There’s a lot of pleasure in visiting old places. The danger is that the theme-park attraction of them is often not met by anything resembling food, Alternatively, you can be forcibly reminded that the theme park is in your head, and the people who own and run these places aren’t doing it to be retro […]
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Kichiemon ramen, Yachiyo (きちえもん)
With nothing but clear skies and bluegrass ahead, the first order of the day was to pick up a rental car and hit the highway. This is the Keio Road, which runs east into Chiba. Tokyo’s highways really look like video games, don’t they? Or rather, driving video games have probably evolved to look like […]
Uoju, Kodemmacho (魚十)
Tokyo has a garment district, did you know that? Loads of cheap-looking clothing stores, and of course fabric and whatever bits ‘n’ bobs you need to, y’know, make clothes. (If you want to check it out, it’s in Bakuroyokoyama; you could walk from Kodemmacho on the Hibiya line or else there’s a direct stop on […]
Fujiya, Nihonbashi (フジヤ)
Around my place, we adhere to the ‘dirty is good’ philosophy. This may get you in trouble in, say, India or Vietnam (where I prefer to say ‘dirty is deadly’), but in Japan health standards are such that you’re never going to get sick from restaurant food. Fujiya exhibits layers of steamed-on grease from long simmering […]
Dairyu, Kanda (大龍)
The heat, my friends, makes one do stupid things. I keep having this problem where I get headaches from exercise, mainly from cycling – after 80 or 90 minutes, I start getting a headache that lasts all day. It feels like dehydration, but I drank gallons of water last time and it still didn’t work. […]
Sweets Forest, Jiyugaoka
There’s an expression that says Sugamo is “Grandma’s Harajuku” because it’s packed with stores that sell granny pants and snacks and lifestyle goods for the old woman set. I like to think Jiyugaoka is “Housewife Harajuku” for related reasons – think about the concentration of middle-aged clothing, accessories, homewares and snacks, and you’ll know what […]
Cul de Sac, Kanda
I set out for Kanda with the express intention of going to Cul de Sac. I didn’t know that was the name at the time, but since it opened a few months ago I’ve been meaning to go. Paris would be better, but maybe not this time of year, and it’s far away. As the […]
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Matsumi Sushi (松海)
l You can see where a guy like me would be interested in a place like this, can’t you? Looks so old and beat down, but with a quiet pride… Anyway, that romantic claptrap gets you nowhere when the subject is fish, and inside was also a little dingy, with a mild fish-and-vinegar bouquet. While […]
Osakaya, Monzennakacho (大阪屋)
Ahhhhh, Osakaya. When people say ‘Monzennakacho’, they’re always thinking of bargain fish specialist Uosan or else they’re thinking of Osakaya. This is probably because it features in various guide books (including the Gauntner sake book, which is in English). It’s not what it used to be, which doesn’t mean it’s not nice. Just…different. The […]
Kanda Haus, Kanda
You don’t expect to visit a Japanese ‘hambagu’ place and come away thinking ‘That was good!’ I don’t, at least. But this place, picked out by Zoner on a random walk around Jinbocho, was a winner in my book. The inside is minimal to the point of feeling like they didn’t want to pay for […]