The February 2011 issue of Shokuraku magazine lists the top ten new ramen shops in Tokyo. As most of this information only appears in Japanese I hope by including it in this blog that more people can come to explore these new restaurants. 10. Mendokoro Kei 麺処 慶 Saitama-ken, Ageoshi-shi, Koizumi 69-8 No phone available 11:30…
Okinawa Food Fair at Keio Department Store in Shinjuku
Keio department store in Shinjuku will showcase the unique food of Okinawa at a food fair from Thursday, May 12th to Tuesday, May 17th. Do stop by if you are in Shinjuku. Highlights include an eat-in corner where you can order a bowl of the local noodles, soki soba. Other foods to try include rafute,…
Yubakichi in Kyoto’s Nishiki Market 京都錦市場の湯波吉
Yubakichi’s rich history dates back to 1790. The delicate yuba is made using domestic soybeans. The yuba has a light sweetness to it. You will find both dried and fresh yuba. The fresh yuba is creamy and has a nice texture. This can be served with just wasabi and soy sauce. Yubakichi 湯波吉 10:00 – 18:00,…
Aritsugu in Kyoto’s Nishiki Market 京都錦市場の有次
Aritsugu 有次 9:00 – 17:30, no holidays 075-221-1091 http://www.aritsugu.com (Japanese) Aritsugu has been in business since 1560. Famous for their knives, you will also find an enticing selection of other essential tools for the kitchen including nabe, handcrafted oroshigane (graters), and peelers. Aritsugu also has a shop in Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, but this shop in…
Dintora in Kyoto’s Nishiki Market 錦市場のぢんとら
Dintora is filled with spices, perfect for any home cook, including dried yuzu, chinpi, ichimi, shichimi, sansho, and karashi. Many of these spices are light and portable so stock up here if you are visiting from abroad. The chinpi (dried citrus peel) can be mixed with honey and hot water when you have a cold,…
Daiyasu in Kyoto’s Nishiki Market 錦市場大安
At one end of Kyoto’s Nishiki Market is Daiyasu. Behind the blue noren with white writing is a popular bar for fresh oysters served with sake, white wine, or beer. A casual place to rest your feet and refresh over a beverage and some small bites. Oysters are very popular but there is also a variety…
Food Sake Tokyo Update – Nebariya in Hatagaya is closed
UPDATE to Food Sake Tokyo: Nebaryiya, a restaurant specializing in natto and other sticky and slimy foods has closed. This is mentioned in the natto section in Food Sake Tokyo. Natto, fermented soybeans known for its stinky aroma and slimy texture, is one food that may be hard for non-Japanese to appreciate. Popular at breakfast…
Ginza Toraya 銀座とらや
Toraya is a purveyor to the Imperial Family and its rich history can be dated back to the 1600s. The signature item at Toraya is the yokan cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves. This is considered one of the top shops for wagashi, in particular, the yokan. The yokan comes in several flavors including azuki, mattcha,…
CLOSED – Fukumitsuya Sake Shop in Ginza 福光屋
Sadly, this gorgeous shop has closed. Fukumitsuya is a sake shop representing a brewery from Kanazawa that opened in 1625. Rest your feet at the small tasting bar and try a few before purchasing. The bottles are stored in small box refrigerators in the back of the shop, as all good quality sake should be….
