The holidays are over and so is the feasting. Now it's time to revert to less extravagant fare. But simple doesn't have to mean plain. Even Japanese comfort food can be a delight to the eye, the palate and the stomach. If you head to Akomeya Chubo that's the kind of cooking you'll find.
Anybody with an interest in Japanese food should be aware of the Akomeya store in Ginza. It's one of the best places in Tokyo to source groceries from far-flung parts of the country. And it has an entire upstairs floor devoted to hardware, including cooking pots, chopsticks, tableware, rice polishers and water filters.
Tucked away at the back of the ground floor and hidden from view behind a modest noren (half curtain) is the store's excellent, unpretentious little restaurant. At midday, Akomeya Chubo functions as a lunch counter serving set meals; in the afternoon, it becomes a quiet oasis for relaxing over tea and confections; and when the day gets dark, it transforms again into a comfortable dinner spot where you can settle in for the evening.