Baron Destructo. Deliberately ignoring the basic research that would remind us where this nickname came from (and he came pre-named; it’s not an EOITwJ thing), let’s just say it’s been in a year since his last visit to Japan. He’s maintained, errrr, contact, with things Japanese in the interim (sorry) and here we are again […]
dinner
- izakaya
- ...
Rokuzou, Shibuya (居酒屋六蔵)
[Jan 2011: Just had a thought that ‘Rokuzou’ could be interpreted as “Let’s Roku!” in Japanese, and that could be interpreted as a katakana version of “Let’s Rock!” in English. And I liked that thought.] Shibuya at the end of the night. It’s not often that I need a sanjikai destination at those times; usually […]
- izakaya
- ...
Shibamatsu, Midorigaoka (ドスコイ酒場 ちゃんこ芝松)
Going to meet Jimmy Dean for an early opener at a chanko place that someone suggested near his residence, I thought I’d go for a bit of walk to build hunger, exercise the legs, see some sights. Once in a while a restaurant listing pops up in Hatanodai or one of the other stations on […]
- beer
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American, Shibuya
‘Tis the season, folks, and nothing says FESTIVE to me like a baby plastic tree in the stony lobby of a Shibuya-crossing mid-rise! Our merry crew was practically chorusing in the aisles as ve valtzed to the elevators for round 2 of this forget-the-year party. But hell, it got even better when we got upstairs! American […]
- izakaya
- ...
Sakanatei, Shibuya (酒菜亭)
Hey hey, it’s the first year-end party of the year-end. I would have just called it a party, but Journey was in the holiday spirit already, and we all have plenty to forget, so it was billed as a year-ender (which is traditionally and literally ‘forget-the-year-meeting’). With Jimmy Dean, Carter of Mars and Woodrow also […]
Moromiya, Nihonbashi (もろみ家)
The two masters here at Moromiya are working on their collection of sake labels. It doesn’t really need more work, does it? Actually, nothing about this place needs more work. It’s just about right, across the board. You’ll love it even as you leave lighter in the purse (or not, if you can get your […]
- izakaya
- ...
Toyokichi, Kameido (亀戸 豊吉)
Recently the exploring bug hits every few days, leading to bouts of random bike-riding in medium-close neighborhoods. Last week was Kinshicho (weird, uncomfortable, some good places), tonight was Kameido (quiet, dull, not recommended. And I’m not just saying that to hide the good places.). Eric Clapton’s followup to the awesome 461 Ocean Boulevard (This is great, […]
- bar
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Sakura, Shibuya (円山茶家 さくら)
First, a little train-themed digression. What’s funny about this photo? The cloth coat? The sensible shoes? The heavy stockings? No! The $1000 handbag! I’m being generous – they have $2k and $3k versions also, and this could be one of them. I hope I didn’t accidentally and unfairly underestimate this woman’s status. Without meaning to […]
- Italian
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Manuel, Shibuya
Hola. Manuel Towers. Looks like a Portugese cottage in the middle of Shibuya, doesn’t it? First time I’ve had Portugese food, I think. If you can manage to plan ahead, you’ll want to go to the other Portugese restaurant in Shibuya, Bacari da Porta – it’s a cheap outpost of Yokohama’s fabulously popular Salone 2007. […]
Tuna
This is the first time I’ve thawed and served my own tuna, and since I got such precise directions from Hikuzo, who works at Tsukiji, I thought I might as well share them. Unwrap the several layers of paper. The vertical lines might be artifacts of band-sawing, which I think is how frozen tuna is […]