come here for the specialty: tender hirekatsu with a light, crisp coating.