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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
Jun 4, 2010
Change is not always for the better
Hidden away just up the side street from Incanto, the bijou wine bar formerly known (and extolled in this column) as Terauchi has gone through two name changes in the past couple of years. First it became Magazzino; now, since April of this year, it is simply known as Itabar.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 21, 2010
Frijoles: Tex-Mex classics, fast and flavorful
Is there any finer fast food than a well-constructed taco or, better yet, its bulked-up big brother, the burrito? At their best, they're wholesome and filling, nutritious and versatile, a square meal rolled up in a package that's both portable and tasty.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 21, 2010
Cozy spots for more south-of-the-border fare
There's little likelihood of Mexican cuisine hitting the mainstream in Tokyo anytime soon, but there's a fair sprinkling of places around town that can scratch the itch when those cravings for tacos and burritos get too insistent.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 21, 2010
Tex-Mex classics, fast and flavorful
Is there any finer fast food than a well-constructed taco or, better yet, its bulked-up big brother, the burrito? At their best, they're wholesome and filling, nutritious and versatile, a square meal rolled up in a package that's both portable and tasty.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 7, 2010
Maruni/Zaku: Here's the beef, in vintage style
Like so many casual eating/drinking spots opening in these cash-strapped times, Maruni keeps things simple and cheap. It's basically a standing bar serving yakiniku barbecue, with a brightly lit interior and retro wooden facade. What sets it apart from just about any other place of its kind is that the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 7, 2010
Jamaica in Japan: One Love festival
This weekend (May 8 and 9), Tokyo celebrates its continuing love affair with all things Jamaican. The annual One Love Festival takes place in Yoyogi Park, and this year it will be bigger than ever. Expect to find rocksteady reggae rhythms on the sound systems, Red Stripe lager in the ice boxes and plenty...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 30, 2010
Kyoto's temples of gastronomy
You need a strategy when you're visiting a city the size of Kyoto. Ours was simple: No tourist spots, no taxis and no traipsing around. We were there to eat.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 16, 2010
Yasai Kaiseki Nagamine: Vegetables given pride of place in upmarket kaiseki cuisine
Down in Ginza, we got another glimpse of the future. This version, though, is hushed and sophisticated, with waitresses in kimono. It feels very traditional — in all but one respect. Instead of tuna and eel on your sushi, you get mushrooms and vegetables. Welcome to Nagamine, Tokyo's first vegetable...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 16, 2010
Noka no Daidokoro: A fresh future for healthy dining
We have seen the future. It's a bright, cheerful place, where farmers are heroes and everyone munches on raw food. There are posters and didactic messages everywhere, and the enthusiasm seems almost otaku. Welcome to Noka no Daidokoro (Farmhouse Kitchen), the taste of things to come.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 2, 2010
Bills Yokohama: Pancakes, scrambled eggs and more, bills brings a taste of Sydney to Yokohama
One of the Food File's all-time favorite settings for breakfast in Japan — lunch and dinner, too — has to be bills , Aussie chef Bill Granger's stylish beachfront cafe/restaurant on the Kamakura coast. The good news is that there's now a second branch, and it's a lot more convenient if you're living...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 2, 2010
Lauderdale, Mariage Freres, Lipton Tea House: Roppongi breakfast, high tea in the Ginza
Breakfast and afternoon tea: Two meals that rarely get discussed in this column. It's not a question of bias. It's just there are very few places in town that get them right.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 19, 2010
Le Dessin: Designs for both palate and palette
It was one of those hot tips that come our way from time to time. This one, though, was delivered with a caveat: "A fantastic little French place, as good as any in town for the price; but the location's so obscure no one knows about it. It's called Le Dessin."
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 19, 2010
Happy returns for two French chefs in Tokyo
We're always sad when a top restaurant shuts down, but we were especially disappointed when we heard that the Michelin two-star Pierre Gagnaire a Tokyo had closed its bijou doors last year. As one of the world's most brilliant chefs, Gagnaire's exquisite cuisine would seem a perfect match for Tokyo's...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 5, 2010
A16: Brick Square is hip
Spring may not be here for real just yet, but it's never too early to celebrate the first al fresco lunch of the year. So when last week's unseasonably warm spell arrived we knew exactly where to go — into the heart of the city, to grab an outside table at A16.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 5, 2010
Echire Maison du Beurre: Butter boutique continues to draw in the crowds at the Marunouchi Brick Square
...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 19, 2010
Yoshicho: Stellar yakitori down in Gotanda
The idea of gourmet yakitori is nothing new. There are plenty of restaurants around town where the humble art of skewering and grilling chicken has been elevated to a degree of sophistication. But you don't expect to find it in the back streets of Gotanda, just north of Shinagawa.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 5, 2010
Kamikozawa-tei: Shabu-shabu in modernist mode
There's no finer way to eat on a chilly winter evening than sitting around a bubbling nabe hot pot. No matter what the ingredients — meat, fish, tofu or vegetables — just cooking and eating from the same communal casserole is nourishment for both body and soul.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 5, 2010
Nezucafe: There's nothing fusty about the Nezu Museum's new cafe
When the Nezu Museum reopened last October, after more than a year of reconstruction, we were among the first to join the lines outside. We were keen to inspect Kengo Kuma's impressive architecture and wanted to view the remarkable bronzes, scrolls and screens in the new galleries. But more than anything...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 22, 2010
E*A*T: Fast food worth lingering over
The bright yellow sign calls down over the busy, narrow sidewalk like a grandmama from the old country exhorting her brood to come to table. "EAT EAT," it shouts. Do as you're told: Go in and sit down. We did. And we ate. We ate very well indeed.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 22, 2010
Tokyo's burger joints have never been better
It looks as though Tokyo has finally woken up to the idea that there's much more to a burger than the cheap, bland offerings of the fast-food chains. Premium burgers, made by hand with quality ingredients and cooked with care, are all over town these days and the best of the recent bunch is the strangely...
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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Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

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