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In Japanese, dekamori means “piled
high”. The trend has also been called
yamamori
,
or “mountain-sized”, and that
is hardly an exaggeration. The phrase
originally referred to the amount of rice
served with a dish, but the trend has expanded to include
giant versions of all kinds of food – from appetisers to
desserts – which dedicated fans pit themselves against,
and document their success or failure on the web.
Among this group of food bloggers, the mecca against
which all others are measured is Adachi, a tiny hole-in-
the-wall restaurant in Akihabara. In a sense, Adachi is the
venerable grandfather of dekamori restaurants, with a
history stretching back over 50 years and two generations.
For ¥880, you will be presented with a lunch set that
includes pickles, miso soup, salad, two large pieces of
curry-flavoured fried chicken, a beef and potato croquette,
vegetable tempura,
tamagoyaki
(
grilled omelette),
simmered vegetables, pasta salad and a serving of rice,
which comes in 10 sizes, topping out at a whopping 7kg.
“
We’re just that kind of restaurant,” says owner
Masanori Adachi. He explains that Akihabara, now a
bustling shopping district for fans of electronics and the
anime subculture, was once Tokyo’s produce market.
Just as Tsukiji Market supplies all kinds of seafood for the
city’s supermarkets and restaurants, Akihabara used to be
the go-to place for fruits and vegetables. Since workers in
the market started their day at 4am, they were ravenous
by lunchtime, so Adachi’s father opened a place where
they could score a super-hearty meal. “We’re also near
the sumo arena, so we wanted to make something sumo-
sized,” he laughs. “We wanted to be the biggest of the big.”
Adachi boasts that he has the largest portions in
Akihabara, but it’s probably safe to say that they are the
largest in Tokyo, if not the whole of Japan. Of course,
most people don’t actually order the largest size –
restaurant lore has it that only one person in their long
“
Food
in any form is
appealing
,
but
dekamori
raises it to the
level of art
”
KAGURAZA-
KAHANTEN
With several dekamori
options, this shop is popular
with the competitive eating
crowd. If you dare, try the
Giant Gyoza Dumpling and
eat for free if you finish it.
1-14
Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-
ku; tel: +81 (3) 3260 1402
KING AND
STRAWBERRY
This café specialises in
sundaes that defy the laws
of gravity. Come hungry
and dress warmly.
3-24-3
Koyama, Shinagawa-ku;
tel: +81 (3) 3787 0443
Godzilla-size
gutbusters
