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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
Apr 17, 2015
Kuriya Kashi Kurogi: Tokyo's sweet shop in the shade of Kengo Kuma
The instant you see Kuriya Kashi Kurogi you know it's special. The hidden location, verdant setting and striking architecture are more than remarkable — they are one of a kind. With the Kurogi name, you expect nothing less.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 17, 2015
Magical Animal may have crafted Tokyo's best pulled pork sandwich
...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 10, 2015
Ineffable dining in Kyoto
Spring is here, and Kyoto is calling us. The old capital is ablaze with blossom, fresh foliage and the exhilaration that winter is over. This is a magical time of year — not just for sightseeing, but for eating out, too, with all the produce of the new season. There are great restaurants close to all...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 3, 2015
'Brave and exciting dining' at Florilege
Spring brings new beginnings. It also ushers in restaurant openings galore. This year, few are likely to be as radical and impressive as the rebirth and reinvention of Florilege.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 3, 2015
Riverside restaurants in season for cherry blossom views
The Meguro River is one of Tokyo's most popular blossom-viewing venues, especially the section running through Naka-Meguro. Maybe that's because once you've had your fill of the crowds and street food, there are plenty of restaurants at hand where you can gaze out at the ethereal blooms and the fresh...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 17, 2015
Old-school Izuei Umegawatei a prime spot for new cherry blossom season
Spring always arrives with a rush. One week it can feel like mid-winter; the next, there's cherry blossoms everywhere.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 17, 2015
Unosato's old ways still shine in flashy Shibuya
In a city as rapidly changing as Tokyo, it's a major feat for any restaurant to survive over four decades. To do so on the edge of Shibuya's teenage wasteland is even more remarkable. So let's raise a cup — of premium sake of course — to the one and only Unosato.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 3, 2015
Takazawa adds Akasaka bar to his name
Great news: Chef Yoshiaki Takazawa has opened a bar. This is fantastic for all those who know the beautiful bijou, high-end restaurant in Akasaka that bears his name. Revered by visiting gourmets, it is one of the hardest tables in town to book. Now, we all can sample his cuisine in a more accessible...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 3, 2015
A long, leisurely lunch leaves no doubts at Chic Peut-etre
Let's hear it for lunch. Long, leisurely sessions at the table, with multiple courses and an equal number of wines to go with them. And then at the end, lingering over coffee and conversation. That's the way it happens every Saturday at Chic Peut-etre.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 24, 2015
Top French chef says fundamentals are key to selling washoku to the world
In December 2013, when UNESCO formally recognized washoku (traditional Japanese cuisine) as part of the World's Intangible Cultural Heritage, the reaction here was mixed.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 17, 2015
Masa's Kitchen 47 defies stereotypes with bold take on Chinese cuisine
Gleaming white tableware, understated decor and not a single dragon or red lantern in sight: Masa's Kitchen 47 boldly defies the stereotype for Chinese restaurants in Tokyo. Which is just as it should be. So does the food.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 17, 2015
A little shiokara goes a long way at Surugaya Kahei
The specialty at this little counter-type sake bar is shiokara, the salty, odoriferous innards of assorted seafood.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 3, 2015
Tuck into tradition at Nabeya
Is there any food more comforting and satisfying than a nabe? Sitting around a bubbling casserole watching your dinner cook satisfies all the senses, nourishing the soul as you fill and heat your body. So why aren't there more places like Nabeya?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 3, 2015
A night at Camp to write home about
Curry rice isn't meant to be healthy any more than it's supposed to be spicy. It's a carb-laden comfort food, a cheap and filling staple of students and singletons. Obviously the folks at Camp never got the memo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 20, 2015
Noma's take on a Japanese menu is bold
After a drumroll of media announcements, a steady drip of social media speculation and the crescendo of anticipation, Noma Japan has finally opened. Denmark's preeminent restaurant has begun its month-long residency in Tokyo, and it's every bit as remarkable as expected.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 20, 2015
Top chef Yoshihiro Narisawa takes his kitchen to go
...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 8, 2015
Redzepi: 'I think the restaurant staff in Japan are some of the best on Earth'
Last year, while still only halfway through the extensive planning process, Noma chef Rene Redzepi sat down with The Japan Times in the extensive test kitchen above his Copenhagen waterfront restaurant and outlined his reasons and vision for Noma in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 8, 2015
It's a mad, MAD world for committed chefs
Most chefs prefer to let their food do the talking. If they have anything else to say, it goes into a cookbook. But for Rene Redzepi there is far too much to be discussed — above and beyond the brilliant, inventive dishes he serves at his restaurant, Noma, in Copenhagen and (temporarily) in Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 8, 2015
Noma sets the table for a feast in Tokyo
As the clock inches toward midday on Jan. 9, the eyes and attention of gourmets around the world will be focused on Tokyo. The reason: The curtain is rising on one of the most hotly anticipated restaurant openings ever.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 6, 2015
Ringing in the new year with some old favorites
What better way to start the New Year than by looking back? After all, how can we move ahead if we don't know the past? Here are five classic Tokyo ryoriya (restaurants) where tradition rules and the roots of today's food culture live on.
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.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

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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