This May Bug You

 Entomophagy! Now there's a mouthful. It basically means eating things with more legs than four - and I don't mean of the seafood variety. Though some Japanese dishes do use insects as an ingredient, those are few and rather more of a common occurrence in the deep reaches of the country side, and far from the capital. But fear not! I know full well that most of my readership surely want to stuff their faces with delicious crawly things, so I've got you covered.

 In truth, most of the places you'll find in Tokyo that can serve bug are actually...Thai! That's right. The true-blooded South-East Asians don't care what you find gross or unappetizing. If they like it, they'll eat it, and better yet, they'll serve it, so that takes Ken and I to a small Thai restaurant in Takadanobaba, where they're rumored to do the deed.
 And they didn't disappoint.
 Sure as hell, the restaurant "Nong Inlay" serves takemushi, literally "bamboo bug" as an appetizer. The larvae are easily found in bamboo, giving the bug its name. They're around three centimeters long and basically look like long, skinny maggots. But how do they taste?
 Absolutely normal, actually. A little salty? They're deep fried, so they're pretty greasy. Not as crunchy as I expected, but it's not like they were mushy either. If you stuck your hand into a bag full of them and ate them thinking they were soggy chips, you wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. Until a little maggot head stuck out from between your teeth.
 So there you have it! You can eat bugs in Tokyo, and now you know.