Mr Sato reckons this hand-rolled sushi joint is perfect for international visitors.

In amongst the crepe stalls and youth-oriented sweets stores of Harajuku, it can be hard to find a place to eat good Japanese food. It’s a problem Mr Sato has come up against time and time again, but now he’s happy to say he’s finally found a restaurant that has become his go-to, and he reckons it’s a great place for everyone to try out, including foreign tourists.

▼ The restaurant is called Gonpachi Nori-Temaki, and it’s just a five-minute walk from Harajuku Station.

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s part of the Gonpachi chain of restaurants, and as fans of Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino will know, the Gonpachi restaurant in Tokyo’s Nishi-Azabu inspired the “House of Blue Leaves” in Tarantino’s 2004 film, Kill Bill.

Gonpachi specialises in Japanese food that’s pleasing to a wide variety of palates, so you can’t go wrong at any of their branches, but this one in Harajuku is slightly different to the others, as it specialises in temakizushi, or hand-rolled sushi.

▼ There are 25 different types of temakizushi on the menu, and there’s even the option to swap the rice for low-carb cauliflower “rice” instead.

On weekdays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., you can grab a Temaki Lunch Set for 1,500 yen (US$11.21), which is a good deal that includes five different temakizushi, as well as some sides, a salad, and miso soup.

The restaurant…