With Christmas a mere 10 days away, it is unlikely that anyone has failed to make their arrangements for celebrations, either on the day itself or during the Yuletide run-up. However, just in time for the season of good cheer, overeating and loosening of purse strings, here are two places (opened in the past month) with just the kind of atmosphere for that special occasion.

Kura Carmine is the latest addition to the growing stable of trattorie, pizzerie and ristoranti produced and operated by veteran chef-restaurateur Carmine Cozzolino -- and again demonstrates his flair for blending Italian cucina with traditional Japanese architecture. While not quite as unusual as his Edochiano in Yotsuya-Sanchome, Kura's setting is inventive.

As the name suggests, it dwells within the shell of a converted storehouse, hidden away in an unlikely location between tall office buildings off the main drag of Kotto-dori. Passing through a narrow wooden gate, you pick your way across stepping stones through a glade of bamboo and enter the massive heavy doors of an original kura that has stood on this site since the time when Aoyama was actually a semirural "green hill" on the outskirts of Edo.