Train travel in Japan is a fun part of holidays. We enjoy eating and drinking while on the shinkansen. We did our routine of picking a bentō at #EkibenyaMatsuri. One of Tokyo’s famous coffee ☕️ shops, Sarutahiko Coffee, has a branch near one of the shinkansen entrances. It’s a popular shop and may have a…
Eggg Café
@eggg_kokubunji is famous for fluffy pancakes but we also love the omuraisu. This one with tender beef cheeks and a demi-glace sauce. The knife 🔪 is full so it’s hard to cut into the omelette on top of the ketchup rice. If you’re curious to try the pancakes this is a great spot. The café…
Natsuno
My favorite shop for #chopsticks in #Tokyo. @ginzanatsuno has a colorful selection of chopsticks🥢, chopstick rests, and some tableware in the heart of #Ginza. I have collected several pieces from here over the years and they all brighten up each meal. Ginza NatsunoChūō-ku, Ginza 6-7-4
Kunio
Shio ramen and a tsukemen with a wonton dipping sauce. Plus a side order of chashu gohan, rice topped simply with sliced chashu pork with a splash of a sweet soy sauce. We have tried to dine here but there is always a line. As it’s raining today my brilliant child said, we should go…
Fuji Lunch
Our local yōshoku restaurant, Fuji Lunch, has Western-style dishes like karaagé fried chicken, croquettes, hamba-gu (more like meatloaf than a hamburger), and fried cutlets. Behind the counter an elderly couple are choreographed in their movements depending on which orders they were filling. Auntie kept busy topping a large plate with julienned cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers, and…
Salon Sabou
My favorite #karaage #friedchicken lunch in #Ginza. The boneless fried chicken is dressed with a light sweet soy sauce. Diners select three side dishes and white rice or a heartier hatsuga genmai rice (🌾 supplemental ¥220). The line is often long at noon but on Monday it was short. Staff said Mondays tend to have…
Ochazuké
Ochazuké is a simple and quick light meal or snack. We keep Nagatanien ochazuké packs in our pantry. I love the hot soup over rice with uméboshi, tsukémono pickles, and grilled fish like salmon. Shredded cooked salmon is sold in a jar. The fish is salted so it’s shelf stable and sold at room temperature….
Kanekoya
Fabulous tempura lunch in Kichijōji at Kanekoya. Went at 10:45 a.m. and there was already a line in front of the shop. The restaurant opens at 11:00 a.m. and we were lucky to get in at the first seating. When we left the queue was looong. Kanekoya serves a simple tempura donburi, rice bowl topped…
Awa
Cool new bar at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, The Rendez-Vous AWA. In the main lobby. Brightly lit and spacious. Awa means bubbles in Japanese and the beverage list includes many bobbly beverages. Imperial Hotel TokyoChiyoda-ku, Uchisaiwaichō 1-1-1 https://www.imperialhotel.co.jp/e/tokyo/restaurant/awa/
Hachioji Craft Sake
Tokyo’s newest sake brewery, Hachiōji Shuzō, opened in October of last year. Fun to sample two of their brews, both delicious. I hope to go back, without my kid, so I have time to ask more questions. At the moment the brewery is only open Friday – Sunday. It is only a five-minute walk from…
Gargantua
Hōjicha cake from Gargantua bakery at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo near Yurakuchō Station. Studded with chestnuts and black beans the cake is not too sweet, something common with most Japanese baked goods. I love the presentation in the yellow furoshiki cloth. The colorful summer vegetable tart at Gargantua is almost too beautiful to eat. Gargantua…
Kikugawa Unagi
Nagoya-style unagi is called hitsumabushi. The grilled freshwater eel is eaten three ways. 1. as it is 2. with yakumi green onions, wasabi, and nori 3. with yakumi and a broth Hitsumabushi is a fun contrast to the Tokyo style which is grilled unagi over a bed of rice, a luxurious meal. Kikugawa is a…
Tim Ho Wan
Finally made it to @timhowanjapan in #Yurakucho. This #dimsum shop offers spring rolls that shatter when bit into. Loved the signature pork buns that have a crunchy sweet shell like melon pan. The steamed #gyoza also oishii with a spicy sauce. I need to go back with a girlfriend so I can try more dishes….
Soup Pasta
Ivo Homes Pasta 🍝 in Shinjuku. I ordered the most popular dish but was underwhelmed. It’s a soup pasta so the sauce overwhelms the spaghetti. It’s a popular restaurant near Isetan. The restaurant is chaotic and busy at lunchtime. Maybe I will give one of the other shops in Shibuya or Shinagawa a chance. To…
RF1
Colorful salads, bentō, and sets with wine- or beer-friendly small bites are offered at RF1. The chicken salad and some of the bentōs are marketed as including “half day’s worth of nourishing vegetables” in the meal. An antipasto set includes cured ham, cheese, quiche, and roasted vegetables. Sausages, shrimp ajillo, corn cream croquette, caponata, and fried…
Berg
My go-to breakfast at #Shinjuku Station @berg_shinjuku_tokyo. Love this morning set for a bargain ¥429 ($2.85). Open from 7:00 a.m. and it’s a popular shop with those in the know. Several Johnny Cash songs played in the background. A clash of cultures: kissaten, American music, and German meats. If you’re not an early riser come…
Kakeru
Fabulous flight of coffee drinks at @koffee_mameya_kakeru. Fascinating to see many expressions of the same bean. Some highlights include the milk-steeped coffee and a milk-steeped coffee mixed with a cacao vinegar that is strained through a paper filter separating the whey from the curds. Sweets are paired with the coffee including a cassis stollen with…
Kashiwaya
Kashiwaya is a kaiseki restaurant on a quiet back street in Nihonbashi. The multi-course meal is rich with seasonal ingredients. Chef Yoshiyuki Kashiwabara was a chef in both San Francisco and in Singapore for over two decades. Both he and his wife speak English and can help answer questions about the dishes and it’s a very…
Fujie Labo
Onigiri breakfast at Fujie Labo at Tachikawa Station. The brightly lit cafe is part of the Yamamotoyama family, Tokyo’s oldest tea shop which dates back 330 years. Two onigiri with a cup of tea, hot or cold, for only 500 yen ($3.50) is the morning set from 7:00 – 10:30 a.m. I picked gyu shigure,…
Food Sake Tokyo 