Oh hey, are you still there? You wouldn’t believe the drop-off in visitations that this blog suffered after the whole ‘earthquake’ ‘sunmi’ ‘ radiation’ thing. It’s almost like all the foreigners left Japan and no one wanted to vacation here. Well, you’re in good company – others are coming back too. Thanks. But Golden Week […]
lunch
- Other treats
- ...
Kawachiya, Shibamata (川千家, 柴又)
You’ve heard of Shibamata, right? Even the most hardened pretend-we-still-live-in-America sort of expat has been told of the “It’s Hard to be a Man” movie series, wherein the main character Tora san hails from a quaint, old-fashioned neighborhood of Tokyo called Shibamata. Then again, they probably don’t discuss such things at TAC. It IS indeed […]
- Chinese
- ...
Emmado, Kanda (炎麻堂)
Another lunch, another chain store. Only this was the last day before Golden Week, and I felt festive. Really wanted ramen, but didn’t find anything, and when I saw a mapo tofu specialty store, I was hooked. Spicy is almost as good as ramen, and sort of healthier if you neglect to mention the pork […]
- curry
- ...
Crown Ace Curry, Kanda
Very indecisive today. That can tend to happen, either because I’m genuinely indecisive on the day or because I feel like going somewhere new and end up going to an area with few unexplored options left. In this case I rounded a corner after 20 minutes aimless wander, saw ‘curry’ and thought ‘bing!’ Plus, ‘Crown […]
- Kanda
- ...
Tsukesoba Aduchi, Kanda (つけ蕎麦安土)
Walking to work this morning I was reflecting on the near-miss of almost living in Kayabacho Tower when I moved to Japan 7 years ago. Never a big fan of moving, I’ve been in the same apartment in Mon-naka since I got here. And I still think Kayabacho would be a lousy place to live, […]
Mus-mus, Marunouchi
As you may have heard, I tend to go to a new restaurant for lunch every day. Working in the greater Otemachi area allows an incredible range of choice – for example the Shin Marunouchi Building is 5 minutes walk but has 45 dining options. I haven’t exhausted them all, especially the ones up on […]
- Other treats
- ...
Kyokin soba, Morishita (手打そば 京金)
Years it’s been that I’ve been jogging by this soba place on Kiyosumi Dori thinking it looked good. I mean, it was there long before me – over 100 already, while I’ve only put in 7 – but it still looks good. Somehow I neglected a picture of the outside, which is much the best […]
Pizzeria Il Tamburello, Kodenmacho (日本橋堀留町)
DISCLOSURE: I was comped Y300 on the bill for this meal. ANOTHER DISCLOSURE: I wish people would give me free meals. What am I doing wrong? Willing to write for food, OK? While I took this picture on a different day, it’s something I’ve been seeing a lot lately on the way over to Nihonbashi […]
Katsu Hey!, Nihonbashi (かつ平)
Hey! What’s up! I’m sure the staff at Katsu Hey! would be surprised to see the store name written that way too, but I think it’s cheerful. There’s not much else cheery here, just a kinda old-style building that’s now squeezed in between taller office buildings that are already old and tired in their own […]
Banh Mi Sandwich, Takadanobaba (バインミー☆サンドイッチ)
Aha, you’d think from the name that this was a lunch truck making Vietnamese sandwiches, but it is in fact an actual store, jammed (sandwiched?) into a space small enough to fit into a truck. And cleverly named for its product. No tom-foolery here, no-siree. The most encouraging thing about it is the bread ovens. I […]