Planning food stops without queueing for famous restaurants every meal

We want to enjoy eating in Japan without queuing an hour for whichever ramen shop has the biggest online following. The food is a major part of the trip, but standing in line at lunch and dinner would eat half the itinerary. We're planning to follow neighborhoods, use menus and local turnover as clues, and treat famous places as optional. What simple approach has led you to good unplanned meals without exhaustive restaurant research?