天婦羅老店 いもや

A long-established shop with over fifty years of history, located in an area bustling with students and office workers. The prices here are truly generous. It's about a ten-minute walk from the station. The shop is small and somewhat old, but just like a Japanese-style eatery, it has everything one needs.

There are seven little counter seats, and half an hour before opening, there were already older gentlemen in line. Luckily, we were among the first seven, so we got to eat in the first round. Orders are taken in succession; generally, two or three dishes come out at a time, which makes things quite efficient. You can get a large bowl of rice for free, but you need to finish it. I was shocked to see the large bowls ordered by the table next to us, and the miso soup was packed with tofu, which was impressive.

The main dishes consist of a mixed tempura or shrimp tempura, along with many other options for vegetables and seafood, but everything must be ordered at once without chatting to eat quickly, as there are many other customers waiting. Most are probably locals who are working or studying, and they need to finish their meals quickly.

We ordered the mixed tempura and added almost all the items: shrimp, anago (conger eel), squid, white fish, shiitake mushrooms, pumpkin, sweet potato... The most special item was the fried tang-oh (later learned it should be wasabi leaves). It wasn't the kind that's very crispy and oil-free with a high-end feel, but everything was delicious. I felt incredibly satisfied after eating—all for under 2,000 yen per person, which made me happy.