Hiro in Nakameguro is a fun evening with chef Satoshi. Just say omakase (it’s not only for sushi) and leave it up to Satoshi san to create a menu of small plates paired with sake. So much to love here. The relaxed environment, good music, and mix of dishes and sake. Spring represented in fresh…
Category: gotta go
Travel + Leisure Asia
Excited to have been tapped by Travel + Leisure Asia to pen a piece on eating in Japan. Great working with my editor, Veronica Inveen, to share with readers insider tips, having worked at both the Park Hyatt Tokyo and Takashimaya, and as the author of Food Sake Tokyo on dining out in Nippon. I hope you can…
Tsukiji Hitachiya
Japanese kitchenware contributes so many ways to cooking at home. One of my favorite shops for kitchen tools and gadgets is @tsukijihitachiya at #TsukijiMarket. I use many of their items at home including the pressed sushi and onigiri wooden molds, oroshigane grater for daikon and ginger, miso koshi to make it easier to add miso to…
Yamagataya Noriten
Yamagataya Noriten’s lunch set serves nori seven ways. A fabulous way to experience the many expressions of the sea vegetable including in soup, a salad dressing, and wrapped around #onigiri.🍙 The rice balls are made and served with two different crispy nori. Fascinating to see the differences. The first from Ariake Sea in Kyūshū has…
Kofu
Kofu in Yamanashi is only 90 minutes west of Tokyo on the Azusa express train on the Chūō line. The city is walkable and there are buses to areas for hiking, waterfalls, shrines and temples. For me I usually stay in the city as there is enough to see. Yamanashi is famous for fruit and…
Sawataya
One of my favorite overnight trips from Tokyo is to Kofu in Yamanashi, west of Tokyo. Yamanashi is famous for Fuji san (Mount Fuji), wine, big blue skies, mountains, fruits like grapes and muskmelons, and great local dishes like hoto noodles, basashi horse sashimi, and simmered chicken offal. Kofu city is easy to navigate and…
Ebisu Shodai
The white curry udon is topped with potatoes and cream whipped up to a fluffy cloud. Underneath the creamy topping is a spicy (for Japanese) curry. Shodai is also a lovely spot for sipping #sake so there is a nice list of sake-friendly small bites including dashimaki tamago omelet and soba gaki buckwheat dumpling. I…
Shabusen
Cool spot in the heart of Ginza for shabu-shabu or sukiyaki. My heart skipped a beat when I first saw Shabusen. Such a cool concept. Diners seated at a counter. Staff behind the counter bringing refills of rice and green onions or topping up my tea cup. Lunch starts at 2,200 yen ($15) for the…
Yellin Pottery Gallery
Near the Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto is a pottery gallery with a vast selection of ceramics from Japanese artists. Many of my clients love picking up pieces, notably guinomi saké cups, for their home collection each time they are in Kyoto. I was so happy to pick up a yunomi tea cup from Katsuya Kato….
Kyoto Nijiyura
Nijiyura is a delightful tenugui shop in Kyoto near the cool @bentoandco shop and Nishiki Market. Tenugui are colorful cotton cloths that have many purposes. Hang a tenugui on the wall for art, a scarf, hand towel, luncheon mat, napkin, for wrapping gifts, and so much more. I love wearing them as a scarf. In…
Kyoto Hotel
The Mitsui Garden Hotel Shijō is a lovely hotel with an onsen hot springs near Shijō Street in Kyōto. I booked at the last minute and got a good rate of 8,500 yen ($60). The only twist was that it was a room with three beds in it. 😂😭 Shijō Street is wonderful as it’s…
Kyoto Suba Soba
A simple and satisfying bowl of buckwheat noodles at Kyoto Suba Soba. The simple shop only serves hot bowls of soba with a variety of toppings ranging from meat with a soft-boiled egg, steamed mussels with watercress or these enoki mushroom tempura. The bare bones shop is popular. Lots of young Japanese quickly came and…
Bento&co
Frenchman Thomas Bertrand and his wife Erico are the founders and owners of Bento&Co. Their shop is in the heart of Kyoto, just north of the famous Nishiki Market specializes in all things for bento lunch boxes. There is a website if you don’t make it to Kyoto. But, if you are in Kyoto do…
Kyoto Tune Stay
I picked Kyōto Tune Stay hotel because I love books. Check out this wall of books! Most are in Japanese, but there are some English books in the library. The books cover a variety of topics. I kept carefully perusing the food books and could have stayed up all night. The rooms are a bare…
Kyoto Kacto
Kacto in Kyoto is a newer restaurant in Kyoto that is located on the Kamogawa River. Kacto is part of the Tysons and Company group which has fabulous restaurants in Tokyo like Cicada, Ivy Place, and T.Y. Harbor. Chef David Chiddo oversees all of these kitchens. I had a short break from work so only…
Chef Michael Anthony
