Edo Street Stalls Audio Guide

Welcome to the World of Edo Street Stalls

Welcome to the world of Edo's cuisine. Sushi, tempura, soba, and the grilled eel we call unagi. It may surprise you to learn that these celebrated dishes of Japan all began as quick, casual bites sold from the street stalls of Edo — the old name for Tokyo. Around four hundred years ago, Edo was growing explosively into one of the largest cities in the world. The workers who poured in from the countryside were largely single men, and what filled their empty stomachs cheaply, quickly, and deliciously was the food of the stalls lining the roadsides — Edo's fast food, you might say. Sharpened by the palates of the impatient, novelty-loving people of Edo, these dishes are said to have been refined at astonishing speed. That flavor, carried across the centuries, connects directly to the plate before you now. For a little while, let's set out together on a journey to the roots of Japanese food culture. Let's begin with its unexpected start — the story of Edo's fast-food revolution.