Let’s just skip over the convoluted path that led me to be drinking wine by myself in Roppongi on a Wednesday night pissing with rain. It’s not that interesting. What you should know is that Le Caprice is a pleasant little wine bar with decent food that’s trying hard, and I think they deserve your […]
mid-price
- Kanda
- ...
Yabu Soba, Awajicho
After the trip to Nakano, Big Bird and I planned to get together again. Due to his irregular schedule and extravagant expat lifestyle, it ended up being lunch today. Due to my silly work schedule, it ended up being postponed by an hour. Due to my frustration, and his flexibility, it ended up being held […]
Kobeya, Otemachi
A weird sort of deja vu, all over again. I could swear that I already wrote about my lunch at Kobeya, which was late last year or early this. I really enjoyed it at the time, despite the obvious failings, and I remembered it fondly enough that I went back again. For the better part […]
Mangrove, Ebisu
Mangrove is like a funny corner of Bali stuck around the back of Garden Place (near Wansu, if that helps; it’s a cool little corner, and I think there are a bunch of other explorable places). On the day it was cold and rainy, so it was nice to get in and sit by the […]
Tori Ton, Monzen Nakacho
As a second choice to take The Peacocks, this was a bit more gritty than Koto (most things would be, in truth). I’ve seen Tori Ton for years without going in – maybe it was the 3-foot high doorway that put me off? Turns out they can open a full-size door to let you out […]
- Kanda
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Ajigen ramen, Kanda (味源)
Once a week (sometimes twice!) I continue to have lunch with You (not in any kind of Royal sense) for language practice. It’s difficult to say if I’m learning much (other than last week when he was very proud to teach me a colloquial expression for ‘cleavage’), but it’s always good to practice talking. He […]
- Italian
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La Maremma, Otemachi
Even the most obvious things still hold some promise…La Maremma is a recommendation that I received early on in my Otemachi career, and only today did I make use of it. The company was better than the food, as Ricky has changed jobs and found what sounds like a dream situation. Let’s hope it lasts […]
- Other treats
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Shuzo Collection, Togura (酒造コレクション)
It was nice walking back from Kamiyamada to Togura – just across the river, but it’s a big river and was a decent walk on a brilliantly clear day (if you’ve followed this whole series, I’d also like to mention that the hill at the end of the stretch of water in this picture is […]
Onsen, Kamiyamada
The Chikuma River valley is narrow here, which makes for some nice views. On the west side, right above Kamiyamada, there’s a big Kannon temple (a branch of Nagano’s famous Zenkoji) that’s lit up a bit at night. If you’re feeling industrious, you can walk up there from a road at the south end of […]
- izakaya
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Yukari, Kamiyamada (ゆかり)
What’s that you say? More pictures of wacky Showa stuff? Here’s one of a shooting gallery at night. Folks, this is fer ril. They really do want you to pay money to shoot corks from toy rifles and try to win tiny prizes. Nifty. The specialty at Yukari is evidently yakitori, but everyone there was […]