Always a thrill to have a conversation with chefs. This time it was with chef Michael Anthony who is in Tokyo with a special Gramercy Tavern menu at Union Square Tokyo in Roppongi Midtown. Union Square Tokyo is in the Roppongi Midtown building. It’s a popular restaurant and was busy at lunchtime with a mix…
Bandai Atami Onsen in Fukushima
For Golden Week holidays we explored Fukushima in the Tōhoku region in northern Japan. On the first day we took the shinkansen to Kōriyama. Kōriyama is only one hour and fifteen minutes by shinkansen. Tourist information staff is very helpful. There is also an exhibit of local products by D&Department. A good reminder of products…
Osaka Kushikatsu
Kushi katsu 串かつ is a popular local dish in Osaka. Vegetables, meat, and seafood are skewered, breaded, and deep-fried. Kushi means skewer and katsu comes from the word cutlets for anything breaded and deep-fried. Kushi katsu is traditionally served with a sauce that is sweet and salty. Rampuya is a charming kushikatsu shop near the…
Osaka Tenjinbashi
I have family in Osaka and love visiting for seeing my loved ones, but also for the fun food culture. Osaka has many shōtengai shopping arcades, many of them covered, so even if it’s raining a visit won’t be dampened. Many of these arcades have street food. Tip – don’t eat and walk. Purchase your…
City Bakery
The deli plate at @citybakeryjapan. Only 990 yen ($7). There is also selection of breads, both sweet and savory. Many of my clients say that they feel like they are not getting enough vegetables when visiting Japan. So this is one option to get one’s fill of vegetables. Sadly City Bakery has closed in New York…
Ginza Vomero Pizza
The lunch set at Ginza Vomero is a selection of pastas and pizzas, appetizer plate, and coffee. A great value at ¥1430 ($10.50). Vomero is located behind the Kabukiza theater. It is between Tsukiji and the main Ginza shopping street. Vomero is a popular restaurant so avoid the main noon dining time. Several vegetarian options….
Taiwan Dumplings in Kichijōji
Taiwanese food is trendy in Japan. In Kichijōji is an addictive roasted dumpling filled with beef and pepper (I think it was beef) at Roryu Koshi Mochi. The meat is highly seasoned with spices and pepper. The leeks are sweet and I think the dough was a little sweet. The dumplings are cooked like Indian…
Odamusubi Breakfast in Shinjuku Station
新宿駅のおにぎりモーニング。 Onigiri breakfast at Shinjuku station. Odamusubi is part of Odakyu department store. Diners have a selection of onigiri filled with tart umeboshi, pickled takana greens, spicy mentaiko cod roe, and more. The breakfast is rounded out with three small dishes and miso soup. I love that some of the onigiri is made with rice…
Avocado Udon at a Produce Shop
The avocado 🥑 udon 🍜 at Higashi-Ginza Daitsune. Daitsune is a produce shop, so expectations are high for good quality vegetables at this noodle shop on a quiet back street in Higashi-Ginza. Popular with local office workers it can get busy. There is a table out in front of the shop (or there was when…
The Origins of Katsu Curry
Katsu curry, tonkatsu pork cutlet with curry rice, originated at Grill Swiss in Ginza. Lunch starts with a small salad and an asari clam and bacon soup. The dark brown curry is made with minced pork and beef is rich with spices and is topped with tonkatsu (1,540 JPY or about $12). On this day…
Fried Chicken in Matsumoto
Fried chicken at Shizuka near Matsumoto Castle. Sanzokuyaki 山賊焼 fried chicken is a local specialty in Matsumoto, Nagano. I love fried chicken and this one was crispy and juicy. Shizuka is an izakaya traditional Japanese pub. In the evening nihonshu flows and there is a long list of saké-friendly small bites like basashi horse sashimi,…
Matsumoto Kissa Senzu Wagashi
Kissa Senzu serves modern and traditional wagashi sweets inside of the historic Kaiundo confectionary shop, opened in 1884 in Matsumoto. Monaka, a crispy wafer is served with a flight of three types of red beans (smooth, chunky, and whole). A fun way to compare the textures. Dorayaki of two small pancakes stuffed with sweet anko…
Metoba Soba in Matsumoto
Metoba is a soba shop on the Metoba river that flows through Matsumoto in Nagano. Nagano is famous for its harvest of buckwheat grains for soba. I asked if there were any local dishes we could try and was recommended the soba pancake called soba usuyaki (literally thin and grilled). A bit thinner than Western-style…
Kyobashi Isehiro Yakitori
Not far from Tokyo Station is one of my go-to yakitori shops. Isehiro has been grilling chicken skewers for over one hundred years (est. 1921). The tsukune chicken balls, my favorite in the city, have a meaty texture. Isehiro calls these dango on their menu. When I worked at Takashimaya depachika down the street I…
Vegetarian Sushi in a Traditional Japanese Home
