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November 25, 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
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 Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 19, 2016
Ranjatai: Inventive yakitori in the backstreets of Jinbocho
Chicken and charcoal are a classic combination: Morsels of meat carefully skewered and cooked over glowing coals until they're tender, juicy and golden brown. Good yakitori is always a pleasure. At its very best it's worth crossing the city for. And Ranjatai's certainly belongs in that category.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 19, 2016
Pappon Kitchen: Shibuya's tiniest Thai diner wields huge flavors
It's remarkable what a good chef can do with a single burner, a rice cooker and plenty of prep. Take a look at the countless street-food artisans across Asia. Or, much closer to home, just drop into Pappon Kitchen and observe a masterclass in compact cooking.
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....
Taiwan stuns Samurai Japan to capture Premier12 title
Japan starter Shosei Togo reacts after allowing a three-run home run against Taiwan in the fifth inning of the Premier12 final on Sunday.
Woman dies after train collides with car in Tochigi
A Moka Railway train car
Japan beats Taiwan ahead of rematch in Premier12 final
Keita Sano celebrates with his teammates after scoring on Kotaro Kiyomiya's two-run triple against Taiwan during their Premier12 game at Tokyo Dome on Saturday.
Tokyo’s newest three-star chef wants ‘harmony across every detail’
British-born Daniel Calvert earned his third Michelin star last month — a stunning achievement considering his restaurant, Sezanne, has only been open for just over three years.
An iconic 32-foot doughnut might give Randy’s an edge in Japan
Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, California. Replicas of the giant doughnut sculpture will be installed, where possible, at shops in Japan.
Tokyo’s newest three-star chef wants ‘harmony across every detail’
British-born Daniel Calvert earned his third Michelin star last month — a stunning achievement considering his restaurant, Sezanne, has only been open for just over three years.
133-year-old Kyushu railway station remains to be partially preserved
The remains of the original Moji Station in Kitakyushu
After Shohei Ohtani bump, Iwate ironware maker sees brighter future
Kaito Kikuchi's decision to send superstar Shohei Ohtani one of his company's traditional ironware tea kettles has paid off with a surge of interest from general consumers.
Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.

Podcast

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

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat
By Greg Dvorak

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