Yesterday I went to Akihabara on business, which is always more fun than sitting behind a computer screen at the J-List World HQ. I arrived near lunchtime and decided to find something to eat, though Akiba is not exactly known for its broad selection of quality food choices, being a “Mecca” for electronics and otaku culture rather than cuisine. I spied a small curry shop with a queue of customers in front, and decided to go there, since a restaurant with customers lining up to eat is the sign of good food in Japan. Yes, something about the Japanese people — their kokumin-sei or “national character” which I wrote about a couple updates ago — makes them more than happy to wait in line for food, and J-List’s manga, artbook and magazine buyer Yasu once told me, “If I don’t need to wait in line, I don’t want to eat it.” There are a lot of food-related shows on Japanese TV, some of which do nothing but seek out restaurants with lines of customers in front and find out what makes the food so good.
When looking for good food, look for a line of waiting customers.
