Following up on my piece that went up today on CNNGo, here are a few more images of the four restaurant chains I highlighted.
Uogashi Nihon-Ichi is totally worth knowing. I chose the branch on Shibuya's Center-gai, which needless to say attracts an eclectic clientele.

It looks just like any other low-end sushiya, apart from the fact there are no chairs. As I point out in the piece, no frills, no lingering: no problem.

Hidakaya, on the other hand, is really only recommendable for its prices. You can't argue with ¥390 for a bowl of ramen — and less than a ¥1,000 for the same with gyoza and a flagon of Ichiban-shibori nama beer.

For those prices, just don't expect any kind of ambience.

As for Tenya, the look is so bland and dull, there seemed to be no better way to illustrate the experience than a photo of the plastic display models. In the end a generic photo of tempura was used: I hope it doesn't raise too many people's expectations...

No reservations whatsoever about Otooya, though. This is one classy chain, and they serve nothing but good solid fare. The decor is cheerful and so are the wait staff. The menu is extensive and well laid out. And it's always great value.

You'll have a very hard time finding a better teishoku anyway in town. To quote: "Unless you have a Japanese mom, this is as close as you're likely to get to the taste of home cooking while you're in the country."

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