Antenna shops are stores the features food and crafts representing one of Japan’s 47 prefectures. These are fantastic sources for hyper-local products and some also offer travel information if you’re visiting a prefecture. We love researching local train and bus schedules, museum exhibits, and find out about kyōdo ryōri local dishes. Some of the antenna…
Month: January 2024
Chichibu Udon
We love day trips to Chichibu, Saitama. For the fresh air, walking through the historic part of town, and ending our day at the onsen hot springs at the station building. One of the main attractions is one of Japan’s oldest shrines, Chichibu Jinja, which is over 2,100 years old. Across the street from the…
Oden
It’s been cold in Tokyo and we had hot pots three times this week. Buta shabu shabu, imoni of taro root, beef, and vegetables, and oden, a hot pot of fish cakes. The style of oden we did was based on the fish cakes of the Hokuriku region including Toyama and Ishikawa. The colorful tai…
Mitaka Vegan
On a quiet residential street about five minutes from Mitaka Station is Hitokokyū. The vegetarian restaurant has a nutritious set lunch with main dish options like carrot croquette, vegetarian gyōza potstickers, and kurumabu wheat gluten cutlets. Diners pick either genmai brown rice or a kōso genmai, fermented brown rice with azuki beans. The meal is…
Kanda Maasha
Cool, quiet kissaten Maasha offers this bargain morning set for a ridiculous ¥450 ($3). Only a few of us sipping coffee. In reading a sports newspaper, one on his phone, the third tapping away at his laptop. The only distraction is when a hit from the 80s comes on and I stop writing so I…
Teishoku Shokudo
Teishoku is a set meal which can be a main dish, fish, meat, or vegetables, rice, miso soup, and pickles. The prices are very reasonable and the setting is casual. On a Sunday night Darumaya was busy with solo male diners. Lots of older men, probably single, coming in to get nourished. They are in…
Torpet Bakery
In #Tokyo we are spoiled for #bakeries. Love the #cardamom and #cinnamon buns at @torpet_bakery. A short walk from #Mitakadai Station in #Kodaira. The bakery is currently doing a pop up at Shinjuku Isetan department store. These are lovely #fika for #tea. 🥰 If I had to pick one I would choose the enticing cardamom…
Kazuya Izakaya
Kazuya izakaya specializes in seafood dishes. These casual drinking pubs are great spots to try seasonal seafood including sashimi. Shirako cod milt and ankimo monkfish liver also winter dishes that pair well with saké. Staff are friendly and a night out is very affordable. All of this for less than 14,000 yen ($100) which includes…
Kissa Streamer
Kissa Streamer is on a quiet back street of Nihonbashi. The kissaten coffee shop dates back 50 years. It has been brought back to life by the famous Streamer coffee company. I love the vibe here. The interior is a traditional kissaten. Low-backed wooden chairs, tables closer to the floor, and warm lighting. But the…
Tsuruya Yoshinobu
A truly unique experience is to watch a shokunin artist create a wagashi traditional confectionary right in front of you at Tsuruya Yoshinobu in Nihonbashi. This style of wagashi, called nerikiri, is made with a malleable white bean paste. The master works very quickly in creating these edible works of art. Guests are seated at…
Atrevio
#Jamon #paella at a cool #Nihonbashi pop-up by @atrevio_jp. Cool jamon-centric menu. This lunch spot was only 1,000 yen ($6.75). There is also a retail store for jamon, olive oil, and I picked up some @lachinataoficial sweet smoked paprika. Atrevio is in the @coredo_muromachi building on the first floor. The pop-up will run through Golden Week in…
Sembikiya
A local spot and a luxurious treat is the Sembikiya Fruit Parlor in Nihonbashi. On the second floor of the historic shop which dates back to 1834. Sit at the counter to watch as the staff cuts by hand many different types of fruit for parfaits and fruit plates. I visited Sembikiya with @gonellietravel founder…
Yakiniku Watami
Yakiniku Watami is a fun restaurant for barbecuing at your table. We went with her all you can eat which was great fun. A long list of meats and some vegetables to grill. A robot comes to your table and diners can bus empty tableware to the robot.🤖 Excellent value starting at ¥4,000 ($27). Lunch…
Mitsuyado Tsukemen
Mitsuyado tsukemen ramen are thick noodles served cold with a warm dipping tonkotsu pork bone, seafood, and vegetable sauce in a separate bowl. The noodles are dipped into the thick sauce. There is a dashi broth in a thermos for thinning out the dipping sauce towards the end of the meal. The noodles are made…
Doutour Coffee
Doutour is a chain of coffee shops. The morning set includes a cup of coffee and a sando, here tuna salad. Busy with office workers and students studying. Throughout Tokyo, often near stations.
