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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
Apr 28, 2018
Ribatei: No pretension here, just satisfying yakitori
Ribatei might be located in a grittier part of Yokohama, but the yakitori third-generation owner-chef Tomotsugu Sakakibara serves is nothing to scoff at.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 28, 2018
Sparta: All the Greek classics, with Mediterranean charm
Yokohama's Sparta has been around a while and has the Greek food chops to prove it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 26, 2018
Nordic cooking, Japanese bounty: Strong Noma current runs through new Tokyo restaurant Inua
The culinary thread running from Greenland to Copenhagen and thence to Hokkaido and the rest of Japan may not be immediately obvious. But those are some of the key points on the line of inspiration behind a new restaurant that will open in Tokyo in late June.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 14, 2018
Kagawa Ippuku: Udon to rival Shikoku's very best
Sometimes you want simple. Sometimes you feel like hunkering down with no-frills, no-fuss food that fills and comforts. Sometimes you need a quick, restorative visit to Kagawa Ippuku in Kanda.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 14, 2018
The Oak Door: A fiery rebirth for a Tokyo heavyweight
The Oak Door is back in action. For the past 15 years, the Grand Hyatt's flagship restaurant has been a Tokyo fixture, a monument to man-sized steaks, heavyweight wines and power dining. That was until a chimney fire in early 2017 necessitated a year-long hiatus. Now, like a phoenix from the ashes, it's...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 31, 2018
Know by Moto: Sake finds a chic haven below Shinjuku
So you've rendezvoused beneath the huge video screen at Studio Alta. You've explored Shinjuku, maybe caught a movie or trawled for treats in the gleaming depachika (basement food floor) of the Isetan department store. Now you're ready for sustenance. Somewhere cool, with good food and premium sake. No...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 31, 2018
Otafuku: Temporary home preserves 100-year tradition
April in Japan isn't cruel so much as capricious. It brings unexpected chills and sudden rain as readily as it does blossom and sunshine. There's still plenty of need for warming, restorative fare — and nothing fits that description better than oden.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 31, 2018
A new generation of Japanese chefs comes to the fore at Asia's Best 50
Just as surely as spring brings blossom and fresh foliage, it also heralds the announcement of the annual Asia's 50 Best Restaurants rankings. And this year there was intense celebration by many of Japan's top chefs to match the festivities going on underneath the billowing sakura (cherry trees) back...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 24, 2018
Lessons from the forefront of the global fight for food security
Where does our food come from? Who grows it? What is its impact on the environment? How can we feed the world's growing population? What effect will global warming have on food security?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 17, 2018
The Blind Donkey: Serving up nature in the inner city
Among the brash drinking holes and boisterous old-school izakaya taverns clustered in the narrow alleys that surround Kanda Station, The Blind Donkey is an unexpected, understated anomaly.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 17, 2018
OnJapan Cafe&: Reimagining the fermenting tradition
Shibuya's Kamiyamacho district continues to bubble up with worthy new dining venues. One of the most intriguing new arrivals on its increasingly popular shopping street — the long, straight artery connecting Tokyu Department Store with Yoyogi-Koen — is OnJapan Cafe&.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 3, 2018
Bakushuan Nihonbashi: Oysters don't get much better than this
Bakushuan Nihonbashi is keen to make sure you know what to expect. "We're a craft beer and sake place," they tell you when you call to reserve. It's not so much a warning as an invitation: Come prepared to explore both beverages in considerable depth.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 17, 2018
Hakkoku: Hiroyuki Sato is striving for the next level of sushi greatness
What makes outstanding sushi? Seafood, balance and technique, for starters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 17, 2018
Tokyo Saryo: The new stylings of sencha green tea
Japan's traditional daily drink, sencha green tea, is making a comeback. For too long it's been crowded out of modern consciousness by the buzz and self-promotion of coffee culture. But thanks to places like Tokyo Saryo, sencha may be starting to regain its relevance and appeal.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 3, 2018
Fratelli Paradiso's new venture in Tokyo: 'I want to enjoy my food, wine and mates'
When Fratelli Paradiso arrived in Tokyo last spring, it had a mission that was both straightforward and daunting: to introduce the kind of excellent, no-frills Italian dining that's made this buzzy Sydney-based restaurant so successful in its homeland.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 3, 2018
Men Labo Hiro: Balanced ramen from a yakitori chef
Men Labo Hiro is far from your standard noodle counter. Squeaky clean both inside and out, with spacious tables by the door and enough room to squeeze in even a stroller or two, it feels more like a family restaurant than the type of place to excite the hardcore ramen fraternity.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 20, 2018
Sonoji: Ningyocho tempura chef has noodle-making in his DNA
When Sonoji arrived in Ningyocho just over a year ago, it stirred up considerable interest. Primarily due to its obvious quality, but also because it stands out from the pack.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 20, 2018
Kikuya: Seasonal tempura on the fly at Ebisu standing bar
Who says good, fresh tempura requires major outlays of time and money? Back in the day, batter fried foods were cooked and sold at street stalls. And that's pretty much the way it's done at Kikuya.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 6, 2018
The Hangar: A triumphant pairing of food, sake and techno in Tokyo
How better to start the new year than with lofty aspirations, a leisurely dinner in a hip setting, techno on the sound system — and plenty of great sake?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 6, 2018
Komesan: A Tokyo restaurant where rice takes its rightful place center stage
Komesan subscribes to the radical notion that rice is not just an afterthought but the focal point and raison d'etre of the meal.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
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.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
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.
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.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

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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