Just south of Nishi-Ogikubo station on the JR Chuo line is a quaint kominka, traditional Japanese home, with a restaurant and retail shop. Re:gendo offers nutritious meals in a rustic setting that is worth a trip out of the city. A good friend put this shop on my radar and she even knew to pre-order the…
New York Grill Lunch at the Park Hyatt Tokyo
One of my favorite lunch spots in Tokyo is at the New York Grill in the Park Hyatt Tokyo. The view at 52 floors above Tokyo is amazing, even when it is overcast and lightly raining. The lunch starts at 5,000 JPY and includes a gorgeous buffet of appetizers. Customers choose a main course and…
Tsukiji Market Nakagawaya
Pickles play an essential role on the Japanese Table. It is served at many meals. At a kaiseki meal it is included in the rice course with miso soup. Casual curry shops serve fukujin-zuke, a soy-based relish made with daikon, eggplant, and cucumbers. If you really love Japanese pickles, then be sure to have a meal at Kintame. There…
Japanese Fruit Shops – Nihonbashi Sembikiya 日本橋千疋屋
*All photos by Aiste Miseviciute of Luxeat. Check out her blog for many beautiful photos of her meals in Japan. A visit to Japan for any foodie would not be complete without a careful peruse of the upscale fruit shops. My personal favorite is Nihonbashi Sembikiya, which is Japan’s oldest fruit shop. Sembikiya originated in 1834…
Food Sake Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market Tour
Tsukiji Market, the world’s largest seafood market, is in the heart of Tokyo. It is a short walk from the glitzy Ginza shopping district and just minutes from the renovated Kabukiza theater. It’s one of Tokyo’s most popular tourist destinations with visitors. And, it is our most popular tour that our company, Food Sake Tokyo,…
Top Ten Depachika in Tokyo 東京のデパ地下
Working at the sake section of the depachika in Nihonbashi Takashimaya was loads of fun. As a sommelier it was my job to sell wine but my responsibilities also included selling sake, shochu, and other spirits. Who wouldn’t love to be surrounded by amazing food all day long? My breaks were spent carefully perusing the floor for new items….
Where do Tokyoites Shop for Food?
So where do Tokyoites do their grocery shopping? There are large supermarkets, like Ito Yokado, Daiei, or Seiyu (a subsidiary of Walmart) but these require a lot of space so are usually found a bit out of the city. There is an Ito Yokado a few stops from Tokyo station on the Tozai line at…
Indagare Interview – Culinary Tokyo: Restaurants Not To Miss
This interview appeared a while back but I wanted to share it for its information on some of my top recommendations for foodies visiting Tokyo. Born in Japan and raised in the United States, Yukari Pratt Sakamoto, the author of the soon-to-be-released Food Sake Tokyo (Little Bookroom, $29.95), is a true Tokyo food insider. Here, she shares her favorite restaurants,…
Gotta Go Shops at Tsukiji Market
Some of my favorite shops at Tsukiji Market. This article first appeared in Metropolis magazine. http://archive.metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/682/localflavors.asp (text follows) It is no surprise that the bustling, frenetic Tsukiji Market is a popular tourist destination. Nowhere else in the world will you see so many varieties of seafood under one roof. Restaurants such as Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi have…
Foodie’s Guide to Tokyo Part 2/2
In this article that first appeared in Metropolis magazine I highlight some of my favorite restaurants in Tokyo. http://archive.metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/675/localflavors.asp (text follows) Some days, I pinch myself while exploring Tokyo. Am I really spoiled with all of these places to indulge myself? And just when I think it can’t get any better, I happen upon a…
Foodie’s Guide to Kappabashi 合羽橋
Kappabashi is a wonderland for chefs. Here you will find almost everything that one would need for cooking. While it is famous for its plastic food models, that is only a tiny part of what you will find in this area, very close to Asakusa, the popular tourist destination. It is a short walk from…
Foodie’s Guide to Tokyo Part 1/2
This article which first appeared in Metropolis magazine highlights do not miss spots in Tokyo for foodies. http://archive.metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/674/localflavors.asp (text follows) We are spoiled rotten here in Tokyo. The food-savvy consumers of Japan have raised the bar for the dining culture to a level found in only a few cities throughout the world. Here are my…
Gotta Go – Nihonbashi Yukari
I am often asked for restaurant suggestions in Tokyo. There is one restaurant that I recommend time and time again. Chef Kimio Nonaga of Nihonbashi Yukari was the 2002 Iron Chef winner, and the trophy is displayed when you first walk in. I love this restaurant for lunch or dinner. For a multi-course kaiseki dinner…
Food Sake Tokyo 