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 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….

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…

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/

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…

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…

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…

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….

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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,…

Kissaten old school coffee shops are my go to way to start the day. #Biot, established in 1973, roasts and blends the #coffee in house. This morning set with cheese toast and a hard boiled egg 🥚 is only ¥750 ($5). The coffee ☕️ is smooth and the cafe is quiet, aside from the #jazz…

Te-chan, Tetsuya Iwase, of @tsukijipepperscafe. Peppers Cafe is on a quiet side street. Te-chan’s main business is spices. He used to live in Pittsburgh and speaks fluent English. Peppers Cafe is a channel for him to share fresh black peppers cured in salt. The peppers have a soft texture with a little crunch. Delicious on…

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…

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 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…

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 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…

#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…

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.