My friends, I’m pleased to say that I broke the ‘one time per year’ rule and enjoyed it. With the weather as nice as it was today, walking around Shitamachi just seemed like the thing to do. And one’s steps naturally seem to lead to…Tsukishima. At least if you live in Monnaka. And don’t start […]
cheap
Ikoi, Tokyo
Anonymous, I stand by my amended statement that nothing good comes from Nagoya except your aunt and grandmother and miso katsu (and you when you come back from holiday!). Ikoi’s miso katsu is different from those I’ve had in the past; some would say worse. I’m trying my darndest to be positive, so I wouldn’t […]
- Italian
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Trattoria Birichino, Kanda
My friends, I know I’ve maligned Kanda in the past. But today the sun is shining, the sky is clear, the weather is warm, and even the salarymen look a little less gray. With no intended sarcasm, it’s nice to be alive, employed in Tokyo and able to walk to Kanda for a late lunch. […]
- beer
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Drunk Bears, Otemachi
Not quite sure what to say about Drunk Bears. First, you’re not misreading and I’m not mistyping – the name is Drunk Bears. It’s situated about halfway along the Otemachi Building, but at ground level rather than in the pack-em-in basement concourse. This means that for today’s lunch it wasn’t even full – somehow people […]
Konami Sports Club, Otemachi
What do you look for in a restaurant, my friends? Is it good food? Service? Affordable prices? Attractive environment? Nice views? Sakura ebi? Today my good friend Volleyball (named, I promise, for his predilection for the sport and not the resemblance of his cranium to said object) introduced me to a charming little place that […]
Saikai, Otemachi (西海、神田)
Kanda is a confusing grid of streets north of Otemachi – not quite a restaurant desination, but every street seems to hold one or two surprises (OK, zero or one). (The confusion comes from the fact that it is, again, set off at a slight angle from Chuo-dori and the adjacent grid). Walking around today […]
Asuka, Otemachi (明日香)
Nothing like some nice grilled eel, is there? Gives you stamina. Power. That’s why I had the chicken at this underground eel specialist; wouldn’t want too much power to interfere with the afternoon… The creatively-named Japan Building features a whole set of odd little places underground. My current target is actually not Asuka, but rather […]
- bar
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Dagashi Bar, Suitengu (水天宮駄菓子バー)
You’re going to have to come down-market with me here, and indulge in a bout of nostalgia. I can’t tell whose nostalgia it is though, and I feel weird making it mine. I’ve been looking at stuff in Japan for long enough now that I understand which things are supposed to make someone feel nostalgic […]
- Other treats
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Nihon Sakari, Tokyo
I’ve seen the Nihon Sakari logo on any number of restaurants over the years (there I go sounding all faux-old again) but never figured out its significance. I had sorta decided as my working hypothesis that it was some kind of ‘we take pride in our Japanese stuff’ symbol. Now I learn that while the […]
Sakura no Mi, Maebashi
So many things in Japan are just wrong…like the talk show that I’m watching while I wait for my yakisoba here in beautiful downtown Maebashi. They seem to be doing ‘weird body facts’, and had a guy trying to eat udon while standing on his head in front of an xray machine so they could […]