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November 22, 2024
 

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Robbie Swinnerton
Robbie Swinnerton has been living, eating and writing about food in Tokyo for over 30 years. His column, Tokyo Food File, has run in The Japan Times since 1998.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 2, 2015
& ecle: An eclectic take on 'neo-bistro' dining
"Coulicious." It's an unlikely, unwieldy name for a signature dish — but not half as improbable as that of the restaurant itself: & ecle. How can you possibly take it seriously? Two good reasons: the man in charge is Olivier Rodriguez; and his food tastes fantastic.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 2, 2015
Camelback: Exceptional sandwiches and flat whites a short walk from Yoyogi Park
A well constructed sandwich is more than just a snack. When it has been put together with prime ingredients, creative flair and artisan skill — the way it's done at Camelback — it is a meal of balance and beauty.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 18, 2015
Ubuka: Where seafood chefs eat seafood
Is there anywhere in the world that consumes as much fish as Japan? And is there a city with as many specialist seafood restaurants as Tokyo? In such a crowded field, how can one small eatery hope to make its mark? In the case of Ubuka, by keeping things simple, flying under the radar — and serving...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 18, 2015
Kamiyama: Soba noodles offer respite from the chaos of the city
Arriving at Kamiyama could hardly be more atmospheric. The entrance is set into a black wooden wall along a quiet residential side street. Ankle-high traditional lamps illuminate a short flight of bamboo-fringed flagstones, leading to a sliding wooden door hidden behind a dark noren (entrance curtain)....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 4, 2015
Dharmasagara: Vegetarian curries that will transport you to India's sun-baked streets
Uttappam, idli, vada, masala dosa — for me, dinner at Dharmasagara is more than just a roll call of favorite foods. It's an incantation that summons up India's sun-baked streets of Chennai and Tamil Nadu.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 4, 2015
Sumibiyakiniku Nakahara: From raw beef with egg yolk to 'legendary' wagyu tongue
Open the menu at Sumibiyakiniku Nakahara and the first thing you will see is a full-page diagram showing the 22 basic parts of a Japanese cow. It's a simplified chart but the point is clear: You don't just eat well here — you get an education in some of the finest wagyu beef in the city.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 14, 2015
Mori no Butchers: Juicy, grilled meats and homemade sausages
The sizzle of steak on the grill, the clink of wine glasses and the buzz of contented conversation — slide open the door of Mori no Butchers and your ears will reassure you that you're in the right place as fast as your nose will.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 14, 2015
Garden House Crafts: Deli meats and sandwiches on the city's best terrace
The final piece of the Log Road Daikanyama jigsaw is now in place. Well over two months after the rest of this handsome, timber-clad development opened, Garden House Crafts is finally up and running. It was quite a saga getting here (San Francisco bakery Tartine was originally slated to be in the space),...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 31, 2015
Chef Narisawa tackles food waste at Milan soup kitchen
A word of warning if you are planning to attend Expo Milano 2015: Bring water. The heat is punishing, there's not enough shade and you'll be doing a lot of lining up — at the entrance gates, waiting for the shuttle bus, at the food concessions and, as at any theme park, outside the most popular attractions....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 31, 2015
Motenashi Kuroki: Chilling with summer specials at one of Akihabara's best ramen shops
Any season is ramen season. But when the heat builds and energy levels start to sag, is it really worth trekking across town and waiting in line for noodles that will only make you sweat even more? In the case of Motenashi Kuroki, most definitely yes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 31, 2015
Mi Choripan: Argentinian street food in Yoyogi-Uehara
It's not hard to track down Mi Choripan, Yoyogi-Uehara's South American asador (grill). Just look for the porch hand-decorated in cheerful, primary colors, listen for the sound of Caribbean beats leaking out onto the street, and sniff the air for the telltale aroma of sizzling meat.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 17, 2015
Fujimaru: A well-hidden riverside wine cellar
You can't call Fujimaru a restaurant. It's not really a wine bar either. Think of it as a large, well-hidden wine cellar with a chic little dining room attached — one where you can wander in, pick out a bottle and then while away the afternoon or evening in an area that is turning into one of the most...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 17, 2015
Little Thailand: Beachside beer and spicy food an hour from Tokyo
The sun, the waves, a sea breeze, the sand beneath your feet — and a nice, chilled beer on the table with good, spicy food, too.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 10, 2015
World's top chefs swap lives and restaurants for a day
Afternoon turns to evening in Tokyo's plush Aoyama district. At Narisawa, one of the city's finest contemporary French restaurants, the final preparations are being made for dinner service. There is both tension and anticipation in the air as the first customers arrive.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 3, 2015
Kyorakutei: Hand-cut soba for serious noodle connoisseurs
The narrow backstreets of Kagurazaka boast an embarrassment of dining choices. This bustling traditional entertainment district offers great Japanese, a profusion of French and some excellent Italian restaurants, too. When it comes to noodles, though, only one name matters: Kyorakutei.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 3, 2015
Osteria Beverino: Casual vino, cucina and wine bar ambiance
It's an old complaint, but Tokyo really doesn't have enough good, easy-going wine bars. Not enough that serve dozens of wines at prices anyone can afford, with quality food and the kind of unpretentious atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable hanging out all evening. Not enough like Osteria Beverino,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 19, 2015
Deep-fried eel bones at one of Tokyo's more unusual eel restaurants
Restaurants don't get much more traditional-looking than Tamai — not in Tokyo, anyway. Squeezed in between the banal office architecture of its neighbors, this old-school grilled-eel specialist bears witness to a kinder, gentler time when the city was all low-rise residences and shops, with Nihonbashi...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 19, 2015
One of Tokyo's best ramen shops is hidden under Ginza Station
Thick, rich, creamy white soup, delicate noodles, elegant toppings of chicken breast and seasonal vegetables — Kagari serves some of the finest, most seductive ramen in the city. There's only one downside: the wait in line can sometimes take up to an hour.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 5, 2015
Abysse: Seafood rules at one of Tokyo’s best new French restaurants
For a new, high-end restaurant with a young, unsung chef, Abysse certainly has picked a less-than-obvious location. From the nearest subway station, Gaienmae, the walk takes you down winding backstreets and up a flight of stone steps into the heart of residential Aoyama. Print out a map, open up your...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 5, 2015
Pho 321 Noodle Bar brings mountains of coriander leaves and pho to Harajuku
As the heat builds and the city starts to swelter, simple, appetizing foods are called for — in Vietnam, that's the way people eat all year round. Thanks to Pho 321 Noodle Bar, so can we.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Putin says
Ukrainian firefighters work on a spot following an airstrike in Dnipro on Thursday.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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