These days, most neighborhoods are slathered with signs like this, banning smoking just about everywhere—on the street, at the train station and inside all offices/restaurants*—but there are few militantly defiant hold-outs, like this coffee shop I discovered yesterday in Ginza: Welcome to the Ranzu, a step back in time to when men wore bowler hats,ContinueContinue reading “All Smoking, All The Time”
Category Archives: Bars, Cafés & Restaurants
If Only Japanese Rock Gardens Were Filled With Cooling Mist & Illuminations…
Oh. Wait. At Tokyo Midtown this summer, they are! On the lawn that hosts those amazing winter illuminations, they’ve constructed a wide wooden veranda enclosing a “rock garden,” complete with clouds of mist and a fireworks-themed lightshow. And the best part is, you can sit and dangle your feet for as long as you like,ContinueContinue reading “If Only Japanese Rock Gardens Were Filled With Cooling Mist & Illuminations…”
How About A Nice Cup Of Civet Poop Coffee?
Yes, I know this rare and elusive cat-snake lives in Bali, but because Japan is the world magnet for weird food experiences, the only place I’ve ever discovered a shop where I could order a cup of civet poop coffee is in Tokyo. The kopi luwat civet poops coffee. Or, to be more precise, it climbsContinueContinue reading “How About A Nice Cup Of Civet Poop Coffee?”
Haunted Prison Restaurant? Yes, Please!
Abandon sanity, all ye who enter here! Do you even have to ask? Of course Tokyo has a restaurant where you get locked into a cell and made to drink cocktails with eyeballs in them! The creepiness grabs hold of you the second you figure out how to get through the hidden door and head downContinueContinue reading “Haunted Prison Restaurant? Yes, Please!”
Catch Your Own Noodles
Next time you hoist a brew over the sad story of the one that got away, nobody is going to believe it was a NOODLE. But if you want to snag a tasty bite of nagashi sōmen, that’s just what might happen when you try to scoop the slippery little dudes up with your chopsticksContinueContinue reading “Catch Your Own Noodles”
A Day In The Life: What’s It Like To Be A Host?
“My name is Sakura, and this is our newest host, Yua. If you join us tonight, you can see what a new host does!” Join veteran host Sakura-san as he teaches his new recruit “Yua-kun” the ropes! First, a run-down of a typical day in Yua’s life: 11:00 a.m.: Wake up* Noon: Go to theContinueContinue reading “A Day In The Life: What’s It Like To Be A Host?”
Tokyo Steampunk!
Alice In Wonderland X Jules Verne! Gothic Lolita X Victorian Mourning! Manga X Edwardian Gentleman! In the land where costume is king (and often queen, even if you’re not a woman!), steampunk does not disappoint. The Tokyo Steampunk Society has adopted a time travel motif, which allows anybody who already cosplays to reimagine themselves inContinueContinue reading “Tokyo Steampunk!”
Magical Food At The Ninja Restaurant
I have to admit, until last week I’d never been to a restaurant where my waitress brought me an egg, set it on fire and turned it into a chicken. Apparently, when the waitress is a ninja, this is no big deal. A minor exertion, in fact, after conjuring up a drawbridge so we couldContinueContinue reading “Magical Food At The Ninja Restaurant”
The Jellyfish & Shark Bar
Now you don’t have to trek to the aquarium in Ikebukuro to see your favorite wiggly and bite-y creatures of the deep – right next to Ebisu station is Medusa, where you can sip the beverage of your choice while being mesmerized by the glow! Additional entertainment may be had by perusing the Standard LiqueursContinueContinue reading “The Jellyfish & Shark Bar”
Getting Carded, Japanese Style
This is the order screen at the izakaya where my Japanese class had our end-of-term nomikai. The average Japanese teenager may have it rough when it comes to taking entrance exams that will determine his whole future, but he never has to spend hours in front of the mirror, practicing intoning the words, ” rumContinueContinue reading “Getting Carded, Japanese Style”
Live Music for Eight
Last Saturday night, sitting with the band at the Apollo. Remember how I was talking about shoebox-sized businesses here in Tokyo? Well, around the corner from Eat A Peach in Shimokitazawa is the Apollo Jazz Bar. As you walk by on the narrow street outside, the sound of pro musicians jamming wafts up the steps fromContinueContinue reading “Live Music for Eight”
Cola Beer and Other Cocktail Delights
Saw these advertised outside an izakaya in Ikebukuro last weekend. For your happy hour entertainment: RED EYE: Beer + tomato juice SHANDY GAFF: Beer + ginger ale DOUBLE BERRY: Beer + cassis + cranberry PEACH HEART: Beer + shō-chū + white peach ROYAL YEBISU: Beer + royal jelly + lemon honey DOUBLE BLACK: Dark beer +ContinueContinue reading “Cola Beer and Other Cocktail Delights”
Gateway to Kitty Nirvana
This cat café is in the Decks entertainment complex in Odaiba In a country where many people live in places too small for pets, cat cafés are a booming business. For about $10 an hour, anyone (over the age of 12) can sip a latte and pet herds of cats for as long as theirContinueContinue reading “Gateway to Kitty Nirvana”
Speedboat Sushi
See my four-plate order on the red boat under the touchscreen? Conveyor belt sushi joints are a fast food fixture in Japan, but I’d never been to one that delivered the special orders on a red speedboat before. This place near my Japanese school in Takanobaba has a system: each setting is outfitted with its ownContinueContinue reading “Speedboat Sushi”
The Vinegar Cafe
Some of the house-made fruit vinegars at Marusan Vinegar is not my favorite thing. Not even close. So I was kind of lukewarm on the idea of going to a café where the house specialty was drinks based on fruit vinegar. How could I have been so wrong? The drinks were so delicious, I’ve beenContinueContinue reading “The Vinegar Cafe”
Midnight Mess
Me, La Carmina and Yukiro outside Club Marz in Shinjuku Saturday night I went to the monthly Goth party at Club Marz and met up with famed author/journalist/TV host La Carmina, who was filming a segment for NHK Tokyo Kawaii TV. The fabulous outfits and makeup of everybody there – especially La Carmina and YukiroContinueContinue reading “Midnight Mess”
Canine Dining At The Dog Café!
Fuki and Sala’s gourmet cheesy bites at the Puppies Café After cavorting at the Dog Petit Resort Joker, Yoko and I took Fuki and Sala to their favorite Odaiba lunch spot: the Puppies Café. Every table comes equipped with a water dish for the dogs and a canine menu. While we ate indifferent “American style”ContinueContinue reading “Canine Dining At The Dog Café!”
The Most Expensive Bonito Guts I Ever Ate
The first course of kaiseki at Hamada-ya In case you didn’t immediately recognize the gourmet tidbits in the lovely dishes above, the one on the left is “Shrimp and udo plants dressed with salted and fermented bonito guts” and the one in the center is “Hairy crab and butterbur dressed with egg yolk and vinegar.”ContinueContinue reading “The Most Expensive Bonito Guts I Ever Ate”
Only In Japan 