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April 04, 2025
 

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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
Aug 5, 2016
Tabela: A touch of North Africa in central Tokyo
When eclectic indie film distributor Uplink moved across Shibuya to its current location, it did more than add extra screening rooms. It created a cultural hot spot, a meeting place for people looking beyond the mainstream. From the start, the focus for that was its restaurant, Tabela.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 29, 2016
The American chef bringing Kyoto 'kaiseki' to Tokyo
Culinary collaborations are commonplace these days, with chefs flying halfway around the world for one-off events far from their home kitchens. This exciting cross-fertilization of ideas and flavors is also starting to happen in Japan — but rarely, until now, in the field of traditional Japanese cuisine....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 15, 2016
Narikura: 'Tonkatsu' that should be on every foodie's radar
There's nothing gourmet about tonkatsu. Those deep-fried cutlets with their crisp, appetizing exteriors concealing juicy chunks of rich, fatty pork are, for many, the ultimate expression of Japanese comfort food. But, as with other types of downhome cooking, the best purveyors often become the object...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 15, 2016
Mikkeller Beer Garden: Denmark's rich, fruity and dangerously alcoholic brews are back
One of the disappointments of spring was the demise of the brilliant, buzzy Mikkeller Tokyo craft beer bar in Shibuya, a mere nine months after it was launched. The problem was administrative, and certainly not due to a lack of customers or problems with the beer. So it's cause for celebration to see...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 1, 2016
For summer dining, escape to the sunny Shonan coast
The Shonan coast in Kanagawa Prefecture, about an hour south of Tokyo by train, has something for just about everyone. Some head to Chigasaki to ride the waves or to Enoshima to luxuriate in its spa. Others explore the hills and temples of Kamakura or just get away from it all in sleepy Hayama. Few make...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 1, 2016
Unagi Fujita: The lowly eel comes up in the world
Not so many years ago, unagi, the humble freshwater eel, was considered a plebeian pleasure — a delicacy fit for Tokyo's townsfolk rather than rarefied levels of society. Much has changed. This once-lowly fish now commands high-end prices worthy of even the most upscale parts of town. This meant that...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 1, 2016
Menya Nukaji: Righteous ramen on the fringe of Shibuya
In many ways, Menya Nukaji is the archetypal artisan noodle counter. Run by a ramen enthusiast who developed his own recipes and set up with his wife, it barely seats eight people and is tucked out of sight on a quiet side street. But the word has been spreading in the two years since owner Hiroshi Nukui...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 17, 2016
Kotaro: A modern 'izakaya' in the backstreets of Shibuya
All anniversaries should be celebrated, and hitting the five-year mark holds a special importance. But for Kotaro Hayashi, reaching that milestone a few months back carried even more significance. That's because he opened his diminutive restaurant a scant few weeks after the massive 2011 Great East Japan...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 17, 2016
Pizzeria Bakka M'unica: Suburban HQ of a self-taught pizza artisan
It's no longer a secret: Tokyo has some of the finest pizza in the world. But what's even more impressive is the growing number of dedicated artisans setting up shop well away from the more obvious mainstream neighbourhoods. There's no better example than Yutaka Hazama's Pizzeria Bakka M'unica.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 3, 2016
Le Bar a Vin 52: The secret to Ebisu's new wine and wagyu HQ
When the new Atre mall opened in April outside Ebisu Station, most people's eyes were fixed on the ground floor and the one-hour lines outside burger phenomenon Shake Shack's eagerly awaited second Tokyo branch. But those in the know have been directing their feet to destinations higher up — specifically...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 3, 2016
Have More Curry: A spicy suggestion to eat more vegetables
Not getting enough healthy veggies in your diet? There's a very simple answer: Have More Curry. That's not just a suggestion, it's the brilliantly eccentric name for the excellent little basement diner that opened close to Omotesando last autumn by Yohei Matsuzaki.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 20, 2016
Sincere: The return of a chef at the top of his game
Congratulatory bouquets were arrayed in profusion outside the entrance to Sincere last month, marking its opening in the quiet residential backstreets north of Harajuku. Sometimes those auspicious flowers — sent by well-wishers at the start of any new venture — can seem like mere ritual gestures...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 20, 2016
