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November 22, 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
Nov 4, 2011
Les Chanterelles: Mushrooms and much more in Moto-Yoyogi
Poets may talk all they like about mist and mellow fruitfulness, but for us, autumn is above all mushroom season. And this year we have a new favorite place in which to indulge our fondness for fungi: Les Chanterelles.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 21, 2011
Suzunari: Who says kaiseki ryōri has to be stuffy?
Kaiseki ryōri, Japan's traditional multicourse "haute cuisine," is known for its rarefied elegance, its depth and subtlety of flavor, an exquisite focus on the seasons and, too often, for being as much fun as a funeral. But there is also another kind of kaiseki, one that's simpler, less formalized and...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 7, 2011
Hosokawa: Weather the fall with an old Edo classic
Now that summer has been blown away, we finally have the appetite not just to eat but to venture further afield. Time to head across the Sumida River into the shitamachi (old downtown) heartland of Ryogoku, home to the national cult of sumo and its central shrine, the mighty Kokugikan stadium.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 7, 2011
Kyotei Daikokuya: The most satisfying soba in temple town
Few visitors to Asakusa venture beyond the shops and temple precincts around Sensoji. But for aficionados of artisan noodles, the grid of backstreets tucked away behind the mighty temple holds an extra attraction: Kyotei Daikokuya, a quaint little soba restaurant that many consider among the best in...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 16, 2011
Pizzeria e Trattoria da Isa: Proper pizza and pasta — and yes, it's in Tokyo
"You can't get proper Italian food in Japan." "It's all too pretty-pretty and refined." "There's no soul in it." These are the plaints of people pining for the taste of home. People who have never been to Pizzeria e Trattoria da Isa.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 16, 2011
Il Rifugio Hayama: coastal cucina with flair and local flavor
The summer beach season may be over, but we are already planning our return to the Shonan coast. Not for the sand and sea, though, but the promise of a meal at Il Rifugio Hayama, currently our favorite Italian restaurant in all of Kanagawa Prefecture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 2, 2011
Cristiano's: A taste of Portugal in Tokyo's backstreets
Charcoal-grilled fish, lots of fresh seafood and seasonal produce, rice at least once a day and no fussy seasonings or sauces: Portuguese cuisine has so many points of overlap with Japan's, it's a wonder that it hasn't caught on here more widely.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 2, 2011
Vi-sand: Bohemian baguettes all the way from Vietnam
It was art that first led us to Vi-sand in Shimo-Kitazawa. It was the food that drew us back again. This bright little cafe/diner specializes in banh mi, those typically Vietnamese sandwiches (hence the shop's name) made with crisp baguette bread and a variety of savory fillings.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 19, 2011
Hatos Bar: Perfect BBQ and beer for a long, hot summer
There are few good reasons for staying in Tokyo through a long, punishing Japanese summer. But there are a few consolations. The heat and sweat are a lot more bearable if you know that once night has fallen you can be sitting outside, with a light breeze in the air, cool music on the sound system, a...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 19, 2011
DevilCraft: Dying for a crafty pint? Head down to Kanda
The craft beer revolution in Japan is picking up pace. The main event of this summer has been the opening of DevilCraft, an excellent brewpub-to-be that is already serving some of the finest, hoppiest, maltiest, tastiest microbrews around.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 5, 2011
Ivan Ramen Plus: Maverick chef Orkin opens new noodle joint
There are those who love ramen, and those who are obsessive. Count us firmly in the first category. We won't cross town, wait in line for hours or pore over websites just to slurp at some particularly popular noodle shop. But if we hear word of anything especially good and unusual, then we want to know...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 5, 2011
Ichikanjin: Sun, sea, sand and slurping soup noodles
There's nothing like a sea breeze and a day spent lounging by the ocean to generate a healthy appetite. And nothing hits the spot better or faster than ramen. If the beach in question happens to be in Kamakura, then we know exactly where to go to refill and recharge on the way back from the waterfront...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 15, 2011
Bistro Authentique: Authentic flavor in a tiny bistro setting
Tokyo is well served for Vietnamese food these days, and there's no compelling need to venture far from the center when the craving arises for pho, cha gio and banh xeo. Even so, many of our favorite places are far from the mainstream. But few are as obscure — or as worth searching out — as Bistro...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 15, 2011
My-Le: On track for great Vietnamese food
As soon as the rains lift and the temperatures rise, our thoughts turn to Vietnam. It's the food we crave: No other cuisine seems quite as appetizing once the sweltering summer sets in.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 1, 2011
Shichi Jyu Ni Kou: Sampling unusual finds on the sake list
Perhaps the most singular aspect of Shichi Jyu Ni Kou (72 Kou) is its drinks list. No other kaiseki restaurant we know of this sophistication lays such emphasis on sake produced with organically grown rice — and to a lesser extent organic wine — to the point of devoting special sections in the menu...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 1, 2011
Shichi Jyu Ni Kou: Japanese cuisine that follows nature's cues
Japan, as has been said far too often, is a country of four seasons. But that tired old mantra is by no means the whole truth. The ancient lunisolar calendar recognizes 24 distinct divisions in the year, while haiku poets and others attuned to the constant flux of the natural world identify three times...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 17, 2011
Two more tempting Kagurazaka finds
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 17, 2011
Kamozou: A traditional cure for the rainy-season blues
In this gloomiest of seasons, when the skies are leaden and the streets clogged with dripping umbrellas, we find there's only one recourse: Head for a favorite neighborhood eatery and hunker down, glass in hand. If we're anywhere near Kagurazaka and sake is what we fancy, our refuge of choice is Kamozou....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 3, 2011
Other dining options in Upper Shibuya
We've been big fans of Don Ciccio (pronounced "Chitcho") ever since it moved here four years ago. The main draw is the hearty, tasty Sicilian trattoria fare, but the lively atmosphere and friendly service always make for a fun evening out. On summer nights, the three outdoor veranda tables are in hot...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 3, 2011
Abasque: Basque in the flavor of rustic, refined cuisine
One area of Tokyo that remains off many people's radar is the small quadrant known informally as Upper Shibuya. Far from the neon glare of the Hachiko Crossing, it has more in common with Aoyama, apart from the prices. Lower overheads mean affordable restaurants, and few of them are better — or better...
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Tokyo Metro’s overseas efforts begin in earnest with London deal
Tokyo Metro will soon have a role in the running of London's Elizabeth Line, a major train route serving the U.K.’s capital city and environs.
Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Putin says
Ukrainian firefighters work on a spot following an airstrike in Dnipro on Thursday.
Ex-yokozuna Kitanofuji dies at 82
Yokozuna Kitanofuji enters the ring during the May 1970 grand sumo tournament in Tokyo.
Man charged with murder allegedly made victim date other men for money
A car carrying suspect Ryotaro Masuda, who was indicted for allegedly beating his 25-year-old girlfriend to death, leaves the Shibuya Police Station in Tokyo on Thursday.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.

Podcast

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

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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