I usually avoid the Shinjuku area unless I have a specific reason to go.
There are too many people, too many shops, the streets are dirty, and the air is bad...
Shinjuku has a lot of negative perceptions, but it's also characteristic of Shinjuku that it has many "famous restaurants".
Whether it's a weekday or a holiday, morning, noon, or night,
the fact that people from all over the world gather here is proof that it has "charm,"
and I was drawn to that charm and lived there in my 20s.
Walking down the street, there were all sorts of temptations, and my purse strings would often loosen,
so I don't think I ever had any money in my bank account.
Mainly drinking in Shinjuku 1-chome to Shinjuku 3-chome,
there are so many restaurants, from old establishments to new ones, that line the streets,
and if you try to cover all of them, you won't have enough money, no matter how much you have.
Everyone wants to find their favorite restaurant within a limited budget,
and back then, when there weren't as many social media and reviews as there are now,
I fondly remember relying on my "intuition" to choose a restaurant.
I would pick up on the "delicious atmosphere" conveyed by the restaurant's exterior and just walk in.
After several failures, my intuition became more refined,
and the fact that I was able to find my favorite restaurants everywhere I went, relying on this intuition,
is thanks to my experience of living in Shinjuku, even if it was for a short time.
"Zui-en Bekkan", which I discovered through that intuition, is a place I visit every time I go to Shinjuku.
It's my absolute favorite Chinese restaurant, and I've been there so many times I've lost count.
I later learned that when you ask older people, most of them say "When it comes to Shinjuku..." in unison,
it's a hugely popular, long-established restaurant.
I'm confident that my intuition wasn't wrong at all,
and after visiting a few times, I'd even see people I recognized from TV and magazines.
But more than anything, the dining area is usually crowded and often inaccessible during dinner time,
so there's no doubt it's a popular restaurant.
After visiting a few times, I tend to stick to certain menu items,
but what I definitely want to eat when I come here is their famous "Sui Gyoza" (boiled dumplings).
Everything at Zui-en Bekkan is delicious, but honestly, these alone are enough.
These are truly delicious boiled dumplings, like those from a long-established restaurant, that you can't eat anywhere else.
I'll probably go to eat these boiled dumplings if I stop by Shinjuku,
I went just three days ago, but I already want to eat them again...
