Wow, there’s not a lot to do in Asakusa on New Year’s. I thought all the junk vendors on Nakamise Dori would stay open all night, but they were closing up around 8. There were an amazing number of yatai around and behind the temple, but we all know what they sell. Walking around a […]
Month: December 2008
- Asakusa
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Namiki Yabu Soba, Asakusa (並木藪そば)
I confess to some confusion as to how we ended up at this place, but it was sure a traditional way to begin the New year evening. When someone says Monnaka is ‘downtown’, I always say “It’s half downtown, and half suburban. If you want to see downtown, go to Asakusa.” Well, we went downtown […]
Didean, Monzennakacho
Well, it was a strange idea to go for healthy ethnic food on New Year’s Eve (lunch). Didean moved some time ago, froma dead-zone location several blocks back from Eitai Dori and into the more glamorous environs of the main approach street to the Fukagawa temple. I thought it was a ‘healthy cafe’, but inside […]
Shimada, Monzennakacho (しまだ)
For some reason I had it in my head that this was a good and recommended soba place. I’m pretty sure this was because of the hand-made aspect – they have a room in the front window where they make the soba, and even when I was there Jiji was up there rollin’ and foldin’. […]
- Other treats
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Santa, Shinjuku (三太)
Today’s a cooking day (though with a little less chicken and a little more attention to food safety, thank you very much), but I was reminded of something and thought I’d fire off a quick and gratuitous post. Last time my parents came to Japan (Hi Mom! Hi Dad!), we were nearly stuck in Nikko […]
Pierre Herme, Shinjuku (Isetan)
Good question, isn’t it? Could things really taste better at the Paris headquarters of the various places whose macarons I regularly consume? This is the subject of obsessive debate in some quarters, but not here. We just eat. I suppose Pierre Herme is famous for all sorts of things. Evidently chief among them is the […]
Murasaki Takumi No Tsukemen, Monzennakacho （紫匠乃)
A new tsukemen place opened in Monnaka a while back. In fact, I have a feeling it’s going on 2 years, but time moves more slowly for us 江戸っ子. I’ve thought many times about going, but never pulled it together. Partly it’s the plethora of other options in the dining paradise that is Monnaka, and […]
Nadaman, Shinagawa (なだ万)
My friend Mayu was visiting for a weekend wedding (I only mention this because it’s funny that he’s a Sri Lankan visiting Japan and yet his name sounds fully Japanese-girl) and I wanted to take him someplace impressively Japanese (read: kaiseki), yet within easy reach of his Shinagawa hotel. This proved surprisingly difficult – there […]
- Other treats
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Tobishima, Sakata (酒田、山形県)
One dangerous thing about having a car is that you’ll tend to drive it. So when faced with the prospect of nothing to do in Akita and a train late in the day, we looked at the map and set out semi-randomly for the coast. Sakata in Yamagata was the nearest city, and 2 hours […]
Snacks, Part 2
OMG, this ice cream is like, totally BLACK! Actually it’s not, and it didn’t have a single particle of squid ink flavor in it (which is what we were expecting from the name). Live and learn. In this case, I have to confess that I learned long ago that ice creams that are supposed to […]