More than once, my friends, I have been accused of completism, photo-phetishism, and other sins. Well, I thought this narrow tunnel, small enough for only one car at a time, was pretty neat. And now I’ve tricked you into reading about it. haaa haaaaa. After a brisk day’s hiking and soaking, we roared back along […]
Month: May 2011
Jinkeien onsen, Takako (陣馬の湯 旅館 陣渓園,相模原市)
Coming down the mountain and back onto the road, there are three onsen in sequence, all getting their water from the Jinba source but using it in various ways. Evidently the nicest-looking one is too good for the likes of us, not accepting day-trippers. It’s a mystery to me who would want to stay out […]
- Other treats
- ...
Aoki Chaya, Takao (景信山山頂・青木茶屋, 高尾))
The directions for getting to Aoki are superb. They just say 景信山の山頂に登って下さい – please climb to the top of the mountain. It’s a little tricky knowing how to get started though – we took the train to Takao, saw the massive line for the bus, and jumped in a taxi to the trailhead. Bloody investment […]
- bistro
- ...
Brasserie But, Ningyocho (ビュットブラッスリー)
What what? Brasserie But. Really they want you to say ‘Butte’, like ‘a solitary hill‘ (yes, ideally populated with cabarets and a winery), but when they write ‘but’, my inner 5 year old can’t help but wiggle. Funny exterior, isn’t it? It’s a-way off on the east side of Ningyocho, near that street that’s divided […]
- Other treats
- ...
Junk Garage, Tokyo (ジャンクガレッジ)
Years, I’ve wanted to try this place. Years. About the same length of time since they moved from southern Tokyo to a location way out in the Saitama suburbs (Omiya). Now they’ve brought the magic to Tokyo. Look at the skull-and-crossbones-with-ears pig logo. When I say they’ve brought the magic, I really think they’ve done […]
Yamakou, Monzen Nakacho (鮎の里 山幸)
Yeah, I was disgruntled at work again. Didn’t deal with it that well; stopped off at an izakaya on the way home. It’s a problem with Monnaka – I may never run out of new places to try, even when they’re old places like this. ‘Mountain Happiness’ specializes in ayu, a small river fish that […]
- Other treats
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Kit Kat, Tokyo
Look, when I’m stressed, I eat more and worse. What about you? Another bad thing is that the powerful crush of salty ramen tends to make me crave sweet things even more than usual. Couple that with a display of unique Kit Kat flavors in the basement while I was walking back from Shichisai, and […]
- Other treats
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Shichisai ramen, Tokyo (麺や 七彩)
The Tokyo Ramen Street re-open is a major improvement, and well worth the wait. Before, the options were frankly uninspiring (except Rokurinsha, and that was so inspiring that there are always 30 people in line and it’s impossible for a regular working guy to get in at lunch). Now they’ve got Honda (ramendb’s 2011 #1 […]
Tenman Tempura, Nihonbashi (天ぷら 天万)
You could convince me that this was a 4th-generation, 100+-year shop if you wanted. Wouldn’t be hard. It’s harder to understand how they can stay in business. The reason I ended up here is pretty simple – they’re right around the corner from absolute greatness, and I’ve been trying to eat tempura at that absolutely […]
- Kanda
- ...
Yoshimuraya ramen, Kanda (麺処 吉村家)
You know I like to bring you the latest restaurants, the ‘hottest things’ on the ‘Tokyo scene’. Well, with the summer shaping up the way it is – low/no-air conditioning policies to save power for those in need – every restaurant is going to be hot soon. It wasn’t even sunny today, but with the […]