Solitary Gourmet

is a Japanese cuisine seinen manga series written by Masayuki Qusumi and illustrated by Jiro Taniguchi. It has been adapted into a long-running Japanese live-action television drama series starring Yutaka Matsushige (who is also known for a supporting role in another long-running, live-action TV drama series, Midnight Diner) starting with season 1 which premiered on January 3, 2012 and ran for 12 episodes at 25 min each to March 21, 2012. Later in the year season 2 premiered on October 9, 2012 and ran for 12 episodes at a longer 47 min each to December 26, 2012. A season 3 premiered on July 10, 2013 and ran for 12 episodes at reduced 35 min each to September 25, 2013. A season 4 premiered on July 9, 2014 and ran for 12 episodes at a slightly reduced 32 min each to September 24, 2014. It was adapted as a Taiwanese web series (primarily streamed on Alibaba video sites) remake titled Lonely Gourmet: Season 1 &bull; Taiwan (孤独的美食家 第一季·台湾篇) premiered on May 28, 2015 and ran for 12 episodes at 30 min each to Aug 13, 2015. A season 5 premiered on October 2, 2015 and ran for 12 episodes at an again slightly reduced 30 min each (which it remained through season 9) to December 18, 2015. A special 1 hr episode Business trip in Asahikawa premiered on January 1, 2016. A season 6 premiered on April 7, 2017 and ran for 12 episodes to June 30, 2017. A special 1 hr 30 min "New Year" episode premiered on December 31, 2017. A season 7 premiered on April 6, 2018 and ran for 12 episodes to June 29, 2018. A special 1 hr 30 min ""New Year's Eve" episode Kyoto-Nagoya Business Trip premiered on December 31, 2018. A season 8 premiered on October 4, 2019 and ran for 12 episodes to December 20, 2019. A season 9 premiered on July 9, 2021 and ran for 12 episodes to September 24, 2021.

A anime shorts adaptation premiered on the Production I.G's Tate Anime app on November 29, 2017 and ran for 10 episodes at 4 min each to August 31, 2018.

There is a similar female counterpart solo food-related manga that also has several live-action TV drama season adaptations called Wakako Sake.

Plot
As a salesman, Gorō Inogashira travels around Japan, visiting various restaurants and street booths to sample the local cuisine. Each chapter features a different place and dish.