As I was looking up places to eat in Tokyo, I discovered an incredible place in the district of Jinbocho: Curry Land, a shop that specializes in selling instant curry from all over Japan.

Located in a small side street not far from the main intersection in Jinbocho, Curry Land is a tiny shop with no frills. Past the sliding door at the entrance are three or four shelves filled with pre-cooked curry in reheatable pouches. A woman was running the shop when I visited, and she was very helpful, though I don’t know if she’s the owner or just someone employed there.

Many of these packages are local types of curry, normally found only in the specific regions from which they originate. There are also other unusual options, such as curries eaten on naval vessels or even a whaling ship. The shop even has its own special curry available!

I bought nine packs in total, which ended up being about 7,000–8,000 yen, with the price of individual packages varying.

Clockwise from top left: Go Go Curry (not actually at the shop but I included it in the photo anyway), Whaling Ship Curry (does not contain whale), Curry Land’s Own Black Wagyu Cream Cheese Curry, Graceful Lady Pink Curry, Iwakuni Naval Flying Forces Curry, Ibaraki Chestnut Curry, Famous Osaka Curry with Worcestershire sauce, Enoshima Naval Curry, Dinosaur Curry (made with chicken), and Spicy Mutton Curry.

Some could be relatively expensive (~1,300 yen), so while this store won’t break the bank (unless you try really, really hard) this is not the place to go if you really care about getting the cheapest options. Nevertheless, Curry Land is basically a dream come true for me, and I recommend it to anyone who loves curry, but also anyone who wants to experience a thin yet broad slice of Japanese food.

I plan to review each curry eventually, but I don’t know if I’m going to devote a separate blog post for each curry, or if I’ll cover a few at a time. I know it’s not exactly anime, but I hope you’ll indulge me.