Yooooooshta. It’s official. I have now been to all of the good sake places in Tokyo. Think you know another? Nope. Not good. This is the last one. Boo-yah! Well good, I’m glad we could all agree on that. And how could you not agree that it’s a good place? Look at that banner! It’s […]
recommended
Manten curry, Jimbocho (ライスカレーまんてん)
Yo, wassup man…ten. You wouldn’t think that one of Tokyo’s most famous curry places would be a dirty little storefront in a thin alley at the north end of Jimbocho. Come to think of it, you probably should expect that – the area is famous for curry, and as far as I’m concerned, the dirtier […]
- Kanda
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Carp Okonomiyaki, Kanda (カープ お好み焼き 東京支店)
The northeast corner of Kanda continues to yield occasional delights, despite years (years, I say) of exploration and (recently) relatively frequent bouts of despair at finding new, good things. Carp is obviously not new – it’s well-used and a bit greasy. But you’d be greasy too if your main feature was a griddle, and all […]
Aarti, Akihabara (アールティ,神田佐久間河岸)
Cast a wide net, that’s what I always say. Actually I never say that, but it was well worth walking the 20+ minutes up north to get to this place (east of Akihabara). I snapped a quick picture when I realized that the little red and yellow blob on the crappy skinny building wedged in […]
- izakaya
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Besshan, Mitaka (居酒家べっしゃん,西東京市東伏見)
More than once, my friends, I have been accused of completism, photo-phetishism, and other sins. Well, I thought this narrow tunnel, small enough for only one car at a time, was pretty neat. And now I’ve tricked you into reading about it. haaa haaaaa. After a brisk day’s hiking and soaking, we roared back along […]
- Other treats
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Junk Garage, Tokyo (ジャンクガレッジ)
Years, I’ve wanted to try this place. Years. About the same length of time since they moved from southern Tokyo to a location way out in the Saitama suburbs (Omiya). Now they’ve brought the magic to Tokyo. Look at the skull-and-crossbones-with-ears pig logo. When I say they’ve brought the magic, I really think they’ve done […]
- bar
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Bar Martha, Ebisu
There’s a whole genre of ‘music bars’ in Tokyo. The basic thing is the sound system, and then they’ll play a certain genre of music. In the case of Martha, located on a small but exciting street on the southeast side of Ebisu, the stereo is massive and old-fashioned. In this picture you can see […]
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 […]
Sasaki, Kagurazaka (神楽坂 ささ木)
It is hard, my friends, to find really good kaiseki places in Tokyo that don’t break the bank. After this visit to Sasaki, I would say I know four (Onodera, Uemura, Sasahana…actually I could stretch to include Yuwaeru even though it’s absurdly cheap and high quality. And probably Fukahama. I suppose six is probably enough […]
- Asakusa
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Sake no Daimasu, Asakusa (酒の大桝・本店)
Once in a while I like to mix it up, get funky, keep things fresh…unlike all those fraises. And in keeping with the unfortunate hobby I’ve been submerged in, that means bringing you a liquor shop that I think is particularly good. I go into a lot of shops – all that riding around on […]