Well, where are we? I’ve come to the point in life, at least my Monnaka life, where I see slow change over time. And it’s all slow, this being Japan (at least until it goes hyper, like the new Shibuya buildings, or Shimokita). So when I go to a new place like this, I have […]
Monzennakacho
Yatsushita, Monzennakacho (和食 やつした)
It’s quirky, right? You stay down in southwest Tokyo, Kanagawa really, for 4 weeks, but something draws you back. Inexorably. Through mysterious circumstances we found ourselves staying for three nights in Monzennakacho, 2 minutes from where I used to live. Incidentally, I totally recommend this hotel. Amazing location, and the Japanese-style room was really sweet. […]
Bistro Agathe, Monzen Nakacho (ビストロ アギャット)
Great idea! Take a place with an awesome exterior but a terrible manager and business model, re-purpose it into a casual bistro – something Monnaka always needs but doesn’t always have. I see where the place a block south of Exit 2 that went through several iterations of declining-quality French places is now a low-quality […]
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 […]
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 […]
Nagomi, Monzennakacho (串揚処 和み)
Yet another new place that opened in the last few weeks; the orchids are still fresh. This one is on the street by the river, and where we were sitting would have an awesome view of cherry blossoms in a few weeks. It would be worth reserving, actually. Opinions vary on the interior; I thought […]
Senmatsu, Monzen Nakacho (千松)
Late at night, and the mean streets of Monzen Nakacho are steaming. Positively malevolent, isn’t it? Yeah, not really. One of the greatest things about Japan is how safe it is. The steam here is just because it was a little wet, and the new paving was still hot. There’s always road construction going on […]
Darumatei ramen, Monzennakacho (だるま亭)
Recognize this place? It’s near the 7-11, on Kiyosumi Dori just north of the crossing. Used to be a different ramen place, and since they reopened with the new brandingway I’ve been thinking it looked kinda good. Also it says stuff about ‘umai sake’ on the outside, and I’m always fooled by that sort of […]
Orihara Shoten, Monzen Nakacho (折原商店)
The ‘renewal’ of stores in Monnaka continues. You’d swear this was economic vitality, but I still insist it’s the opposite – economic vitality means existing stores stay in business. The number of new shops opening in the last year is more than the sum of the preceding 5 years. Orihara Shoten, run by Ikebukuro’s Orihara […]
Katayama, Kiyosumi Shirakawa (天ぷら 片山)
Today was the day of the big fish ‘n’ sake party, and I was out shopping. This is ont he way to the sake store, but the sake store was closed and I had already bought a bunch. My favorite rice store is right near the sake store – they always have at least half […]