Takadanobaba Taproom: Craft beer and deep-fried morsels with a Japanese accent
Great news for craft beer enthusiasts. Just in time for the summer heat, the good folks from Shizuoka's Baird Beer have opened their latest pub in the Takadanobaba neighborhood. It's their third Taproom in Tokyo, after Nakameguro and Harajuku, and sixth in Japan. It could well be the best of the lot...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 6, 2016
Tokyo's best artisanal sandwiches
It's the season for being outdoors. Head for the hills, the beach, the nearest park or perhaps just a deck chair on your veranda. There's only one question: who's making the sandwiches?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 6, 2016
The Apollo: Modern Greek cuisine descends on Ginza
Taramosalata, dolma, souvlaki, moussaka: Even the briefest roll call of these classic dishes will trigger intense Pavlovian salivation in anyone who has ever visited Greece. For most people in Tokyo, though, these foods have been off the radar. The arrival of The Apollo looks set to change that in a...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 6, 2016
Cafe de Rope Ginza: Classic 'kissaten' meals in an underground parking garage
Tokyo's hippest new cafe is also one of its most obscure, even though it occupies some of the city's swankiest real estate. Cafe de Rope Ginza lies in a corner of a converted parking garage three floors under the venerable Sony Building. And it's attracting the cognoscenti in droves — likely because...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 15, 2016
Bullicio: Valencia wine bar puts a Spanish fire in the city’s heart
Anyone who has visited Spain knows it offers some of the best eating in Europe. But its food has never been embraced in Japan in the same way as French and Italian cuisine. So it's always good to see a new Spanish restaurant arriving in Tokyo — especially when it's as capable as Bullicio.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 15, 2016
Gyoza Bar Comme a Paris: Pan-fried dumplings with a touch of je ne sais quoi
Recently Tokyo has developed a big appetite for gyōza dumplings. These little pan-fried packages of meaty, garlicky goodness are no longer just a lowly dim-sum starter or a ramen shop side-order to help the beer down while you wait for your noodles. They now have a pulling power all their own. They're...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 1, 2016
Kanda Koju delivers upmarket approach to izakaya fare
Heading to Kanda Koju for the first time, it is not hard to walk right past the door without realizing. The unprepossessing facade gives little away to the casual passerby. You'd never guess you're outside one of the best and buzziest izakaya (taverns) in Kanda, an area not short of after-hours drinking...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 1, 2016
Stand up Nihonbashi, you've got a new Fujiya Honten
Fujiya Honten didn't invent the concept of the "stand bar" — the Japanese term for casual eating and drinking (usually wine rather than sake) with no frills or seating — but it's come as close to perfecting it as anywhere in Tokyo. The original in Shibuya remains immensely popular. Now the same idea...
As ‘Buy Canadian’ grows, more U.S. firms say retailers turning away products
Empty shelves with "Buy Canadian Instead" signs are seen in the American Whiskey section of the BC Liquor in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 10.
U.S. tourist arrested after bringing a handgun into Japan
Hyogo police believe the handgun a U.S. tourist inadvertently brought into Japan slipped through security procedures at Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture.
Trump unveils 10% global tariff, with Japan levy set at 24%
Trump tosses a MAGA hat to the crowd during an event in which he unveiled new tariffs in the White House on Wednesday.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
Japan’s leader didn’t read the job description
Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader Shigeru Ishiba is facing a political funding scandal that has damaged his reputation and sparked speculation that internal efforts to remove him are underway.
Nintendo to launch the Switch 2 on June 5
The controllers for the Switch 2 will attach to the console magnetically rather than sliding on rails as with the original device.
A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar gather at a compound inside KK Park, a fraud center on the country's border with Thailand, after a multinational crackdown in February.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
On defense, Japan may avoid Trump's worst impulses — for now
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth chat after reviewing an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sunday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
By Johan Brooks

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