Solitary Gourmet poster

TV series

Solitary Gourmet

201211 seasons8.9 / 10

Centered around typical Japanese food, a solitary salesman travelling through the country for business purposes, eats at its various establishments and experiences the various delicacies of Japanese cuisine.

Availability

Not streaming in United States

Solitary Gourmet premiered January 4, 2012. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.

Synopsis

Centered around typical Japanese food, a solitary salesman travelling through the country for business purposes, eats at its various establishments and experiences the various delicacies of Japanese cuisine.

Season 2 episodes

Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.

← Season 1

Episode 1

Leek and Meat Stir-Fry of Shin-Maruko, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture

24m10.0 / 10

On a hot day, Inogashira travels to Shin-Maruko. While waiting for his female client (a passionate owner of a dance studio) he decides to kill time in a dessert shop called "Showa-do" and orders a refreshingly sweet creamy concoction. Later on, after his appointment, Inogashira finds himself thinking about a certain busy eatery he had seen earlier in the day. It was a casual diner called "San-chan Shokudo." It was full of lively customers, all eating and drinking alcohol in the middle of the day. It could be a good place to eat and yet he does not drink. He wonders if it's worth a try....

Episode credits

Guest stars Satoru Saito, Aiko Sato, Obon

Where to watch Solitary Gourmet

Episode 2

Black Tempura on Rice of Ningyo-cho, Nihon-Bashi, Chuo Ward

24m10.0 / 10

Inogashira goes around the old cultural town of Ningyo-cho, looking for Japanese gifts to send to his European female friend. Since his friend is expecting a child, Inogashira wants to get her something for her pregnancy as well as an item that denotes Japanese culture. While looking for shops, he stops by a tea shop called "Mori no En" and tries out their sweets made with green tea. Later on, as he was browsing in a shamisen shop, he feels the need to eat something that's classically Japanese... and so, tempura comes to mind. He goes around the area searching for a tempura-ya until he smells the aroma of frying foods. It was coming from a shop called "Tempura Nakayama"...

Episode credits

Guest stars Toshie Negishi, Tetsuyuki Wakabayashi, Yasu Genki

Where to watch Solitary Gourmet

Episode 3

Wasabi Kalbi & Egg on Rice of Numabukuro, Nakano Ward

24m10.0 / 10

Inogashira meets with a client at a cafe called "Alcolic Cafe Roje" in front of Numabukuro station. His meeting ends on a positive note, so he decides to remain in the shop and celebrate by ordering a slice of tart and some tea. However, his second business meeting does not seem to bode well. It is with a young female entrepreneur who is described as too flighty by her own loquacious mother. Afterwards, he wanders in the residential neighborhood in search of a place to eat, and much to his surprise and relief, he stumbles upon a yakiniku shop called "Heiwa-En"...

Episode credits

Guest stars Masayuki Suzuki, Yoko Ohshima, Matomu Onda, Emiri Nakayama

Where to watch Solitary Gourmet

Episode 4

Brazilian Cuisine of Oizumi-machi, Oora District, Gunma Prefecture

24m8.0 / 10

Inogashira travels outside of Tokyo, this time, to Brazil, that is, a Japanese-Brazilian community in Oizumi, Gunma Prefecture. He meets with an old senpai of his who wants to set up an aesthetic salon. He marvels at how different his senpai, who was once conservatively uptight, had become. However, Inogashira is unceremoniously set aside as an unexpected meeting arises for his friend. His friend's teen-aged daughter gets asked to show Inogashira around town, a task which doesn't seem too pleasing for the young girl. Still, she obliges and takes him to a kiosk that sells Brazilian confectioneries. Later, before going back home, he decides to have a late lunch, and since he's in "Brazil"... he tries out a shop called "Restaurant Brazil..."

Episode credits

Guest stars Kazuyuki Aijima, Fuko Kamada

Where to watch Solitary Gourmet

Episode 5

Pork and Onion-Garlic Stir-Fry of Hakuraku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture

24m9.0 / 10

Inogashira visits Kanagawa University in Yokohama City to meet with a client, an eccentric professor and horse enthusiast. He later tries the soft ice cream of the campus' sweets shop, "Chiffon." Afterwards, he checks out the nearby old shopping district in Rokkakubashi wherein he experiences an odd reverie while taking a break inside a quaint coffee shop called "Cafe Bunmei." Strolling through the narrow passageways lined with small stores, he decides to have a meal at "Kitchen Tomo," a shop serving Western-style cuisine...

Episode credits

Guest stars Masato Irie, Shigeru Saiki

Where to watch Solitary Gourmet

Episode 6

Szechuan Cuisine of Keisei Koiwa, Edogawa Ward

24m9.0 / 10

Arriving early at Koiwa, Inogashira kills some time by strolling through the area's shopping district. He also had a sweet time-out at the confectionery shop, "L'Atelier De Sucre." The town's warmth and sense of community makes him feel at ease so much that he almost forgets his appointment with an owner of a photo studio. Later on, he decides to partake of a spicy dinner at "Zenzen" a restaurant that offers Szechuan home-style cuisine.

Episode credits

Guest stars Daisuke Yamazaki, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Ayaka Komatsu, Takeshi Ōnishi, Vachist Ota, Yorie Yamashita

Where to watch Solitary Gourmet

Episode 7

Pacific Saury and Sake-Steamed Clams of Iioka, Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture

24m9.0 / 10

Inogashira's sleepiness caused him to make a mistake during his out-of-town meeting with a client. He was already on his way home at a stop-over in Choshi, Chiba when he realized he had taken the wrong product item with him. Since he could not go back to his client until the afternoon of the next day, he decides to stay overnight in the coastal town of Iioka. Before he checks into a guest house, he strolls around, checking out a sweets cafe called "Light House." The next day, the relaxing view of the Pacific Ocean inspires Inogashira to have a seafood feast at a surfers' favorite hang-out called "Tsuchiya"...

