‘Puerile’ is the word you’re looking for here. No, in fact, while we were eyeing this spot, the master of the shop was taking out some trash, saw us, and said “Oh, go ahead and park there.” As usual in Japan, flexible enforcement. After stumbling (rolling?) upon an entire kilometer of previously unexplored shotengai, it was an […]
recommended
- French
- ...
Douze Gout, Kyoto
Have you had this happen? You go somewhere a bit old-fashioned and traditional, like Kyoto, and spend a long weekend being old-fashioned and eating traditional food. By the end of it, you feel like you could murder a burger. It leads you to think things like “European food for lunch.” Silly me, I was a […]
- bar
- ...
Jizake Bar Zen, Kyoto ()
Zen is really one of the best sake bars I’ve been to. Since I posted a long and loving review of my initial visit there, here’s a capsule view of the two consecutive nights we went during this trip. Which means I didn’t drink everything here, sadly. Highlights from my perspective were: Furosen. Can’t get enough […]
- Kyoto
- ...
Sakurada, Kyoto (桜田)
Sakurada is really one of the best restaurants I’ve been to. Since I posted a long and loving review of my initial lunch there, here’s a capsule view of dinner. Highlights from my perspective were: The daikon with the tsukuri (2nd row center, next to the tuna). Instead of cutting the daikon into a long […]
- Kyoto
- ...
Shoraian, Kyoto (松籟庵,嵐山)
Ahhhh, the whispering bamboo forests of Arashiyama. Strangely, it was quiet here despite it being the Saturday of a long weekend, and the one of the forced exodus from Tokyo. And it was quieter after we walked through the forests, along the river, and up the rough rock steps to the entrance to Shoraian. Down […]
- bistro
- ...
Bistro Abats, Hongo
Look, I know everyone’s upset about this whole nucular meltdown thing, but last Thursday everything was peachy. So peachy, in fact, that I wandered up to Hongo to try a place that appealed on previous research but closed too early for me to sample. It’s peeking out from behind the tropical foliage, down at the […]
- izakaya
- ...
Shuan Suiko, Oshiage (酒庵 酔香)
It’s so tempting to make this another place-that-shall-not-be-named…but you oughta know about it. Not that the Suikos need any more business – Woodworth and I tried and failed several times to make bookings before finally firming our spines and locking it in 2 weeks out. Where did I find it? Not the cover of Tokyojin, on […]
Orihara Shoten, Monzen Nakacho (折原商店)
The ‘renewal’ of stores in Monnaka continues. You’d swear this was economic vitality, but I still insist it’s the opposite – economic vitality means existing stores stay in business. The number of new shops opening in the last year is more than the sum of the preceding 5 years. Orihara Shoten, run by Ikebukuro’s Orihara […]
- Other treats
- ...
Yojinbo, Todaimae (用心棒 本号)
Hongo Sanchome – a curious neighborhood. On one hand, the well-educated or at least well-traveled among you will recognize this as the famous red gate of Tokyo University (Todai), the ‘Harvard of the East’ (or the ‘Wesleyan of Wa‘ if you prefer), and the neighborhood is roughly jumbled with used book and expensive antique stores. […]
- Italian
- ...
Biodinamico, Shibuya
Between drinking beers at Craftheads and eating dinner at the exclusive, highly-regarded Biodinamico, we stopped off at this hip bike shop to look at their vintage and rebuilt fixed gear specimens. Only after a while did we realize that it’s actually a design firm, and we were kinda standing in their lobby while they tried […]