Yamagata Antenna Shop in Ginza – Oishii Yamagata Plaza おいしい山形プラザ
The Yamagata antenna shop, Oishii Yamagata Plaza in Ginza is home to chef Masayuki Okuda’s restaurant, San-Dan-Delo (see post below). It is also one of my favorite antenna shops in the city due to the variety of products available. Yamagata has some of my favorite foods, cherries, La Furansu pears, pork, wagyu, rice, sake, and…
Yamagata San-Dan-Delo ヤマガタ サンダンデロ
Yamagata San-Dan-Delo was featured in Food & Wine’s Tokyo City Guide 2011. Yamagata’s abundant natural resources produce seafood from both the Japan Sea and rivers, wagyu and pork, rice, and produce. Chef Masayuki Okuda’s Italian restaurant in Yamagata, Al-che-cciano became a destination restaurant with diners traveling from around the country to dine there. Al-che-cciano is…
Setouchi Ryori Suminoe 瀬戸内料理すみのえ
Setouchi Ryori Suminoe was featured in Food & Wine’s Tokyo City Guide in the May 2011 issue. The fourth generation chef, Yasufumi Ootani, from a Hiroshima ryokan (traditional guest house), Suminoe Ryokan, has opened a restaurant in Tokyo. Seafood is flown in daily from the Setonaikai area (inland Sea of Japan). Sazae (turban shell) grilled…
Ginza Ibuki 銀座一二岐
Ginza Ibuki is one of the restaurants in the current issue of Food & Wine’s Tokyo City Guide 2011. Chef Sadahisa Yoshizawa trained for eight years in Kyoto before breaking out on his own. The seafood of Kochi prefecture is featured in this intimate restaurant. The signature dish is seared katsuo (bonito) garnished with thinly…
Food & Wine’s Tokyo City Guide 2011
My favorite writing assignment each year is the Tokyo Go List for Food & Wine magazine (the current May issue). This year focuses on three restaurants in the notable Ginza shopping district that features cuisine from three different prefectures in Japan. The chefs at each of these places are all getting a lot of press…
Iwate Antenna Shop in Higashi-Ginza 岩手銀プラアンテナショップ
Iwate prefecture’s antenna shop is located across the street from the Kabukiza theater. This was a great place to get your bento lunch if attending a kabuki show. The theater is closed at the moment as a new theater is being built, scheduled to reopen in the pring of 2013. However, the bentos have not…
Fukushima Antenna Shop Near Tokyo Station 福島アンテナショップ
Located just outside of Tokyo station on the Yaesu side is the Fukushima antenna shop. Here you will find local sake (jizake), tomato jam, and very unique pickled peaches. Fukushima Antenna Shop Chuo-ku, Yaesu 2-6-21 03-3275-0856
Chef Seiji Yamamoto of Nihonryori Ryugin 日本料理龍吟の山本征治
Avant-gardist Seiji Yamamoto of Nihonryori Ryugin once silk-screened bar codes onto plates with squid ink. His latest shocker: He’s embracing Japanese classics, as in his rice steamed with shamo (chicken). Ryugin Minato-ku, Roppongi 7-17-24, Side Roppongi Bldg, 1st Floor 03-3423-8006 http://www.nihonryori-ryugin.com/ (English) Food & Wine 2010 Tokyo Go List Here’s a piece I wrote on chef Yamamoto for The Japan Times.
Miyagi Antenna Shop in Ikebukuro 宮城アンテナショップ
One way to show your support for Tohoku is to visit the antenna shops that showcase local products. Antenna shops are an excellent way to find food products and other goods from a specific region, mostly from a specific prefecture. Miyagi prefecture, one of the hardest hits from the earthquake and tsunami is known for…
Hanami Bento for Sakura Viewing 花見弁当
If you are planning on viewing cherry blossoms don’t go without a spring bento box and a drink. Working at Takashimaya it was an education to see the seasonal food prepared in bento boxes. The above box is from Minokichi, a historic Kyoto kaiseki restaurant. The current chef is the tenth generation. The restaurant dates…
Hokkaido Food Fair at Keio in Shinjuku
An insider’s tip when visiting department stores is not to limit yourself to the basement’s depachika. Inquire at the concierge if there is a special food event on the event floor, usually the top floor. Today through April 12th at Keio in Shinjuku the food of Hokkaido is featured on the 7th floor. Hokkaido is…
Tokyo Do’s and Don’t’s
Do visit a depachika, the epicurean food floors in the basement of major department stores. My favorites are Takashimaya (both in Nihonbashi and Shinjuku), Isetan in Shinjuku, Mitsukoshi in Ginza, Tokyu Toyokoten in Shibuya, and Tobu in Ikebukuro. An incredible variety of food is exquisitely presented. In particular, be sure to check out the wagashi…
