Eiiiiiii- fuku? Once in a great while, we venture out to odd places. And in this case not even the bustling metropolopolis of Eifuku, but the western suburb thereof. I needed to meet The Recruiter, had no particular objection to travel, and suggested we might as well meet 2 minutes from his house. He suggested […]
Author: Jon
- Otemachi
- ...
Luck, Otemachi
Once, many moons ago, I went to a nifty exhibit of Japanese postcards culled from the collection of a rich Bostonian who had a yen for taking home thousands of Japanese art objects (I bought the exhibition catalog too; it’s on the bookshelf in the bedroom, bottom right). I never really understood where the museum […]
- Other treats
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Gasshomura Santa, Ningyocho (合掌村 三太)
With a name like this, and a web site featuring lots of pictures of gassho-zukuri houses (think Shirakawa-go, the huge thatched-roof farmhouses) you’d expect some kind of Hida theme. You’d be wrong. But if you went expecting some kind of sake theme, you’d be right – 100 varieties. Only a few weeks into the year and […]
- beer
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Beer Restaurant Old Station
Before I ate, I was all set to write a snarky post about this place, but I kinda enjoyed the ‘fried curry udon’, which is their speciality item and comes on a sizzling skillet which rapidly cool, letting the curry congeal, which is a little gross but significantly better than sizzling, spitting, and thoroughly threatening […]
Lauderdale, Roppongi
Tokyo needs more brunch places. This is manifestly true. Fujimama’s closed recently, and while Suji’s remains open, I think the food and cost performance is kinda cynical (as in, “We dare you to find another place that will serve you American-style brunch, and until you do we’re not making much effort.”). Hotels are not an […]
- Ginza
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Vinoteca Wagon, Ginza
Ginza is hard. If you’re at all price-sensitive, you’re likely to be disappointed by the quality level of places. Italian is the same way for me. But The Wagon is largely a winner, and it has an associated restaurant in Azabu Juban that’s open just as late as the Ginza branch (well after midnight). My […]
Zubora, Nihonbashi (寿保羅)
Geez, with a second repetition already under our belts, this weekly language lunch thing could become a permanent fixture. It’s great lunching with a Retail guy too, because he knows all sorts of quirky places that I wouldn’t find. This one was on the fourth floor of a mostly unmarked building (and appeared even less-marked […]
- izakaya
- ...
Kappore, Kamata (加帆礼,蒲田)
When Blondie was starting to get big, the band had a press campaing under the heading “Blondie is a group!” This was meant to combat the no-doubt common perception that Debbie Harry was named Blondie, and that the guys in the band were just there to back her up. I mention this only because I […]
- Kanda
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Yokohamaiekei Kandaya, Kanda (横浜家系 神田屋)
[Jan 2011: I’ve learned a lot about ramen in the 373 days since my first visit and my second, today. And now I can say with a touch more authority that this is damn good ramen. Get shoyu, add garlic, love it. This must have opened soon before I visited, because as I look now […]
Asashichi, Monzen Nakacho (浅七)
This one was a recommendation from The Woodsman, and I’ve been thinking of trying it for several weeks (since he mentioned it, really). After working late on…stuff…and not feeling like going home yet, I thought I’d stop in and see what was happening. Woods described it as something like ‘a quiet place to drink sake […]