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August 15, 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
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...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 18, 2016
Craftale: A young, talented chef takes flight among Nakameguro's cherry trees
There's a new generation of chefs emerging in Tokyo. They're young, innovative, up-to-the-minute and self-assured, and they're starting to make waves. Most are still flying under the radar. In the case of Shinya Otsuchihashi and his brilliant new restaurant, Craftale, things are not going to stay that...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 18, 2016
Henry's Burger: 100 percent wagyu, no filler
The gourmet burger market in Tokyo is an increasingly crowded field. With so many new arrivals, from small, passionate independents to slick, well-funded international operations, it's hard for new places to stand out. One that has carved out a tiny but distinct niche is Henry's Burger, which opened...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Mar 12, 2016
Pierre Gagnaire: 'We must accept the destiny that life imposes'
French chef on modern gastronomy, food culture and mashed potatoes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 4, 2016
Collaborative spirit emerges at Asia's top restaurant awards
Just about everyone loves stars, lists and rankings, when they relate to what and where we eat — and even more so when they're seasoned with a dash of national pride. And nowhere is this more evident than at the announcement ceremony for the annual Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 4, 2016
Sushi Tokami: Rare fish and red rice in a legendary basement
The road to becoming a top sushi chef is notoriously long and winding. Just ask Hiroyuki Sato. His discreet little 10-seater restaurant, Sushi Tokami, is only three years old and Sato already ranks among the best sushi chefs in the city. But he had to take a circuitous route to get there.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 4, 2016
Rokurinsha Haneda Airport: Exit Japan with some superlative noodles inside you
Check in, pass straight through immigration, take a left turn and look for people with their heads bent over noodle bowls. You have arrived at Rokurinsha.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 26, 2016
Tokyo eats the Amazon with Brazil's Alex Atala
It's a long way from the Amazon rain forest to downtown Tokyo, and even further when it comes to food — as diners discovered at two events organized by the Brazilian Embassy earlier this month.
Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Publisher finds surprise audience after translating history textbooks
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher's textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23.
Economic security is about strengthening and sustaining growth, former minister says
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi says changes in the international balance of power, along with deepening economic interdependence, have led some countries to attempt to use their economic power to impose their will on others.
Ice bandanas, convenience store breaks: Running under Japan’s summer sun
Blistering heat is becoming a fixture of summer in Japan, but a few tweaks to your routine can make your outdoor runs bearable — if not enjoyable — until cooler temperatures return.
Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
France brings down the curtain on its Olympic party with Tom Cruise and Leon Marchand
Fireworks are set off during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.
Japan fuels U.S. LNG boom even as climate targets and impacts loom
Flaring at the Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. Flaring, a common sight at LNG plants, is a controlled burning of gas for reasons ranging from depressurizing equipment to disposing of gas that can’t be used. The practice is a "waste of money" and negatively impacts climate change and human health, says the International Energy Agency.

Podcast

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

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’
By Thu-Huong Ha

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