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July 16, 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
Jan 17, 2021
Shoku-Ishinho: Healing cuisine for body and soul
Shoku-Ishinho serves traditional yakuzen cuisine, which incorporates elements of Chinese herbal medicine, in an entirely contemporary aesthetic.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 17, 2021
Japan’s foundational ferment takes pride of place at Sano Miso
This preeminent purveyor's Ginza branch stocks 45 varieties of miso which you can sniff and sample with its in-house “misommelier.”
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 4, 2021
Shuka Nomoto: An intimate toast to 2021
This Ebisu-based izakaya is small, stylish and serves top-notch food — just what we need to carry us through 2021.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 4, 2021
Fool Magazine’s latest issue dives deep into the recesses of Japan’s food culture
The publication's mook-sized issue is back with a second printing — get it while you still can.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 26, 2020
Top 5: Food trends our critics want to see Japan embrace in 2021
Eyes (and stomachs) are already turning to 2021. Five of The Japan Times' critics share the dining trends they'd like to see the country embrace.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 19, 2020
The pandemic didn’t stop Tokyo’s foodies from dining out in 2020
The capital's restaurant scene saw plenty of culinary highlights that helped bring notes of optimism and positivity to a difficult year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 6, 2020
Ginza Hachigo: Tokyo’s rising ramen star
From word-of-mouth favorite to media darling, this is one of the city's most unusual and excellent bowls, with a compelling backstory to boot.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 28, 2020
A genteel craft beer crawl through Kamakura
Being a tourist can be thirsty work, even in the genteel surrounds of Kamakura. Here are six of the former samurai capital's best watering holes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 14, 2020
The Upper: Tokyo’s newest arrival is peak fine dining
Restaurant group Transit General Office has outdone itself in its new space, with a transportive menu devised by Michelin-starred chef Yusuke Takada.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 31, 2020
Shoto Lamp carries on a shining culinary lineage
Nobuhiro Kakinoki may have opened his restaurant during troubled times, but all the essential elements are in his favor.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 31, 2020
Sowado: Inscrutable facade conceals upscale izakaya
Tokyo restaurants don't get harder to book than chef Hideaki Sakai's highly anticipated second venue.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 24, 2020
Top 5: Tokyo’s best soba restaurants
Soba noodles are Tokyo's original fast food, simple and filling. Whether you prefer them hot or cold, here's five soba shops worth a trek across town.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 17, 2020
At Bistro Nemot, a L’Effervescence alum spreads his wings
Norihito Nemoto's upscale bistro fare makes his laid-back restaurant one of the highlights of the still new and vibrant Eat Play Works complex.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 17, 2020
Whether in curry or gelato, Kalpasi’s spice blends are aromatic — and intriguing
Curry has been Tokyo's go-to comfort food this summer, and Curry Spice Gelateria Kalpasi's low-key June arrival hit the moment.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 3, 2020
Denkushiflori: Den and Florilege collaboration drives Tokyo’s hottest opening
Two of Tokyo's hottest chefs. A menu tethering contemporary Japanese to modern French cuisine. Tokyo has never seen an opening like Denkushiflori.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 19, 2020
Sincere Blue makes the case for sustainable seafood
Sincere Blue is Shinsuke Ishii's way of demonstrating that a French restaurant can offer seafood dishes that are sustainable, delicious and affordable.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 19, 2020
Noodle Stand Tokyo: ‘Ethical ramen’ in a freshly fashionable setting
The new Jingumae Comichi yokochu014d is an alluring space to while away the hours after work or on weekends.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 5, 2020
Rise & Win: A victory for beer lovers (and sustainability)
Rise & Win beer is brewed in the zero-waste town of Kamikatsu, and that philosophy is built into the foundation of its brewery and Tokyo taproom.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 5, 2020
Hasegawa Saketen Gransta: A sake lover's boon beneath Tokyo Station
Hasegawa Saketen's reborn Tokyo Station branch is larger, sleeker and even better stocked. It even boasts a new in-house sake microbrewery.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 29, 2020
Elegies and excitement in Tokyo’s dining landscape
Tokyo Food File wraps up summer 2020 with a look at how Tokyo's dining scene is shaping up in Year One of COVID-19.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
Amid same-sex marriage ban, LGBTQ couples opt for 'photo weddings'
A lesbian couple, consisting of a 35-year-old woman (left) and 40-year-old woman, cover their faces with bouquets as they pose for wedding photos in Yokohama on Nov. 1.
China and Russia conduct joint Pacific military patrol
The Russian corvette Gromkiy enters the Chinese port of Zhanjiang as part of a joint China-Russia naval exercise on Saturday.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.
How to tweak your diet when temperatures spike
Most people think of hydration as a strictly liquid-based concept, but eating foods with high water content is an essential part of making it through a Japanese summer unscathed.

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Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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