Yoshoku – Yoshikami in Asakusa
Yoshikami in Asakusa is famous for its beef stew. Tender beef in a demi-glace sauce. Other popular dishes include the omuraisu (omelet enveloping ketchup flavored rice) and croquettes. The feel of the restaurant is like a diner from the 50s in the USA. Be sure to get a seat at the counter where you can…
Yoshoku – Taimeiken in Nihonbashi
Yoshoku in Japan has been very popular for the last several years. Western-style dishes that have been adapted to the Japanese palate. Dishes include beef stew, croquettes, and perhaps the most popular, omuraisu. Omuraisu is an omelet that envelopes ketchup-flavored rice. Sometimes the rice may include chicken or chopped ham. Mention omuraisu to any Tokyoite…
New Depachika at Ginza Mitsukoshi
Ginza Mitsukoshi has a new depachika, the renewal completed in September, 2010. Several restaurants as well have been updated so be sure to also go to the 11th and 12th floors. The rooftop has also has a grassy terrace so be sure to head up to the top floor if the weather is good. Located…
Food Sake Tokyo Reviewed in The Japan Times
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fg20101231f3.html If ever a city cried out for a specialist guide to the way it eats, it is Tokyo. It has countless thousands of restaurants, traditional food stores and gourmet boutiques, not to mention the fish market by which all others are measured. Accessing them, though, is another matter — especially for those short on…
Kakigori Shaved Ice 氷
The heat and humidity of Tokyo summers can be overbearing. What better way to cool down than with kakigori (shaved ice sweets). As a child visiting my family in Japan in the summer that is one of my fondest memories. Kakigori topped with sweetened condensed milk (ask for miruku) and garnished with some sweet azuki…
Tokiwadou Okoshi 浅草の常磐堂
Tokiwadou Okoshi 常磐堂 Kaminari Okoshi Kaminarimon Honten Taito-ku, Asakusa 1-3-2 台東区浅草1-3-2 Phone: 03-3841-5656 http://www.tokiwado.com (Japanese) This shop to the left of the main gate is a popular destination for visitors. Okoshi are the popular food gift that Asakusa is famous for. These colorful, pastel-colored, puffed rice crackers include flavors like peanuts, almond, nori, mattcha, brown…
Izumiya in Asakusa 浅草の和泉屋
Izumiya 和泉屋 Taito-ku, Asakusa 1-1-4 台東区浅草1-1-4 Phone: 03-3841-5501 10:30 – 19:30 (closed Thursdays) http://www.asakusa.gr.jp/nakama/izumiya/ (Japanese) This quaint sembei shop presents the rice crackers in glass jars with tin lids. A wide variety of flavors include both sweet and savory like shiso, zarame (rock sugar), and a very spicy dried red pepper covered ookara. The very…
Kanda Matsuya Soba 神田まつや
Kanda Matsuya 神田まつや Chiyoda-ku, Kanda Jimbocho 1-13 千代田区神田神保町1-13 Phone: 03-3251-1556 11:00 – 20:00 Monday – Friday 11:00 – 19:00 Saturday and holidays closed Sundays http://www.kanda-matsuya.jp/p01.htm Kanda Matsuya opened their doors in 1884. The soba is made from 5 parts buckwheat flour to 1 part flour. The dipping sauce is “karame” or on the dry side…
Kibundo Souhonten in Asakusa 浅草の紀文堂総本店
Kibundo Souhonten 紀文堂総本店 Taito-ku, Asakusa 1-2-2 台東区浅草1-2-2 Phone: 03-3841-4401 9:00 – 20:30, closed Wednesday no website This popular shop is on the main street just to the right of the Kaminarimon has a collection of kawara sembei (crispy, tile-shaped sweet crackers), uzura kasutera (small bite-size castella cakes), ningyoyaki, and a mix of crackers called okonomiyose.
Umezono in Asakusa 浅草の梅園
Umezono 梅園 Taito-ku, Asakusa 1-31-12 台東区浅草1-31-12 Phone: 03-3841-7580 10:00 – 20:00, closed Wednesdays and 2nd Tuesday http://www.asakusa-umezono.co.jp/ (Japanese) Just off of the Nakamise Dori the corner shop is easy to recognize from the red paper umbrella and benches in front of the shop. Umezono in Asakusa, opened in 1854, has a strong following for anmitsu,…
Iriyama Sembei in Asakusa 浅草の入山煎餅
Iriyama Sembei 入山煎餅 Taito-ku, Asakusa 1-13-4 台東区浅草1-13-4 Phone: 03-3844-1376 10:00 – 18:00, closed Thursdays http://www.prpub.jp/senbei/asakusa/iriyama.htm (Japanese) Popular round sembei are toasted until a golden caramel color and then dipped into a soy sauce. Only one style is made, shoyu (soy sauce). Uruchimai (rice) cakes are dried for 3 days and then grilled for five minutes….
