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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
Dec 16, 2014
Pirouette, Craft Beer Market and more: some great new openings in Tokyo in 2014
The festive season is upon us, and 2015 beckons. But before we move on, herded into the Year of the Sheep, it's time to pause, celebrate and give thanks for the abundance of fine eating over the past 12 months.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 2, 2014
Heinz Beck brings his Michelin-star flavors to Tokyo
Just in time for the festive season, Tokyo has been given a timely infusion of fine dining. And it has everything going for it: plush designer decor, one of the best locations in the city center (overlooking the Imperial Palace moat) and modern Italian cuisine from one of Europe's top chefs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 2, 2014
Ramen makes progress at Gonokami Suisan
Change comes in subtle increments in the ramen world, rarely in sudden leaps. That's why it was exciting to discover Gonokami Suisan and its hip, young crew earlier this year in the backstreets north of Kanda Station. Last December when it opened, lines formed around the block to sample the trademark...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 18, 2014
Toyoken: Narisawa's take on 'yoshoku' cuisine
Curry-rice, menchi-katsu cutlet, kani (crab) cream croquette, and kaki (oyster) fry... Dinner at Toyoken reads like a roll call of retro comfort food from a long-passed era — but with one big difference.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 18, 2014
Lizarran: Spanish 'pinchos' means a new taste with every bite
...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 4, 2014
Kanda Yabu Soba: Renowned soba restaurant reborn from the flames
Slurping and celebration: Those were the sounds emanating from Tokyo's historic Awajicho district late last month. The reason: Kanda Yabu Soba has risen from the ashes (literally) and is back open for business.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 4, 2014
Nakamura Shokudo: Eclectic izakaya dining in Akasaka
If you're after sushi, tempura or yakitori, you head for a specialist restaurant. The same goes for eel, tonkatsu pork or wagyū beef. But what if you'd rather mix it up at dinnertime with a more eclectic selection of foods? No problem. Just head to a good izakaya.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 14, 2014
Suzuran: A favorite ramen shop relocates and evolves
Suzuran has moved. After over a decade building up a large and loyal following, Shibuya's classiest ramen shop has shuttered its old wood-clad premises behind the police station and found itself a smart new home — down the road in Ebisu.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 14, 2014
Ginza Maru: Kaiseki courses that won't break the bank
Sitting down to a kaiseki dinner is rarely a casual decision, least of all in Ginza. Like going to kabuki or shopping for pearls at Mikimoto, you need to budget time and cash for a multi-course meal of traditional cuisine in the glittering heart of Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 30, 2014
Malins: authentic fish and chips day and night in Roppongi
Fish and chips: The United Kingdom's best-known food is no stranger to Tokyo. You can find it at almost every Irish, Scottish and English pub in the city. Many versions are worthy. Some are good. But very few do it right. Not like they do it at Malins.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 30, 2014
Pizza Slice: New York-style pie served one piece at a time
No prizes for guessing the specialty at Pizza Slice, or the way that it's sold. What does come as a surprise — especially when you've just schlepped it down to one of the remotest corners of Shibuya — is just what a big, bright, stylish, happening place it is.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 16, 2014
Pignon: Bistro dining by different rules
Guacamole and merguez sausages on the menu, salsa and bossa nova on the sound system and not a check tablecloth in sight: Pignon is a far cry from the average bistro. But then again, owner-chef Rimpei Yoshikawa is anything but a typical Tokyo French chef.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 16, 2014
Afuri: Classic noodles with a twist of citrus
Can it really be 10 years since the original Afuri opened, bringing its trademark yuzu ramen, stylish black uniforms and hip, post-industrial decor to the backstreets of Ebisu? A decade on, the lines outside are still just as long. But the good news is there are now half a dozen other branches around...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 2, 2014
Toriki: Yakitori made with care but no frills
Yakitori is comfort food. No matter how high-end or low-rent the location, it's all about the simple pleasures of chewing on grilled chicken and kicking back with a drink or a few. That's the tried-and-true formula at Toriki.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 2, 2014
Faro Slow Time: Take your time over the food, not the line
The distinctive orange-clad Shiseido Building in Ginza is more than just a showroom for the company's cosmetics: Its swish 10th-floor restaurant, Faro, serves some of the best Italian food in the area. It's also one of the most popular, meaning tables are booked up well in advance.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 19, 2014
Nanakura: A lighter take on udon noodles
Is it possible to become a noodle addict? Technically no, but at this time of year it's not hard to build up a fierce dependence on food that is light, quick and easy on the digestion. And it always pays to know where to find a good fix. Around Shinbashi, it's hard to do better than Nanakura.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 19, 2014
Bakka: Neapolitan-style pizza al fresco in the heart of Shibuya
Al fresco pizza and beer. It doesn't get much better than this in the middle of Shibuya. Who cares if your seat is a hard, narrow trestle, the view is an inner-city abandoned lot and the pies are served on flimsy paper plates from the back of a converted delivery van? You don't come to Bakka for home...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 5, 2014
Sushi Iwa: High-end Michelin-starred sushi at a medium price
High-end sushi in Tokyo can be memorable and uplifting, even revelatory for those trying it for the first time. But it can also be intense and uncomfortable sometimes, what with the formality and etiquette, the inevitable language barrier and the hefty price tag.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 5, 2014
Aji no Nakamura: Comforting food and sake with ambience to match
...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 15, 2014
Sakana no Nakasei: One of three great Tokyo restaurants for aged beef
Tokyo's taste for high-end meat is maturing fast. For the cognoscenti, breed, provenance and fat content have long been critical. Now add one more key factor: aging. That's the focus at several new venues.
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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