Waraji Katsudon at Anban

Chichibu's signature dish is waraji katsudon, two thin, sandal-sized pork cutlets draped over rice and soaked in a sweet soy-based tare rather than the egg-bound Tokyo style. Yasudaya, operating since the early Showa era, serves this dish in a no-frills counter setting where the queue stretches down the street before lunch. The cutlets are pounded thin for maximum crunch-to-sauce ratio, and the rice absorbs the dark, savory glaze perfectly.