Tokyo's Monster Food Challenge 東京大食いチャレンジ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n19N6bECRQMendofvid
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Japan is the last place you'd think to find gigantic portions of food, but you'll be surprised to hear that many restaurants offer food challenges! Sometimes what you've given just isn't enough, right? Best of all, if you eat it all within a certain amount of time, it's usually free!

John Daub and Kai Okudara head to Iidabashi Station and the Kagurazaka Hanten (神楽坂飯店) restaurant known for its jumbo gyoza and other food challenges. It's a 10 min walk from the Tokyo Dome or 1 stop on the Oedo Line subway.
Most people notice the challenge in the display window. It looks almost like a joke! It's ridiculously big.

THE CHALLENGE:
★ Jumbo Gyoza / 2.5kg. / 60 minutes / ￥9600
★ Triple Jumbo Ramen / 3.2kg. / 60 minutes / ￥1890
* It's free if you complete the challenge
* Jumbo Gyoza should be ordered 2 days in advance
* Enter the Wall of Fame if you complete the challenge

Why are food portions in Japanese usually small?
We talk about the Japanese concept of mottainai もったいない which means "take only what you need" and "don't waste"
This concept runs deep with Japanese and is followed closely with almost every citizen.

Kagurazaka Hanten started this challenge 45 years ago as a PR stunt for students. It was a way to get them in to the restaurant in groups and have fun. Today, the restaurant is featured often on Japanese TV as Japanese talent test the limits of their stomachs.

Kai Okudara is a writer for tokyocheapo.com and blogs about Japanese food.

This show has been created and produced by John Daub. He's been living and working in Japan for over 15 years and regularly reports on an International TV Show for Japan's International Channel.

URL:
Tokyo Cheapo: http://tokyocheapo.com
Kai's Instagram: http://instagram.com/sneakermania
Kagurazaka Hanten (神楽坂飯店) telephone: 03-3260-1402

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