CoCo Ichibanya: Japan's Finest (And Most Famous) Curry

I've been meaning to put in some time/space on this part of the internets to share some of my/our favorite places to find fuel and energy for our many adventures in and around Tokyo... so here's a start.  And it's an easy start, as I'm going with one of my longtime favorite places.

CoCo Ichibanya, also known as CoCo Ichi to many locals, CoCo Ichiban to some, and "CoCos" to many Americans in Japan, is a popular and well loved curry rice restaurant chain in Japan, and has some footholds outside of Japan as well (such as in Singapore, and the United States).

The curry is very palatable, delicious, and relatively easy on the budget.  But how is it so popular, above all other places that serve curry?  Being a fan and frequent diner at CoCo Ichi, I've tried to brainstorm the reasons:

-It's everywhere (trying searching for it with your iPhone; any sizable city or semi-sizable city has at least a couple of CoCo Ichi restaurants within a few minutes drive or a short train ride away.

-Customizable to your exact tastes/moods:  from the spice levels (from mild to number 10 level spicy) to the type of curry sauce (default is pork, with options of vegetable/beef and possibly more) to the toppings (meat/vegetables/seafood/etc) you will undoubtedly be able to order something that suits you.

-Service: friendly/professional to Japanese standards, and the food comes to you within just a few minutes of completing your order.  Need to bring some home for the family/crew?  Takeouts are a regular occurrence and easy to do at CoCo Ichi.

But to me, having been to several places, with several different people ranging from family to friends and everything in between, I'd have to say that the warm curry combined with the additional warmth brought about by the spice level and the warmest memories of all I've shared a curry lunch/dinner with, it is one of my comfort "places" in Japan, not just food.

An added bonus for tourists are the take-home "boxes" you can buy; they are actually pouches of curry sauce which can be prepared by microwave heating or dropped by the pouch into boiling water for heating (5 minutes).  They aren't exactly like what you'd have served in the restaurant but the taste is definitely there.

While you're in Japan, don't miss out on CoCo Ichi.  And take some home with you if you love it as much as we do!

CoCo Ichibanya
Location (nearest to Camp Zama):