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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 3, 2010
Junkadelic Jalopy! makes its (exclamation) mark
One of our favorite funky eateries has just sprouted a new offshoot, and it's every bit as laid-back delicious. Junkadelic, the self-styled "comfortable Mexican" hangout in Naka-Meguro, already has a branch in Akasaka. This new one, which opened in nether Shibuya in late October, is smaller, more intimate...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 3, 2010
La Gargote: Buzzing new bistro moves in for the grill
The great guide Michelin has again spoken, and lo! Tokyo has yet more stars in its firmament, and with even greater numbers anointed to the most exalted echelons. Further confirmation, should it be needed, that this is the foodiest city on the planet.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 19, 2010
Kankyo Shuten: Crab with wine in Ningbo style
This is the golden season, the time for feasting and thanksgiving. Here in Japan, we celebrate the rice harvest, persimmons and pumpkins, mikan mandarins and matsutake mushrooms. Over in Shanghai, though, the autumn delicacy par excellence is freshwater crab.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 5, 2010
To your health: Vinegar is the toast at Osuya
Following the refurbishment of the Ginza Mitsukoshi department store, much media attention has focused on the ninth-floor rooftop lawn terrace. But it's the bottommost floors that grab our interest. They have been totally revamped to create Tokyo's newest, classiest depachika basement food hall.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Nov 5, 2010
Kamo-shabu Chikutei: Putting the duck into shabu-shabu
There's no mystery as to what's on the menu at Kamo-shabu Chikutei. Even if you didn't know that "kamo" means "duck," the lamps at the entrance with their stylized image of a mallard in flight give the game away.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 15, 2010
Rue de Shuri: Small is beautiful out in Nakame
Everyone likes Naka-Meguro. With its languid tree-lined creek, quirky bars and design boutiques and easygoing low-rise ambience — away from the station, at any rate — it's one of the Tokyo locales we all wish we lived in. Best of all, Nakame (as those in the know call it) has some excellent little...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 1, 2010
Zezankyo: A showcase for tempura artistry
It would be absolutely inaccurate to call Tetsuya Saotome a maverick. But within the traditional, buttoned-down world of tempura chefs, he certainly stands out as an individualist.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 17, 2010
Maison Bretonne: All for the love of Breton galettes
Isn't it about time that galettes — those skinny, savory, nut-brown buckwheat pancakes born in Brittany but now ubiquitous in French cuisine — took this country by storm?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 17, 2010
Koz Cafe: Colorful dishes, Scandinavian style
One of our best — and best-looking — discoveries this summer has been Koz Cafe. Occupying a converted house on a narrow pedestrian street on the Tomigaya side of Yoyogi Park, it has a distinctive Scandinavian feel both inside and out (you can't miss its patterned slate-blue exterior) and on the menu...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 3, 2010
Bissori: A secret garden of enchantment
Even among the architectural mishmash of Tokyo's jumbled backstreets, Bissori stands out. The two-story facade is sheer, rough-plastered, almost windowless. Creepers and bamboo obscure the few small square portholes. It's intriguing, enigmatic. Inside, though, is even more remarkable.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 3, 2010
The Market SE1: Artisan ice cream on the Shonan coast
We surely haven't been the only ones thirsting for ice cream throughout this long, sultry summer. Those cravings have been assuaged by regular doses of the superb gelati made by Grom. As of last month, there are now three outlets in Tokyo for these outstanding (and pricey) Italian ices, which many people...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 20, 2010
Kanagawa taverns with brews of note
When we find ourselves thirsty in Yokohama, we know exactly where to head. Our latest favorite watering hole in the city is Pivoya, a small pub that specializes exclusively in beer from the Czech Republic. It's in a quiet, out-of-the-way locale but definitely worth tracking down.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 20, 2010
August Beer Club: Beers that taste great in August
In this punishing heat, a lot of people complain they have lost all appetite for food. We say: Change your definition of the word "food." At this time of year, we gain a significant proportion of our nourishment from that most essential of food groups: beer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 6, 2010
Escape the heat island to the great outdoors
Al fresco tables are at a premium at this time of year, especially if the view you want is one of leafy nature rather than city traffic or nearby buildings. Add quality food into that equation and the choices narrow even further. However, one place that fits the bill perfectly is Park Side Cafe, down...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 6, 2010
Peace Tokyo: Pasta, pizza and riverside peace
Peace is hard to find, they say. Equally elusive in this mighty megalopolis are tranquil riverside dining spots with al fresco tables, sunset views and nary a building in sight or traffic noise to drown out the birdsong.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 2, 2010
Myojinshita Kandagawa Honten: Beating the heat with classic unagi
The Great Heat has returned, blanketing the city, sapping our energy and, worse yet, stifling all appetite for food. There's only one solution for lifting that summer lethargy — at least if you hold with local lore: It's time to feast on that supreme summer specialty, unagi eel.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 2, 2010
Matsuyoshi: Old-style eel with a neighborhood feel
Throughout Tokyo and the rest of the country, eel restaurants are gearing up for the annual "Unagi Day" feeding frenzy. The exact dates are determined according to the old almanac on the midsummer Day (or Days) of the Ox, which this year falls on July 26. And the longest lines will be outside some of...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 18, 2010
Premium sake tasting is back in Tokyo
Good news for anyone with an interest in Japan's traditional tipple: The Ginjo Bar is up and running again for the summer. This annual event is organized by the Nippon Ginjo Kyokai, a loose affiliation of kura (sake breweries) around the country that specialize in premium sake, most of it prepared in...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 18, 2010
Nozaki Sakaten: Fine sake served with enthusiasm
To enter the warren of low-rise, low-rent back streets southwest of Shinbashi Station is to venture well off the gourmet beaten track. These few blocks around Karasumori Shrine are known for carousing, not fine dining. But at least there is plenty of good sake to imbibe — once you have found your way...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 4, 2010
Incanto weaves its enchantment
Anyone with the nose, the nous and the drive to become a certified sommelier has our respect. But to gain that certification in Italy — in Italian, when your native tongue is Japanese . . . That demands the greatest admiration.
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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