We all know the stereotype of Japanese people who do something really well, to excess. If you didn’t know, that applies to all classes of endeavor – including smoky jazz bars. Just up the hill on the north side of Yoyogi Uehara (I think it’s ‘Uehara Ginza’), you’ll see a small street on the right, […]
Yoyogi
Okonn, Yoyogi Uehara (おこん)
DAMN, I know how to pick restaurants. This one is a little hard to describe, but let me rattle off some ideas that describe it: secluded, stylish, simple cooking but great ingredients, and a lot of care and concern. First, the location – it’s 7 minutes walk from Yoyogi Uehara, which sounds close but feels […]
- bistro
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Brasserie Bec, Yoyogi
There are a couple places I went years ago with my friend Naoko. They were all bistros – he was really good at picking bistros in outer suburbs – and after the visits I remained confused about where they were, ignorant as I was about geography in the year after I moved to Japan. In […]
- bar
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Fireking Cafe, Yoyogi
Arrrrr, the King of Fire. No idea what this has to do with fire and kings, but a comprehensive walk around Yoyogi Uehara has led me to believe that this is the coolest place going. I want to say this is like being in hip parts of Brooklyn, only I’ve never been there. Somehow I […]
Ciappucino, Yoyogi
A funny little place that looks like a bistro but in fact specializes in…tea and pancakes. Like 20 varieties of tea, which you can get all afternoon as a set with a cupcake, and a large number of pancake varieties, for example the daily special of Caprese – pancakes with mozarella, basil and tomato. Ooooo-kei. […]