Tokyo for The Food Pilgrims: a Friday-to-Monday weekend

The market under the Yamanote tracks, with dried squid, spices and stalls of all kinds. Eat a skewer of grilled meat at a stand.

A tasting counter run by the sake brewers' association, with a flat fee per tasting token. Ask for three dry styles, and a short explanation.

An okonomiyaki house in an old wooden building, where you cook the pancake yourself on the table griddle. Order the Sometaro special.

The stalls beside the old fish market: tamagoyaki, grilled scallops and tuna skewers. Go early, eat as you walk, and carry cash.

A 24-hour sushi counter, with big pieces of tuna and a lively crowd. Order the omakase set, and eat it in under twenty minutes.

Make your own plastic tempura and lettuce from wax, taught by the makers on Kappabashi Street. Book ahead; the lesson lasts about an hour.

The kitchenware street, and its best-known shop of knives and iron pans. Pick a knife and have it engraved with your name while you wait.

Tempura since 1887: prawns, whitebait and a bowl of rice in sesame oil. Order the tendon and eat it fast.

The narrow alley of tiny yakitori bars by the tracks. Stand in a smoky shop for skewers and a beer, and move on.

A rolled omelette, sweet and still hot, from a stall that has been making it for decades. Eat it from the stick.

The new fish market, with a glass gallery over the tuna floor. Come early for the auction, and keep to the marked routes.

The famous queue moved here from Tsukiji: a counter of twelve seats and an omakase of fat tuna. Arrive before opening.