Last year when I went to Sunny Spot in Ikebukuro, I left my camera on the bar. In fairness to myself, I was away from my seat for an extended period playing guitar, and during that time other people crowded around the spot where I had been sitting, which helped me forget the camera. But […]
izakaya
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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 […]
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 […]
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Hina, Takasaki (雛)
Really, I walked around Takasaki exhaustively. If you go, I don’t think you need to do much research. Aside from these three, the other place to try is called Sawa, and is quite close to the station. But the third (and final, yes) place I visited on this night was at the far north end […]
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Machiya, Takasaki (待家)
So I was wandering around Takasaki in the afternoon, and I saw this quaint old store with a big (unreadable) banner outside, but it looked like it wasn’t really selling anything. Then I noticed the sign over the banner that said “Malt’s beer sold here” and I thought, hot damn, this place has beer! That […]
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Miharukoma, Ikebukuro (三春駒)
I made some early New Year’s resolutions for 2010, and they were as follows: 1. Drink more sake, especially in izakayas that specialize in it 2. Drink more champagne, especially RM or ‘grower’ champagne (grape to bottle by one firm, as opposed to the NM model adhered to by all the famous names) 3. Drink […]
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Koyu, Nezu (呼友)
This being part two of my Nezu Night-time Tour with Woodie, we wandered only a block or two from Jinpachi before seeing this place. He recognized it as appearing in one of his vast library of Tokyo drinking spot-related books (seriously), and I thought it looked very promising, if a bit modern. It seems they’ve […]
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Nezu no Jinpachi, Nezu (根津のじん八)
Nezu is a veritable wonderland for the intrepid izakaya explorer (a class in which I would like to count myself a junior member; guys like this are longstanding pros). It’s not packed with options, but plenty of nice things are spread sparsely over the alleys east of Shinobazu Dori, stretching up into Sendagi and over […]
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Amenbo, Ogikubo (あ麺ぼ)
Well, the first review on Tabelog pretty much nails this place with the description ‘Tons of fish, cheap’. We just stopped in Ogikubo on the way home from Takao san as a way to kill some time before meeting others for dinner. It’s not as much fun as Sancha, let alone Shimokita or Kichijoji, so […]
Hanabishi, Monzennakacho (花菱)
I do so hate to double up on posts about a place even when I visit more than once, but in this case I think the inclusion of pictures justifies it. Here’s the original post from early this year. I actually liked Hanabishi better than the first time and would recommend it to you – […]