Episode credits

Guest stars Seiroku Saitou, Guts Ishimatsu

Where to watch Solitary Gourmet

Episode 8

Chanko for One of Ryogoku, Sumida Ward, Tokyo

24m9.0 / 10

Inogashira's next appointment is in the "Sumo Town" of Ryogoku. A fan of sumo, our solitary gourmand is eager to go sight-seeing around the area but gets sidetracked by "Ryogoku Kokugido" a shop that sells sweetened beans crackers and other sweet delights. Later, he goes to his "small sale" meeting but is surprised to see that there is nothing "small" about his client, an owner of a barber shop. Of course, after his meeting, he starts to crave for a Sumo style feast, and out of all the chanko shops in the area, he chooses "Oouchi" a restaurant that also offers single servings of traditional chanko....

Episode credits

Guest stars Hidekazu Nagae, Atsuko Anami, Arata Saeki, Eiko Ito

Where to watch Solitary Gourmet

Episode 9

Eating At the Office After Visiting Sunamachi-Ginza Shopping District, Koto Ward

24m8.0 / 10

On a particularly busy day, Inogashira is in Sunamachi, Koto Ward, meeting up with one client after another. Despite his heavy schedule, he still finds time to help out a lovely client with a sprained ankle in setting up things in her coffee shop. He also takes a break inside a Samurai-themed cafe called "Coffee Dojyo Samurai," where he encounters a fascinatingly somewhat bumbling kind of customer. After his meetings were done, he still has more work to do and decides to buy some take-out food to eat at his office. He goes back to a shopping district which he spotted earlier in the day, the Sunamachi-Ginza Shopping District. There, he drifts from one store to the next, basking in the sights and aroma of their hot and ready-to-eat street food delights...

Episode credits

Guest stars Rie Tomosaka, Rui Yoshida, Masaki Miura, Laurance Yumi, Yoichi Nukumizu

Where to watch Solitary Gourmet

Episode 10

Smoke-Cured Mackerel and Sweet Egg Omelet of Jūjō, Kita Ward

24m9.0 / 10

On a cold day, Inogashira is in Jūjō, looking for a certain shop that sells lanterns. Despite the weather, he orders an icy concoction from a sweets shop called "Darumaya." Then, later on, a sudden hunger strikes Inogashira, abruptly cutting off his meeting with a lantern store owner and goes off in search of a place to eat. As he scours the shops along Jūjō's shopping districts, he finally stops in front of a tavern... The eye-catching red lantern hanging in front of it says "Taya..."

Episode credits

Guest stars Yoneko Matsukane, Shinobu Kawamata, Miyako Yamaguchi, Kyusaku Shimada, Mai Higuchi

Where to watch Solitary Gourmet

Episode 11

Thai Curry and Soupless Chicken Noodles of Kita Senju, Adachi Ward

24m10.0 / 10

Inogashira heads for a certain destination in Adachi Ward. However, hunger strikes as soon as he arrives in Senju, so he goes in search of a place to eat. He stops in front of a Thai restaurant called "Laikanok." He is reminded of a recent conversation he had with a lady friend of his regarding a potential business deal involving Thai products. "This could be field research," he surmises. "It's like killing two birds with one stone." He decides to have Thai cuisine for lunch. He steps inside but feels hesitant. The restaurant is full of female customers only. No, wait... there is one male customer - another lone wolf like himself...

Episode credits

Guest stars Hiroki Hasegawa, Aimi Satsukawa, Natsuhi Ueno, Maho Toyota

Where to watch Solitary Gourmet

Episode 12

Mom's Croquette and Buri-daikon of Mitaka City, Tokyo

24m9.0 / 10finale

It is almost the end of the year and Inogashira is in Mitaka City to visit a client in the area, an owner of a bar. He stops by a tea and sweets area called "Kanmidokoro Takane" for some relaxing tea and taiyaki. Later on, after his meeting, he plans to eat soba at Jindai-ji (Temple) in the nearby city. However, his urgent feelings of hunger tell him he won't be able to make it. So he scours the immediate vicinity for a diner that could appease his appetite. He finds it in a shop called "Itsuki," an eatery that offers home-cooked set meals...

Episode credits

Guest stars Hidekazu Mashima, Satoru Jitsunashi, Yukie Kawamura, Masayuki Kusumi, Rie Hagiwara, Masako Chiba, Narumi Kayashima

Where to watch Solitary Gourmet

Episode information updated Jul 24, 2026

More about Solitary Gourmet

Cast

Yutaka MatsushigeGoro Inogashira
Tomoki UekusaNarration
Masayuki KusumiHimself
Matsumi Fuku
Junko Miyauchi
Michi Yamamura
Makoto Inamori
Takayuki Kinoshita

Credits

Written by
Masayuki Kusumi, Yoshihiro Taguchi, Katsui Itazaka, Kodama Yoriko, Yoshihiro Taguchi

Production details

Status
Ended
Series type
Scripted
Episodes
132
Original language
Japanese
Original title
孤独のグルメ

Networks & production

  • TV TokyoJapan
  • LINE TVTaiwan
  • Hami VideoTaiwan
  • TV TokyoJapan
  • Kyodo TelevisionJapan

Themes

based on mangafoodgastronomygourmetgourmet foodjapanjapanese cuisinelocal food