Before launching into a short and dull review of a place every foreigner in Tokyo probably knows, let me ask a simple question: Why did Josie Cotton never make it big? I was just listening to Convertible Music, which is a truly excellent confection of 80’s girl-rock. Sure, many people know songs like He Could […]
Author: Jon
Otakou, Nihonbashi (お多幸)
It’s official – as of this year, I like oden. Still have to get to the famous north-Kanda outlet Konakara, but Otakou was a good prelude to that. Closer to Nihonbashi than Yaesu, it’s a bit of a walk from Otemachi. If you make it, I’m sure you’ll be pleased by the dark, yellowed interior […]
- Kanda
- ...
Hakata Fu-ryu (博多風龍)
Well, I think I finally know enough about ramen to say: I prefer Hakata ramen. Of course, I’ve been saying for ages that Ippudo is my favorite, so I should have realized this, but I was lazy about the research. And I still am, but at least I noticed that all the places with those […]
Wako Tonkatsu, Otemachi (和幸)
Odd that I’ve never blogged about a Wako before, except to mention it dismissively in posts about other tonkatsu restaurants. It’s been a long time since I went to one, although I have of course been to the one in Roppongi Hillz’ basement (Metro Hat) and the one under the tracks at the south end […]
- bar
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Upset the Apple Cart, Shinjuku
Shinjuku 3-chome is an odd little block full of bars, serving as something of a slope to allow the declination of standards as one goes from Isetan’s glamorous flagship store east into 2-chome (no offense). This, to me, is what Shinjuku is all about – more adult than Shibuya, where they listen to pop music. […]
- bistro
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C’est la Vie Nagano, Shinjuku
After planning to visit the Salon du Chocolate at Shinjuku Isetan, it seemed almost like a requirement to visit one of the many eastside Shinjuku bistros afterward. I cast about with my new favorite tool, Google Maps (seriously – just search for ‘bistro’ or whatever you want, within the neighborhood that you want, and you’ll […]
Salon du Chocolat, Isetan Shinjuku
Tokyo has nearly limitless capacity to delight, and to disappoint. I thought I was terribly clever for proposing a late-afternoon trip to Shinjuku Isetan and the 2010 Salon du Chocolat. This is a fabulous event – what is ostensibly a trade fair for the chocolate industry in Paris is transplanted and reimagined as a consumer […]
Hiyoshiya, Morishita (日吉屋)
This place has always been on my radar to some extent, and after 5 years I finally made it in. Great experience, decent food. Hiyoshiya looks like it’s been doing the same thing forever. In fact it’s since Showa 5 (1931), although you could easily be mistaken and think it was Taisho 5. Somehow I […]
- Ginza
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Vinorio, Ginza
Dinner with the Swans was supposed to be a fairly quick one, followed by live music. Instead it stretched out a bit and became the main event of the evening – partly our inability to order decisively, partly the speed of service. If you were doing nothing of an evening except dining, I would say […]
Henry Good Seven, Marunouchi
What does the name mean? It sounds like rhyming slang for something, Fanny Adams and all that. Is it cryptic just for the sake of crypticosity? That reminds me, I saw one of the most fabulous Engrish garments ever on the train this morning, but failed to take a picture. If I had, that would […]