Magurobito Kaitenzushi in Asakusa 浅草のまぐろ人
**** Note, this shop has closed. Magurobito まぐろ人 Taito-ku, Asakusa 1-5-9 台東区浅草1-5-9 Phone: 03-3844-8736 Monday – Friday (11:00 – 15:00, 17:00 – 22:00) Saturday (11:00 – 22:00) Sunday and holidays (11:00 – 21:00) http://www.magurobito.com/ (Japanese) Magurobito is kaitenzushi (revolving sushi) with a good value and a selection of seasonal fresh fish. It is very…
Mugitoro in Asakusa 浅草のむぎとろ
Mugitoro うぎとろ Taito-ku, Kaminarimon 2-2-4 台東区雷門2-2-4 phone 03-3842-1066 11:00 – 21:00, no holidays http://www.mugitoro.co.jp (Japanese) Mugitoro is next to the Komagatado temple. The entrance to the 6-story modern building has red paper umbrellas and benches. As there is usually a line to get in, this is a welcome site. Mugitoro’s signature dish is rice cooked…
Japanese Summer Beer Gardens
BEER GARDEN ビアガーデン Tokyo’s hot and humid summers are when some department stores open up their rooftops to open-air beer gardens. It is an unusual setting, especially in Shinjuku when you surrounded by skyscrapers, but a fun experience. If you are lucky the winds will blow across the building to cool you down a bit….
Kimchi Yokocho キムチ横丁 2/2
Marukin まるきん Taito-ku, Higashi Ueno 2-19-1 台東区東上野2-19-1 Tel. 03-3832-4549 http://www.kimchi-marukin.com/ (Japanese) Daiichi Bussan 第一物産 Taito-ku, Higashi Ueno 2-15-5 台東区東上野2-15-5 Tel. 03-3831-1323 http://www.d1b.jp/ (Japanese) Konan Foods コーナンフーズ Taito-ku, Higashi Ueno 2-15-5 台東区東上野2-15-5 Tel. 03-3831-2017 no website The handful of shops here specialize in handmade kimchi, meats for cooking at home, and ingredients for cooking Korean food…
Kimchi Yokocho キムチ横丁 1/2
Kimchi Yokocho キムチ横丁 http://panda.starfleet.ac/~kaeru/kimuti/kimuti.html On the other side of the tracks is an area called Kimchi Yokocho. In an area of a few blocks is a concentration of shops and restaurants specializing in Korean food. There is a much larger area filled with Korean supermarkets, restaurants, and shops near Shinjuku near the Shin-Okubo station on…
Ippudo Ramen in Ameyoko アメ横の一風堂
Ippudo Ramen 一風堂 Taito-ku, Ueno 3-17-5 Tel. 03-5807-2772 11:00 – 3:00 (no holidays) http://www.ippudo.com/index.html (Japanese) Ippudo started as a small shop with only 10 seats at a counter in 1985 and now has locations throughout Japan and even in New York City. Ippudo is famous for its tonkotsu ramen. Very thin noodles that still have…
Yoshiike in Ameyoko アメ横の吉池
Yoshiike 吉池 Taito-ku, Ueno 3-27-12 台東区上野3-27-12 Tel. 03-3831-0141 9:30 – 24:00, no holidays http://www.yoshiike-group.co.jp/ (Japanese) Since 1920, Yoshiike has been a prominent shop in this area of Ueno. This large store has a supermarket in the basement, a large seafood department, and fresh produce. The second floor is a liquor shop, with wine, sake, shochu,…
Niki no Kashi in Ameyoko アメ横の二木の菓子
Niki no Kashi 二木の菓子 Taito-ku, Ueno 4-6-1 Tel. 03-3833-4051 9:30 – 19:30, no holidays http://www.nikinokashi.co.jp (Japanese) Niki no Kashi maybe one of Ameyoko’s most famous vendors. In business since 1947, Niki no Kashi is a large discount shop for sweets and candies. Part of the attraction is the unusually large selection of dagashi. Dagashi are…
Daimasu at Ameyoko アメ横のダイマス
Daimasu ダイマス Taito-ku, Ueno 4-6-13 台東区上野4-6-13 Tel. 03-3831-5023 9:00 – 18:30 (closed the 2nd, 4th and 5th Thursdays of each month) http://www.daimasu.net/ (Japanese) Daimasu has a colorful display of dried beans, grains and rice. Sesame seeds, millets, daizu, adzuki, and more round out this tiny shop.
