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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
Feb 3, 2017
Hotaru: Tokyo's first and only sake brew-pub
Uchi-Kanda has always been one of Tokyo's most colorful carousing districts. Just to the north of buttoned-up Otemachi and Marunouchi, its narrow streets are lined with low-budget eateries and boisterous izakaya taverns. Hotaru fits in perfectly but with one key distinction: It is Tokyo's first (and...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 20, 2017
Tempura Yokota: The taste of tradition in a fast-changing neighborhood
The sign on the street outside Tempura Yokota and the elevator up to the restaurant are as modern as they come. But the patinated sliding wooden door that greets you on arrival speaks of tradition and, once you're inside, so does the welcome.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 20, 2017
ici: sophisticated French cuisine at bistro prices
The backstreets of Ebisu do not lack for great French cuisine. So how can a tiny new restaurant put itself on the map in such a popular dining district? One approach is to adopt a short, catchy name written in lowercase letters. But at ici (French for "here"), the real strategy is offering brilliant...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 6, 2017
Richie Hawtin: Pairing Japan's best sake with techno
Richie Hawtin needs no introduction to anyone familiar with electronic music. For 25 years, this Berlin-based, English-Canadian DJ has been at the forefront of techno and he continues to play at major music and art events around the planet.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 6, 2017
Akomeya Chubo: Japanese comfort food hidden in a Ginza rice shop
The holidays are over and so is the feasting. Now it's time to revert to less extravagant fare. But simple doesn't have to mean plain. Even Japanese comfort food can be a delight to the eye, the palate and the stomach. If you head to Akomeya Chubo that's the kind of cooking you'll find.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 6, 2017
Guerrero: Pizza worthy of the angels
Nothing says comfort food like pizza, even at its most elementary. But the satisfaction runs far deeper when your pie is made with quality toppings and cooked with an artisan's touch in a wood-fired oven. At Guerrero you get all that and plenty more.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 30, 2016
Change — the only constant for Tokyo restaurants in 2016
What a year it has been. Thankfully, the world of gastronomy hasn't followed the same spiral of sadness, frustration and despair as the political and popular music arenas. Even so, it's high time to get the Year of the Monkey off our backs with a rundown of some of the ups, downs, ins and outs at Tokyo's...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 16, 2016
Argile: A gourmet sanctuary above the streets of Ginza
Is there any Tokyo neighborhood more focused on dining than Ginza? Its nine compact blocks house the greatest concentration of high-end restaurants in the country — quite possibly the whole world. But when it comes to quality cuisine at somewhat more affordable prices, the area has less to offer. All...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 16, 2016
Esquisse Cinq: A new stage for dessert maestro Kazutoshi Narita
Kazutoshi Narita makes gorgeous desserts. They are lyrical flights of fancy, adorned with colorful swooshes and sprinkles, crisp shards, fragile foams and delicate, lacy sugar confections. Until recently, the only way you could taste them was at the end of a full meal of high-end French cuisine at Esquisse...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 13, 2016
When Rene Redzepi brought Noma to Japan
In April 2014, chef Rene Redzepi was riding the crest of a wave. Noma, his iconic Copenhagen restaurant, had just been voted back to No. 1 on the World 50 Best list, cementing its place as one of the top global dining destinations. And then, at the awards ceremony, he dropped a bombshell announcement....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 9, 2016
How Michelin's stardust has changed Tokyo
It has become one of Tokyo's gastronomic rites of autumn. Just as sure as the leaves on the city's many ginkgo trees turn gold and scatter across pavements, the latest Michelin Guide Tokyo hits the stores each year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 2, 2016
Nakameguro Koukashita: Eating under the train tracks has never been this classy
The wraps came off one of Tokyo's latest renovation projects in November, unveiling a host of sparkling new shops and restaurants. But Nakameguro Koukashita is a development with a difference: It's just one story high, extends half a kilometer, and brings new meaning to the term "dining under the tracks."...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 2, 2016
Ohka The Best Days: Craft beer and 'gyoza' keep Nakameguro's old spirit alive
It's getting hard to remember the days when "Nakame" — the local nickname for Naka-Meguro — was funky and alternative, before the river got cleaned up and gentrification set in. But there are still pockets of the old neighborhood vibe to be found if you wander far enough from the station; places...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 18, 2016
erba da nakahigashi: Modern Italian with deep Japanese roots
Arriving at erba da nakahigashi, you might think you have stumbled across a plush, exclusive Japanese restaurant, rather than one serving Italian cuisine. The walls leading down to the basement premises are finished in lacquer and the dining room has no tables, just a compact open kitchen with a wooden...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 18, 2016
Rituel: A pilgrimage site for patisserie devotees
Almost exactly one year ago, fans of French pastry were celebrating the opening of Rituel, the Tokyo headquarters of French artisan baker Christophe Vasseur. Just like his main shop in Paris, Du Pain et Des Idees, this store near Omotesando Station has become a place of pilgrimage for those in search...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 4, 2016
Gem by Moto: Simple, stylish and seasonal — with sake to match
Whenever you find a place that serves good sake, there is a high chance it has quality food, too. No matter if it's an upscale Japanese restaurant, a down-home izakaya tavern or an obscure bar for sake geeks, this rule of thumb rarely fails. It certainly applies at Gem by Moto.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 4, 2016
Bills Ginza: Laidback Australian dining in the heart of the city
Ginza. It's where you go for classy cake shops, high-end sushi and some of Japan's priciest cuisine. But surely not for vegan cauliflower fritters and spelt risotto, or porcini-rubbed steaks and truffled arancini (rice balls)? Absolutely, thanks to the newest branch of the laid-back — and still lower-case...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / FUKUOKA RESTAURANTS
Oct 28, 2016
Sushi Gyoten: In the experienced hands of a young sushi master
Arriving at Sushi Gyoten for the first time feels a bit like slipping back in time. The weathered bamboo fence, carefully positioned ornamental rocks and narrow, stone-paved path curving out of sight: this could be the portal to some well-entrenched decades-old ryōtei (high-end traditional restaurant)....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / FUKUOKA RESTAURANTS
Oct 28, 2016
Udon Taira: Keeping Kyushu's noodle tradition alive
You can't mention "Fukuoka" and "noodles" in the same sentence without thinking of ramen. But long before ramen arrived in Kyushu, the local favorite was udon — chunky white wheat noodles served in a hot dashi broth. No other shop keeps this tradition alive more faithfully than Udon Taira.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 14, 2016
Bistro Marx: Casual, classic cuisine high above the streets of Ginza
There are several good reasons why Bistro Marx is one of Tokyo's hottest new openings of the year: The excellent cooking and high quality ingredients; the spacious dining room and comforting absence of table cloths; plus the fact it's under the imprimatur of one of France's finest chefs. But when all...
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.
'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.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.

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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