Search - restaurants

 
 
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Jul 22, 2014

Pancotei: 'Kushikatsu' morsels prepared with obsessive care

Precision. This is the premise on which everything at Pancotei is based, from the angle of the ear of wild asparagus, the volume of the froth on a glass of beer, the suitability of a single Japanese maple leaf as an adornment to a dish, the knot in the master's tie. Precision, bordering on perfection....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jul 8, 2014

Nakamuraken: refuge from summer in a glass of shaved ice

With months of nothing but sun, Japanese summers can sap your will to live. Be grateful, then, for the arrival of kakigōri (shaved ice). In fact, it's about the only thing to look forward to between now and November.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 4, 2014

Farmers fattening pigs with recycled food

Japan burns or buries 3.3 million tons of commercial food waste every year. Then it imports 10 million tons of corn to feed animals, more than any other country.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 1, 2014

Kaiseki Ikku: Stave off the unagi eel crash with this fine alternative

It looks like the end of the line for one of Japan's best-loved summer dining rituals. Unagi (eels) are on the endangered list, with catches plummeting and prices heading skyward. The annual "unagi day" summer feeding frenzy has an uncertain future, and so too the wonderful grill-houses that serve them....
Japan Times
Places
Jun 29, 2014

Sweet spots for outdoor dining in Tokyo

Feel that breeze? If you're dining al fresco at one of these Tokyo restaurants, you sure do.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE PERSISTENT VEGETARIAN
Jun 24, 2014

Deep-fried veggies are happiness on a stick

Summer evenings are here, and so are the slow hours spent cooling off with a cold beer and crisp fried vegetables at a kushiage restaurant.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 21, 2014

Kokusai Dori: Getting bitten by Okinawan Culture

Kokusai Dori is the name of a 2 km stretch of shops, hotels, bars and restaurants which cuts through the heart of downtown Naha, the largest city in Okinawa. The street's name in English is International Road, supposedly named after the Ernie Pyle's now-closed International Theater, which was a popular...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jun 19, 2014

Noma comes to Tokyo; Hawaiian beer garden; summer skyrockets

Noma comes to Tokyo
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 17, 2014

Ramen Kugatsu-do: Delicate broth and fine noodles for a slurpsome summer

Born in China and raised in Japan, ramen's hybrid heritage has evolved into a wide range of different guises. At one end of the spectrum are the alpha-male turbo-charged tonkotsu counters. At the other, you find lightness, delicacy and refinement. That's the way Kugatsu-do does it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jun 10, 2014

What's: Fine Matsusaka beef in a restaurant as unusual as its name

Culinary epiphanies don't happen often, but when they do, they are food for thought. I had one recently dining on prime Japanese beef and it was an experience that, on reflection, recalled a childhood event. Not that I grew up eating wagyū — far from it; rather, the portion of seared beef reminded...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Jun 10, 2014

Marumo Kitchen: Bowls with soul

In the DNA of almost every Japanese building there is a gene for "renewal." And so it was inevitable that Porta, the underground mall at Kyoto Station, would close earlier this year for a revamp. When it reopened it was out with the old and in with the new — and yet another Starbucks. Among the new...
EDITORIALS
May 31, 2014

Tourists rate Tokyo top city

Tokyo has been voted the world's most satisfying of 37 major world cities for 2013, but the tourist industry needs to work on increasing accessibility to Japan's cultural attractions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / EVERYMAN EATS
May 27, 2014

Japan says 'aloha' to Hawaiian food

I should have realized that my first trip to Cinnamon's would end in tears. Or, at least, in an uncomfortably long wait. This newly opened transplant from Kailua, Hawaii, is on the bucket list of every OL (office lady) in the Kanto area, and its location near Yokohama's waterfront guarantees heavy walk-in...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 9, 2014

Labor shortage cutting across all industries

Reliance on part-timers has left many companies struggling to fill positions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 1, 2014

A golden time to dine outdoors

Now is the golden season in Tokyo: balmy days, mellow temperatures, low humidity and no mosquitoes. There's nothing better than a nice, leisurely (and maybe even boozy) lunch outside — dinner, too, as long as you bring a warm jacket or throw.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 29, 2014

Shooters Sports Bar and Grill: A taste of America in Nagoya

Having first opened its doors in 1997, Shooters is the longest running and most successful international restaurant in Nagoya. But it is not only its longevity that makes this a great place to hang out: It also boasts friendly staff, a well-stocked bar and generous portions of Americana cuisine.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NAGOYA RESTAURANTS
Apr 29, 2014

The Corner: Great burgers at any angle

The Corner is a tiny little nook of a place that has been running since 2011 and (although this may be contested by some) serves the best burger in town. A "New York-style bar," The Corner is keen to put the gourmet into burger making, as every patty is handmade and every bun spread with a unique secret...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 26, 2014

Aloha gozaimasu: Japan's influence on Hawaiian culture

In 1868, the first year of the Meiji Era, 148 Japanese men, mainly from the Kanto area, set sail from Yokohama on the British ship Scrito, bound for Honolulu in the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Apr 22, 2014

Gohanya Isshin: a diverse menu topped by fries that wax poetic

Isshin is deceptively big, dimly lit and madly busy; but the staff are on their game. More impressive is that the kitchen produces such high-quality fare in such a demanding work environment.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Apr 22, 2014

Cafe Ibaraki Yu: Former bathhouse offers a bite of the old days

The city of Ibaraki in the north of Osaka is home to Tadao Ando's Church of the Light, a modernist concrete masterpiece. Out of the spotlight, another architect in Ibaraki has been quietly but busily breathing life into buildings whose glory days would otherwise be behind them. Cafe Ibaraki Yu might...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Apr 18, 2014

Make a splash on a family outing

Spring has arrived, and with it a taste of the sunny, sweltering climate to come. Longer days and warmer rays make my kids thirst for a swimming pool. However, Japan's outdoor swimming season doesn't officially begin for months, and indoor locations such as Tokyo Summerland water park can trigger claustrophobia...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 15, 2014

Butagumi Dining: Quality tonkatsu pork cutlets to eat and go

What's not to like about the original Butagumi? Tokyo's temple to high-end tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlets) really is the finest in town. Where else serves such beautiful cuts of premium pork — from hand-reared breeds of "heritage" pigs — and in such a classic setting?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Apr 8, 2014

Elk: Who doesn't eat soup with their pancakes?

Here's an odd couple: soup and pancakes. But this is how Elk, a small but expanding chain of cafes, advertises itself. The day I ate at Elk the pancake crowd was definitely in the ascendancy; there were a few soup eaters like myself, but we were in the minority. And speaking of minorities, men were so...
Japan Times
JAPAN / AT A GLANCE
Apr 6, 2014

Tokyo jumps on theme bar bandwagon

Tokyo and its surrounding areas provide an array of entertainment spots to serve the varied interests of its inhabitants, day or night. The latest fads are theme bars and restaurants for those seeking an unusual drinking or dining experience. Guys who were fascinated by Ultraman in the heady high-growth...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 1, 2014

Pizzeria Tonino: Some of the best Italian pizza in town

Any al fresco seating is good now that the weather's warming up. If there's a view, that's an added bonus. At Pizzeria Tonino, you get to watch colorful streetcars going past from the luxury of your terrace seat.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 1, 2014

Ostü: Great Italian across the way from Yoyogi Park

The only drawback to the sakura season is that no matter how beautiful the blossoms, the celebrations can get very chilly. You need somewhere you can repair to for warmth and sustenance. If you're anywhere near Yoyogi Park, you won't do better than Ostu00fc.

Longform

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