A note on the words: nozawana is the pickled leaf green of Nagano, normally eaten chilled — this shop serves it frozen. Bonjiri is the fatty tail cut on a yakitori skewer. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Donjaka main shop on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Drinkers, thank you for waiting. It is Hangover Meshi time.
“There is still a while until the last train! I want another drink!” — everyone thinks this, do they not?! I was drinking around Shinjuku-sanchome and thought exactly that. And there was no need to wander in search of a shop: a bold yellow-and-black sign stood right in front of me. Its name: “Donjaka”!
A peek inside to see whether there was room — and there were a couple of counter seats free!
So in we went for a little while.
I could not eat very much, so the plan was drinks first with a few things that caught my eye.
First: barley shochu with soda!!
Having already drunk a fair amount, light things to pick at are what you want.
First order: pickles. Nozawana. My soul pickle!
And on serving it: “we freeze it deliberately!” Look closely and yes — it is frozen!
How interesting. One bite and it is superb! A crystalline crunch added to nozawana — outrageously good! What is this?! In summer it would be perfect!
I am definitely doing this next time I buy nozawana pickles!
A few yakitori as well — bonjiri (the tail). Bite in and the skin is crisp and toasty, and a rush of fatty savour surges out from inside. Delicious.
And this is liver. Order yakitori and you cannot skip it!
Interestingly, it is skewered in a slight wave! Firm outside, kept towards rare inside, and biting in, that sticky, deep liver savour comes flooding out. Liver really does change character entirely with the cooking. Not something I can manage at home^^
And on these three dishes I drank about five barley-shochu sodas before stopping!
Above all, what astonished me was that method of eating nozawana pickles! I had no idea freezing them made them this good. Someone should make nozawana-flavoured ice cream. It was so good I have resolved to do it at home this summer. I could not order much food, but everything was very reasonably priced. Next time I shall bring a larger group and make some proper noise.
May you meet something good to eat today too.
Donjaka main shop (izakaya / Shinjuku-sanchome Station, Shinjuku-gyoenmae Station, Shinjuku Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.3
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