Zōjirushi Shokudō
Zōjirushi, the company famous for electric rice cookers and many other products, has a restaurant near Tokyo Station in the Kitte building. The concept is smart marketing with Zōjirushi rice cookers in the middle of the restaurant. Zōjirushi sesame grinders and a Zōjirushi insulated cup are on each table. The drink bar includes a variety…
Crazy Pizza
I am so excited to see Crazy Pizza opened in the new T-Market at Toranomon Hills. It was hard to decide and it’s fabulous that the shop will do half and half so the decision making isn’t as stressful as it could be. The crust is thin and light. The seasonal pizza is seri or…
Toyama Tips
Other highlights of Toyama city include dinner at Suehiroken for wonton ramen which has a branch in the Daiwa department store. I asked what their osusume, recommendation, is and they said the wonton ramen was popular. Everyone who came in after us all ordered the wonton ramen. 🙂 Dining at department stores is one of…
Toyama Kobo
Kobo Brewery in the Higashi-Iwase district of Toyama City is a fabulous spot for craft beer and beer-friendly bites like sausages, pate de campagne, cheese, and pickles. Czech brewer Jiri Kotynek has created a portfolio of fabulous beers. A flight of beers is the way to see an ale, lager, IPA, or pilsner. I love…
Toyama Tsutaya
Kissaten are retro coffee shops that often serve my favorite breakfasts while I am on the road. Tsutaya in Toyama city opened in 1923. A smooth cup of coffee with toast, omelette, and a salad. Just like I have at home. Perhaps that is why I love these meals. Love the handwritten notes on the…
Toyama Onyado Nono
In room #onsen #hotsprings at #OnyadoNono in #Toyama. Just press a button and the wooden tub 🛀 fills up with hot springs water. There is also a larger hot springs, both indoor and outdoor, on the property but this was perfect. Part of the #DormyInn chain there is a complimentary bowl of ramen after 9:30…
Toyama Glass Art Museum
Toyama City, near Kanazawa, is one of my new favorite places to visit. The shinkansen 🚄 stops here on its way to Kanazawa and I highly recommend spending a night here to explore the area. The Toyama Glass Art Museum building was designed by Kengo Kuma and has a stunning interior. The city’s public library…
Kanazawa Yamato
Yamato is a very cool shop that specializes in fermented foods including soy sauce, miso, and kōji products. Staff are helpful and friendly in this busy shop and offer many samples before purchasing. I’m a big fan of the fermented kōji amazaké which is an all natural probiotic drink. The shio salt kōji and soy…
Kanazawa Teahouse Soshin
Higashi Chaya is one of Kanazawa’s most charming neighborhoods. There are several cafes for sweets and coffee or tea including @cafe_soshin Sabo Soshin 茶房素心. Sabo means teahouse or coffee shop. The menu includes parfaits and Japanese mochi sweets and wagashi confectionaries with flavors like hōjicha roasted green tea, kinako roasted soybean powder, kuromitsu black sugar…
Kanazawa Kissaten
Kissaten are old school coffee shops. The morning service sets are often sandwiches or toast with coffee. I picked it because it was open early in the morning. New Katorea is not far from Ohmicho Market in Kanazawa. The newspaper had news on the local sumo wrestler Enho and local specialties crab and kanburi winter…
Kamakura Pasta
Wafu Italian, Italian cuisine made with Japanese ingredients, is trending in the US and has long been popular in Japan. We often make spaghetti at home using Japanese seafood or vegetables. It’s the perfect fusion cuisine. While we are on the road and eating mostly Japanese food we often will take a break from rice…
Kanazawa Chikuwa
There are many local foods we try to enjoy while in Kanazawa. One of the dishes is oden, a hotpot of mostly fishcakes, but also daikon, eggs, fu wheat gluten, and more. Chikuwa is a casual stand inside of Kanazawa Station that diners can enjoy craft beer and oden. We grabbed just a few items…
Kanazawa Maimon Sushi
Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures are on Toyama Bay and famous for seafood. Part of any trip to Kanazawa always includes a sushi meal. We love Maimon Sushi, a kaitenzushi conveyor belt sushi chain famous for getting seafood deliveries twice a day, ensuring the freshest seafood. There are a few branches in the city. There’s a…
Kanazawa Library
Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture is one of my favorite cities to visit. On Toyama Bay the seafood in Kanazawa is fresher than what you can get in Tokyo. There is also the famous Kenrokuen gardens and the charming Higashi Chaya district. What I now look forward to more than anything in Kanazawa is visiting the…
Food Sake Tokyo 