Why you can trust our AI's picks: how every place on this site gets chosen

The rules of the 30k eSIM AI, written by our team in Asakusa. · October 17, 2026

By the 30k eSIM team · MIZUHIKO Co., Ltd., Asakusa, Tokyo

Plenty of "best of Tokyo" lists come from someone who got a free meal, a press invite or a commission. Ours come from software that can't eat, can't be flattered and doesn't care who owns the shop. This page sets out the rules it follows, so you can judge the lists for yourself.

Where the data comes from

The AI starts from travel posts that people wrote after visiting Tokyo, on a large travel-sharing social app. It searches each topic (ramen, sushi, yakiniku, yakitori, cafes, desserts, bars, shopping, neighbourhoods, seasonal events) and takes the posts that other travellers saved the most. A save is a strong signal: it means a reader wanted to go there too.

It reads the whole post: the text, the comments, and the photos. Many posts only name a shop on a menu, a sign or a receipt in the pictures, so the AI reads those as well.

For our first round of food, drink and shopping guides, the AI read 116 traveller posts, which other readers had saved 215,025 times, and pulled out 353 places. Each guide states its own numbers at the top.

How the AI scores a place

Every place gets a score. The rules are the same for every shop:

1. Each post that names a place adds points. A post that thousands of people saved counts for more than one that a handful saved, but the effect is dampened, so one viral post can't decide a list on its own.
2. Independent recommendations count extra. If two or more different authors recommend the same place, it gets a bonus. One fan can be wrong; strangers rarely agree by accident.
3. Confirmed open: +1. We look the place up on public listings and its own page.
4. Real complaints: -1. If the comments flag a genuine problem (rip-off prices, a branch that went downhill, very small portions for the price), the place loses a point, and we tell you about it in the "Heads-up" line.

The guides then take the top-scoring verified places. Occasionally we add a lower-scoring one to cover a gap, such as a place that works for solo travellers or a budget option, and when we do, the guide says so.

What we throw out

• Places we can't identify for certain. If a post never names the shop and the photos don't show it clearly, it doesn't make the list.
• Places that are closed, moved or closed for renovation. These are removed and noted.
• Posts that aren't real traveller experience. Advertising posts and machine-made "top 10" charts are excluded from the count, even when they were popular.
• Places outside Tokyo, unless the guide is about day trips.

What the lists are not

• Not paid. No shop has paid, or been asked to pay, to appear. We don't use affiliate links for restaurants or shops.
• Not a guarantee. Prices, hours and menus change. Where sources disagree we say "check the shop's page before you go", and we give prices as ranges.
• Not finished. The AI keeps reading new posts and the lists are re-scored as the data grows.

Our own interest, stated plainly

We are a small company in Asakusa that sells Japan travel eSIMs. That is how this site pays for itself. It has no bearing on which restaurant, bar or shop gets listed, and the guides would rank the same places if we sold nothing at all.

Spotted a mistake?

If a place has closed, changed its prices a lot or treated you badly, tell us at support@30kesim.com. We check every report and re-score the list where needed.

The guides built this way

• AI-picked ramen
• AI-picked sushi
• AI-picked yakiniku
• AI-picked yakitori and izakaya
• AI-picked cafes and desserts
• AI-picked bars
• AI-picked shopping
• AI-picked neighbourhood walks
• The AI's Tokyo eating shortlist

All guides