Japan is a strange and wonderful place. Hidden subcultures about – usually these only peek out for a moment when some intrepid foreign journalist comes to town and writes a story about a colorful character in one of them. You read it, you think it’s interesting, and you forget about it. I started playing music […]
yoshoku
Vin Rouge Vin Blanc, Marunouchi
Based on the plastic-impregnated green paper tablecloths and the yoshoku-ish menu, I expected this to be another box ticked on Shin Maru’s 5th floor (and that decor is a bit declasse for the location, although the prices aren’t). It was a bit better than that, with some nice simulacra of foreign foods falling comfortably under […]
- Otemachi
- ...
Bel Age Lounge, Otemachi
America would do well to heed comments about Japan’s Lost Decade. It’s a scary prospect – your economy goes sideways for 10 years and then never really recovers. I think it’s too early to declare a Prognosis For America (this would be my sweeping social contract-like name). ‘Green Shoots’ sentiments aside, you really shouldn’t be too […]
- Other treats
- ...
The Lobby Lounge (Shangri La), Tokyo
A series of difficult or distressing meetings and emails? Too much fish food? Whatever the reason, I set out for a late lunch with a deep desire to eat a burger, and a mild disappointment that I was unable to think of a (new) place to do it. I had resolved to walk to Yaesu […]
- Otemachi
- ...
Asaji, Otemachi
haha, if you have to mess something up, do it right! Depending on your definitions, I may have eaten today at a place that I went to before – when it was in a different building and had a different menu and decor entirely. Well, I’ll chalk that up to experience. The basement-dwellers of the […]
Bridd, Kanda (ブリッド)
This place was under renovation for a while, and opened several weeks back. It’s pretty stylish, winey and Italian-looking (with a healthy side of roasted bird), which marks it as part of a new guard of Kanda places (c.f. Chailly, which, if truth be told, is the only other place I can think of in […]
Cafe Heimat, Otemachi
The basement of my favoritely-named ‘Nihon Building’ (I love the banality) contains all sort of sad little places. Here’s another one, to go with a sad rainy day. Rainy days, Mondays and anorexia always get me down. It’s a good thing today is Tuesday even though it’s the first day of the week. Things start […]
- Other treats
- ...
Steak Seitou, Tokyo
July 16th, 2009. 8:33 AM. Ding has pointed out that the reason I couldn’t find the website for this place was that I was spelling it wrong. A thousand pardons.________________________________________________________ Ahhhh, Japanese people are really into things. I love that cliche, especially when I get to live it. One of my newer colleagues recommended Saitou […]
- French
- ...
Bistro Bonnes Mares, Kanda
How do people decide they’ve had enough – learned enough, pushed enough, grown enough – and it’s time to settle in?Moreover, is it wrong to do this? Especially if you’re doing your thing better than most people could?And is it indicative of a deeper pathology that I read restaurant reviews while eating lunch? (This has […]
Gabrier, Monzennakacho (ガブリエ)
Beer!!!!!!Yeah, definitely looking forward to tomorrow so I can let this motif go. Gabrier opened a couple months ago in the restaurant street north of Eitai dori – if you remember where there use to be a kinda long, narrow Italian place, with Ivy growing on the front, close to S&S izakaya and the main […]