About Shinisetabi

Shinisetabi – A Budget Gourmet Journey Through 100-Year-Old Eateries in Japan

This website is currently one of the world’s largest databases (1200+ and growing) of century-old eateries.

Shinisetabi is a travel and food documentation project created by KotaPapa, a Japanese salaryman, and his corgi dog Kotaro.
The project focuses on visiting and recording eateries that have operated for over 100 years across Japan.

The concept is simple:
👉 Enjoying traditional Japanese food and history while traveling on a budget.

Who Is KotaPapa

KotaPapa is an ordinary Japanese office worker who loves history, local culture, and affordable traditional food.
He travels across Japan to visit long-established eateries that have survived for generations.

These eateries represent living history, family businesses, and local communities that have endured wars, disasters, and economic changes.

Who Is Kotaro

Kotaro is a corgi dog and KotaPapa’s travel companion.
He appears in photos and videos visiting historic towns and century-old eateries, adding a warm and personal element to the project.　

Now, the recently welcomed Kotaro II is preparing to carry on the legacy.

The Pendant Story

KotaPapa carries a small pendant during his travels as a personal symbol and memory.
The pendant accompanies him on every journey to century-old eateries across Japan.

What Shinisetabi Documents

Shinisetabi provides detailed records of century-old eateries in Japan, including:

• Eatery name
• Founded year
• Address and contact information
• Business hours and closing days
• Photos of Kotaro, interiors, dishes, and exteriors

To support your travels, we offer free access to our original Google My Maps featuring over 1,200 historic locations. Each pin is directly linked to our detailed blog posts (written in Japanese), allowing you to plan your own authentic journey.

You can easily sort the archive either by prefecture or by food tags to find eateries that match your destination or taste.

All content is created independently with simple photography and writing.

Information on this website reflects the situation at the time of each visit.

For the latest details, please check directly with each eatery.

Why Century-Old Eateries Matter

Century-old eateries are cultural heritage.

They preserve traditional recipes, craftsmanship, and local history that cannot be replaced.

Shinisetabi aims to:

• Preserve disappearing local food culture
• Share Japanese culinary history globally
• Inspire people through quiet, long-lasting traditions

Independent and Non-Commercial Philosophy

Shinisetabi is created without advertising, ranking lists, sponsored content, or commercial partnerships.

No recommendations, rankings, ratings, or reciprocal links are provided for any eatery. This ensures the project remains fully neutral and unbiased.

It is a personal, self-funded documentation project.

At present, Shinisetabi does not accept donations.

In the future, support from companies, organizations, and individuals may be considered as cultural patronage (mécénat) to help expand the archive, document more century-old eateries, and make this resource available in multiple languages.

Social Media Accounts

Shinisetabi shares content on multiple platforms under the same unified account name:

• Instagram: @shinisetabi
• TikTok: @shinisetabi
• X (Twitter): @shinisetabi
• YouTube: @shinisetabi
• Facebook: @shinisetabi
• Threads: @shinisetabi
• RED: @shinisetabi
• Reddit: @shinisetabi

 

Photos and videos show Kotaro visiting century-old eateries, historic towns, and traditional Japanese food culture.

Join the Journey

Follow KotaPapa and Kotaro on  Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Facebook, Threads, RED and Reddit to explore Japan’s century-old eateries, towns, and culture—one affordable meal at a time.

Shinisetabi – A budget gourmet journey through history and everyday life.