Many times I’ve scoured Tabelog for dinner places in Akasaka and come away disappointed. One that was always on the cusp but never got picked was Rusticanella; here it is. (Incidentally, if I was looking now and had the money, I’d try this Uoshin place. It’s almost across the street from Rusticanella, which is why […]
Author: Jon
Honu Cafe, Wako (ワイン食堂honucafe,埼玉県和光市)
This is really it – the last day I spent in Tokyo. Someone and I spent it like a lot of days before – pottering around a suburb, looking for excitement and not finding any. Unfortunately our bikes were already abandoned back in Monnaka, so we took a train somewhat at random and got off […]
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Kuroza Akatsukirou, Akasaka (赤坂馳走屋 黒座暁樓)
So here we are, all moved out of the apartment and into the last few days of life in Tokyo. In a really weird twist of mind, we stayed at the New Otani, which left us in Akasaka once someone got back from work. The walk around to pick a restaurant for dinner was protracted […]
Napoli Napoli, Monzen Nakacho
If you remember that old, overpriced sushi place called ‘Tamon’ that used to be just north of the highway…eh, no one’s going to remember that. I talked to people who lived in the neighborhood and didn’t know it was there. The point is that it disappeared, and was replaced just before I left with pizza […]
McDonald’s, Monzennakacho (マクドナルド)
Ahhh, here we go. Really winding down now. I dropped someone off at the train station just like always, but couldn’t engage in my customary multi-hour bike ride around Tokyo – it was moving day. I lived in that apartment for 7 years, which is the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere, except my parents’ house, […]
Bistro Bar Ku, Shibuya (ビストロバークー)
You know how much I like my powers of observation, right? I always maintained I could spot good places from half a mile away in the dark. As a second place for this evening, I realized that we were just around the corner from a really cool-looking place that I’d been eyeing for years but […]
Fujiya Honten Dining Bar, Shibuya (富士屋本店 ダイニングバー)
On the road again…this time taking the train down to Shibuya to celebrate a last night as a resident of Tokyo before taking up residence at the New Otani. I still can’t believe I stayed at the New Otani. You’d also think this was the Tozai line, because almost every train trip I’ve taken in […]
Taiyo, Monzen Nakacho (海鮮立飲み 太陽)
A final joke on my Japanese capabilities, which were mostly a joke anyway, along with a fond farewell to this street leading to Hachiman Bashi, and an even fonder farewell to standing bars that open in the afternoon and getting drunk therein. My last evening in Monzen Nakacho, and I spent it in Shibuya with […]
Yattai Soba Hachiman, Monzen Nakacho (屋台ソバ 八幡)
You just never know, you know? This place has been hanging around on one of the most boring streets in Monnaka, and I always thought it might be OK in that dumpy-but-delicious ramen way. I was put off by it being across from a chain fugu place, the kind with the sad fish swimming in […]
Cattlea, Morishita (カトレア)
‘Ganso’ is a funny concept. I think it means something like ‘the original’ or ‘the inventor’. Maybe ‘authentic’ would be better, but more detailed reading certainly shows that this place claims to have invented curry bread. For years I thought it was just an undistinguished bakery a few towns up from mine, but when someone […]