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…
Category: gotta go
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…
Food Sake Tokyo 