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July 17, 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 5, 2016
Craft Beer Market Koenji: A refuge for beer lovers with 30 local brews on tap
Sometimes you just want to hunker down somewhere simple. You're not looking for anything cutting-edge or fancy, just a place where the welcome is warm and the food is good, plentiful and satisfying — and ditto the beer. If you're anywhere near the Koenji neighborhood just west of Shinjuku, there is...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 5, 2016
Honke Ponga: Korea's healthy answer to 'yakiniku'
Can anything be more enjoyable than sitting around a shichirin (traditional charcoal burner) and cooking your own dinner — especially in the coldest season? Honke Ponga, a friendly South Korean grill just steps away from Meguro Station, does its best to answer that in the affirmative by adding a light,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 22, 2016
Otako: A 93-year-old 'oden' joint that still keeps its hot pot simmering
On a bitterly cold winter evening few sights are more welcoming than the cheerful glow of the large red lanterns that hang outside traditional restaurants. They promise noodles, eel or yakitori chicken, or advertize an all-purpose izakaya tavern. But the underlying message is the same: Here you will...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 22, 2016
Bao: Mongolian comfort food at a cheerful little hole-in-the-wall
Comfort food comes in many forms — as many as there are countries and cultures. In the case of Mongolia, it is likely to look a lot like mutton cooked in a steaming hot pot together with boiled potatoes, cabbage, tofu, shiitake mushrooms and black cloud-ear fungus. That is the kind of hearty sustenance...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 15, 2016
The joy of eating Japan's traditional clay-pot cuisine
It's the autumn of 2013, and dusk falls over the historic Nagatani-en pottery works in the hills above the city of Iga, Mie Prefecture. As the employees finish their shifts and head home, the squat buildings fall quiet and dark — all except the 200-year-old residence at the heart of this artisan complex,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 8, 2016
Matsubara-an Keyaki: Handcrafted soba and traditional snacks high above Harajuku
The holidays are over and the year of the monkey is swinging into action. But it's still very much the season for ritual: You can tell from the flow of worshipers heading into the wooded precincts of Meiji Jingu Shrine. In the face of such solemnity, the brash bustle of nearby Harajuku can feel crass...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 8, 2016
Musashino: Inventive handmade soba with a traditional twist
It is not so unusual to find soba specialists that offer a good selection of other dishes. But Musashino does it the other way around. This small but fully fledged ryōriya (traditional restaurant) offers multicourse kaiseki meals, based around premium wagyu beef shabu-shabu hot pot. But at lunchtime,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 18, 2015
Tokyo's best eating experiences in 2015
Another great year for dining out draws to a close. But before the bōnenkai (forget-the-year parties) erase the 2015 hard drives for good, let's take another look at some of the highlights of the past 12 months.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 4, 2015
Hugo Desnoyer: Has Paris's best butcher crafted Tokyo's best tartare?
There's a curious ritual that just about everyone follows before settling into dinner at Hugo Desnoyer. Once you've been shown to your seat upstairs and ordered drinks, you are encouraged to meet your main course.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 4, 2015
Pinsa de Roma: Pizza's rectangular ancestors come to Harajuku
Another fast-food pizza outlet — just what Harajuku needs. Don't jump to conclusions too fast though, Pinsa de Roma is different. First, as you can tell from the name, it serves pinsa, the original oven-baked flat bread made for centuries in Rome long before the name "pizza" was coined and Naples got...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 20, 2015
Salmon & Trout: Delectably eclectic free-form dining
Three things you need to know before seeking out Salmon & Trout: It's a 10-minute walk from the nearest suburban station, both inside and out, it looks as much like a bicycle showroom as it does a restaurant, and rarely — if ever — will the two namesake fish appear on the menu.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 20, 2015
Souen: Green tea and traditional sweets in Nishi-Azabu
Remind me again what Japan's national (nonalcoholic) drink is. No, it's not coffee, whether out of vending machines or fastidiously dripped by well-coiffed baristas. It is, of course, green tea — not that you'd realize it in Tokyo. This may be the land where ceremonial tea was perfected, but it's hard...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 6, 2015
The ethical butcher of Paris brings his beef to Tokyo
Being a butcher is hardly a glamorous job in any country — unless you are Hugo Desnoyer. No ordinary meat merchant, his business in Paris counts numerous Michelin-starred chefs among its customers, including Pierre Gagnaire, Alain Passard and Pascal Barbot.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 6, 2015
Kohaku: Horsehair crab, turtle and caviar at this tradition-bending kaiseki restaurant
Tradition looks quite different in Tokyo than, say, Kyoto. Concealed and evolving under constant layers of reinvention, it must be sought out. Where to start? Just head to Kohaku in Kagurazaka, Tokyo's atmospheric nightlife district.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 6, 2015
Na Camo Guro: Nakameguro's duck-centric grill
To guess the specialty at Na Camo Guro, you need to know a little Japanese. Even if you don't, you might still be amused by the wordplay in the name of this sparkling new Japanese-style grill, just a minute's walk from Nakameguro Station.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 16, 2015
Le Sputnik: Out-of-this-world French dining lands in Roppongi
With so much great French cuisine in Japan, what can a hot new restaurant do if it wants to stand out from the crowd? Having a catchy name certainly helps, and so does a good location. Le Sputnik qualifies on both counts. More importantly, it also boasts a very talented chef.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 16, 2015
Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta: Don't let the name fool you, this is the best ramen in northern Tokyo
Is ramen Japanese or Chinese? That particular question is clearly a non-starter for the good folks at Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta — whose name stakes out their position. But, to clarify things, you won't find buckwheat noodles in their bowls; what you get is arguably the finest ramen in northern Tokyo....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 2, 2015
& ecle: An eclectic take on 'neo-bistro' dining
"Coulicious." It's an unlikely, unwieldy name for a signature dish — but not half as improbable as that of the restaurant itself: & ecle. How can you possibly take it seriously? Two good reasons: the man in charge is Olivier Rodriguez; and his food tastes fantastic.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 2, 2015
Camelback: Exceptional sandwiches and flat whites a short walk from Yoyogi Park
A well constructed sandwich is more than just a snack. When it has been put together with prime ingredients, creative flair and artisan skill — the way it's done at Camelback — it is a meal of balance and beauty.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 18, 2015
Ubuka: Where seafood chefs eat seafood
Is there anywhere in the world that consumes as much fish as Japan? And is there a city with as many specialist seafood restaurants as Tokyo? In such a crowded field, how can one small eatery hope to make its mark? In the case of Ubuka, by keeping things simple, flying under the radar — and serving...
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.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
China’s economic growth comes in worse than expected
Pedestrians in the Wangfujing shopping area in Beijing on July 11, 2024. China's economic growth in the second quarter was lower than forecast, adding pressure on Chinese leaders to lift confidence at the Chinese Communist Party's third plenum this week.
Kansai airports to increase takeoff and landing slots ahead of Osaka Expo
Kansai International Airport in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture. The upper limit on the number of takeoff and landing slots at the airport as well as Kobe Airport in Hyogo Prefecture will be raised in spring next year ahead of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka.
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.
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.

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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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Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
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