Ameyoko’s Iseoto Shouten 伊勢音商店
Iseoto Shouten 伊勢音商店 Taito-ku, Ueno 6-4-10 台東区上野6-4-10 Tel. 03-3831-4411 9:00 – 19:00, no holidays http://www.iseoto.com/ (Japanese) Iseoto’s history can be traced back to 1876. The shop specializes in katsuobushi and other products for making dashi. You can smell the smoked, and dried katsuo flakes. The products are placed in wooden barrels that fall into the…
Ishiyama Shoten and Ameyoko Center Building in Ameyoko
The fish stall at the base of the building is Ishiyama Shoten. The large building in the center is the Ameyoko Center Building. Ameyoko Center Building アメ横センタービル Taito-ku, Ueno 4-7-8, Ameyoko Senta Bldg. 台東区上野4-7-8アメ横センタービル 10:00 – 20:00 Closed the third Wednesday of each month except for December. http://www.ameyoko-center-bldg.com/ (Japanese) In the basement of the Ameyoko…
Shimura Shouten in Ameyoko アメ横の志村商店
Shimura Shouten 志村商店 Taito-ku, Ueno 6-11-3 台東区上野6-11-3 Tel. 03-3831-2454 9:00 – 19:00, no holidays http://homepage3.nifty.com/ameyoko/ (Japanese) This candy shop, overflowing with chocolates and sweets is famous for its 1000 yen bags. It is a show where an enthusiastic salesman shouts out to the customers as he fills a bag up with candies, sweets, and snacks.
Ameyoko’s Fruit Shop Hyakkaen 百果園
Fruits Shop Hyakkaen 百果園 Taito-ku, Ueno 6-10-12 台東区上野6-10-12 Tel. 03-3832-2625 10:00 – 20:00, no holidays http://www.guidenet.jp/shop/083c/ (Japanese) This fruit shop sells whole fruits boxed for gift-giving, however they are most famous for their seasonal fresh fruits skewered on waribashi (disposable chopsticks) like strawberries, pineapple and melon. The fresh fruits are juicy and a refreshing, healthful…
Ameyoko near Ueno Station アメ横
Located under the Yamanote line train tracks at Ueno station heading south to Okachimachi station on the way to Akihabara, the electronics town, is Ameyoko, a boisterous, lively outdoor market. Not nearly as impressive as Tsukiji Fish Market, but this is open on seven days a week, which is a good alternative if Tsukiji is…
Kotobukido in Ningyocho 人形町の寿堂
Kotobukido 寿堂 Chuo-ku, Nihonbashi Ningyocho 2-1-4 中央区日本橋人形町2-1-4 Tel. 0120-48-0400 (toll free number in Japan) 9:00 – 21:00, closed Sunday This 5th generation shop is so small that only a handful of people can enter at one time. The three-story gray building with red trimming displays some of their confectionaries behind glass display windows up front….
Cheap Eats in Ginza – 2/2
The slightly spicy curry served at this nostalgic mom-and-pop shop has long been a neighborhood favorite. The small wooden building looks out of place among Ginza’s designer boutiques and department stores, and the cooking is simple as well: one curry served in four sizes, each named after a station on the Keihin-Tohoku line. The handwritten…
Cheap Eats in Ginza – 1/2
This article first appeared in Metropolis magazine on May 13, 2010. Some of my favorite cheap eats in Ginza. With shops like Forever 21 and H&M recently opening on Ginza’s main drag, the neighborhood is beginning to shed its reputation as a jet-setter’s playground. Yet budget-conscious diners have long known that the area is home…
Shigemori Eishindou in Ningyocho 人形町の重盛永信堂
Shigemori Eishindou 重盛永信堂 Chuo-ku, Nihonbashi Ningyocho 2-1-1 中央区日本橋人形町2-1-1 Tel. 03-3666-5885 9:00 – 20:00 (Saturday and holidays until 17:30) closed Sundays Commanding the corner with its large display of stuffed cakes and sweet crackers is Shigemori Eishindou. It opened in 1917 as a shop selling ningyoyaki of shichifukujin (the seven lucky gods). The azuki paste in…
Food Sake Tokyo 