Tachigui, or tachinomi, refers to Japan’s age-old tradition of eating while standing up. This custom dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868), when hungry merchants would stand around sushi or soba stalls on the streets, having little time to sit down for a proper meal between trades. Nowadays, you’ll be able to find ‘standing restaurants’ serving all kinds of fare from ramen to French food, but there’s something irresistible about the smell of yakiniku that wafts out from Jiromaru onto the streets of Akihabara.
The meat here is displayed in glass cases, similiar to a sushi restaurant, with the grades and cuts of wagyu listed on wooden planks behind the counter. Meat can be ordered in single slices (prices generally range between ¥80 and ¥330), which you cook on your own barbecue, so you’ll be able to sample a full array of flavours from different types of beef.