The true charm of travel lies in visiting places you’ve never been before.
Beyond strolling through the streets of Tokyo or Osaka, you’ll find encounters with warm-hearted locals, the beauty of handmade crafts, and unexpected experiences waiting to be discovered.
If you seek such discoveries, a rental car is your best companion.
With ToCoo!, a rental car service designed for international visitors, you can freely explore rural towns and hidden gems beyond the reach of trains.
In this article, we’ll introduce recommended spots where you can deeply experience Japan — through its food, culture, and nature.
Kushinobo Shibuya Scramble Square Branch
Founded in 1950 in Osaka, Kushinobo is one of Japan’s most renowned and long-established kushi-katsu (fried skewers) specialty restaurants. Each skewer is carefully crafted with seasonal ingredients and expert technique, coated in a light and crispy batter that enhances the natural flavors of the ingredients. From meat and seafood to vegetables, every skewer is fried using a unique blend of breadcrumbs and oil, resulting in a perfectly crisp exterior and tender, juicy interior. You can enjoy them with a variety of homemade sauces, salt, or ponzu according to your taste.
At the Kushinobo Shibuya Scramble Square branch, you can savor freshly fried skewers in a serene, modern Japanese-style setting located 230 meters above the city, offering panoramic views of Shibuya. It’s an ideal place to experience refined Japanese flavors between shopping and sightseeing.
Guests parking at Shibuya Hikarie or Shibuya Stream can receive a discount parking voucher.
Official Website：http://www.kushinobo.co.jp/location.html
Mannoya Co., Ltd.
Mannoya is a restaurant group based in Osaka that originally started as a wholesale meat business and has since expanded into yakiniku (grilled meat), shabu-shabu, and izakaya-style restaurants.
Since its founding, Mannoya has focused exclusively on unbred female black-haired Wagyu cattle, pursuing the highest standards in meat quality, fat texture, and freshness. They carefully select only the finest beef with a low melting point, following the principle of serving only meat that they would proudly share with their own family.
There are multiple Mannoya locations throughout Osaka, many situated in popular tourist areas. Examples include Yakiniku Mannoya Tennoji near Tennoji Station and Yakiniku Mannoya Whity Umeda in Umeda’s underground shopping mall. Other branches can be found in Shinsaibashi, LUCUA Osaka, and Ohatsu Tenjin Ura-Sando, each with its own concept that highlights the appeal of Wagyu beef.
Mannoya’s operations span yakiniku, shabu-shabu, offal dishes, and butcher sales, offering guests the opportunity to experience the depth of Japan’s meat culture in a comfortable setting and at reasonable prices.
Official Website：http://www.mannoya.com/
The Heart of Dim Sum
The Heart of Dim Sum is a Japanese-style dim sum specialty restaurant that takes pride in making every dumpling from scratch, including the wrapper.
Each gyoza skin is made with 100% “Haruyutaka” wheat from Hokkaido, known for its chewy texture. The thickness and moisture levels of the wrappers are carefully adjusted for grilled or boiled gyoza, and every dumpling is wrapped by hand with precision and care.
The filling uses plenty of homemade chicken broth simmered for six hours, creating a deep yet gentle flavor without using garlic.
Conveniently located for both travelers and locals, it’s a favorite stop before or after a baseball game or during a day of sightseeing. Guests can enjoy freshly made dim sum in the restaurant or purchase frozen gyoza to take home as souvenirs.
The staff put their hearts into every dish, hoping guests can experience the warmth and craftsmanship of Japan’s handmade dim sum culture.
Official Website：https://www.eat-class.co.jp/
Kasumi Kitayoshi
Located in Ohatsu Tenjin, Umeda, Osaka, Kasumi Kitayoshi is a long-established crab specialty restaurant that serves fresh crabs and seafood directly from Kasumi Port in Hyogo Prefecture, prepared with expert craftsmanship.
Founded in 1879 (Meiji 12), the restaurant is directly managed by Kitayoshi Shoten, a seafood wholesaler with 146 years of history. Thanks to their daily participation in morning auctions, diners can enjoy live crabs delivered straight from the Japan Sea — right inside the restaurant.
Guests can savor Kasumi crab and Matsuba crab shipped directly from the fishing ports of the Sea of Japan throughout the year, all while staying in Osaka.
Just a 3-minute walk from Umeda Station, the restaurant offers a calm, traditional Japanese ambiance and a variety of exquisite course menus, including crab sashimi, grilled crab, and crab hot pot. For those seeking a more intimate experience, the restaurant’s popular VIP private rooms provide a relaxing and luxurious setting.
Guided by the philosophy “Delivering deliciousness and inspiration from the Meiji era into the future,” Kasumi Kitayoshi invites you to enjoy an authentic crab experience from the Japan Sea — without leaving Osaka.
Official Website：https://maps.app.goo.gl/5PgoC7ahXz8uDJiaA?g_st=ipc
Curry Shokudo Kokoro
A soup curry restaurant featured in the Michelin Guide
One of Hokkaido’s most iconic local dishes, soup curry, has countless restaurants across Sapporo—but among them, Curry Shokudo Kokoro stands out as one of the pioneering establishments. Whether you’re new to soup curry or already a devoted fan, this restaurant promises a satisfying experience.
Guided by the motto “A meal you can enjoy every day that’s good for your body,” Kokoro’s soup curry is crafted to be both healthy and flavorful, offering well-balanced nutrition that’s perfect for women and children alike.
The restaurant’s signature soup is made using the French culinary technique “fond de veau.” Since its founding in 2001, Kokoro has continuously refined its recipe to create a soup curry even those sensitive to spice can enjoy. The final broth combines chicken, pork, and beef bones with onions, six kinds of vegetables, and two types of fruits, simmered for 11 hours to produce a deep, rich bouillon. This is then blended with carefully extracted kelp stock and 21 spices for a refined yet bold flavor.
Kokoro also takes pride in its ingredients: the restaurant uses “Nanatsuboshi” rice from a contracted farm, Goto Farm in Kuriyama, and the rare “Hokkai No. 50” potatoes from Ueno Farm in Kyowa Town—both unique to Sapporo.
Recommended Dish: Chicken & Vegetable Soup Curry (pictured)
A colorful combination of 17 seasonal vegetables and bone-in chicken, this signature menu item captures the essence of Kokoro’s flavor in one bowl.
Official Website：https://cocoro-soupcurry.com/ja/
Tokyo Island Shuttle by TOHO AIR Service
The Tokyo Island Shuttle is Japan’s only regular helicopter transportation route, connecting six of Tokyo’s islands: Oshima, Toshima, Miyakejima, Mikurajima, Hachijojima, and Aogashima.
Serving as both a transportation lifeline for island residents and a unique travel experience for visitors, the Tokyo Island Shuttle plays an essential role in connecting these remote islands. Loved by locals and travelers alike, it offers a fast and reliable link across the islands.
Operating 10 flights daily, the shuttle provides high reliability, speed, and comfort, achieving an impressive service record over the years. To date, it has carried more than 500,000 passengers, continuing to support both daily life and tourism across Tokyo’s island region.
Official Website：https://tohoair-tal.jp/
Your travel destination isn’t always found within the pages of a guidebook.
Sometimes it’s a dish you discover in a small, unexpected restaurant, a cultural experience you stumble upon by chance, or the peaceful air you breathe in the quiet of nature — these are the moments that make a journey truly special.
With a ToCoo! rental car, you can freely chart your own course, guided by curiosity and spontaneity.
On your next trip to Japan, why not turn the wheel toward wherever your heart leads, instead of simply following your itinerary?
