Hi guys, Although things are slowly getting back to normal here in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami hit on March 11, we Tokyoites are still experiencing some inconveniences. Trains on my line operate only 70%, and some can’t use electricity for 3 hours a day, due to a forced blackou[...]

Sakura, or cherry blossoms in English, usually bloom at the end of March to the beginning of April in Tokyo. This year, due to the colder winter we are experiencing (yes we had snow this Monday!), the forecast is expected to be later than usual. However, when I went to a Starbucks coffee shop l[...]

Have you ever heard of Falafel? It’s a sandwich made of pita bread, and has its origin in Middle East. You sand some balls of chickpea croquettes, some fresh vegetables and often deep-fried aubergine with tahini paste. It does not use meat, and is a perfect meal for healthy-consicous peop[...]

I do not know if you’ve read my previous article on a little bakery/cake shop located on the Mishuku Street, with a name of Artisan Terra. It’s actually one of the branches that its parent shop La Terre operates. And La Terre group opened a new donut store Terra Donuts just besides [...]

A friend of mine visited Japan from the Basque country, Spain this winter. I was thinking of which restaurant I should take him to dinner, and that was when I suddenly remembered Gonpachi, located at the heart of Tokyo. It sits on the crossing of Nishi-azabu, which is 10 minute walk from the Ro[...]

Recently, it’s been very, very cold in Tokyo. Sometimes I even witness flakes of snow… and it was one such Sunday that was snowing when I visited a cafe placed at the crossing of Mishuku street, Setagaya Ward. The cafe is placed on the fifth floor of a rather scary-looking building [...]

Today, I’d like to take a little trip to Shinjuku, one of the busiest district in Tokyo. The average number of people who use Shinjuku Station total up to a record number of 3 million a day, which actually boasts a Guiness record.  It connects the bedroom towns around the metropolitan Tok[...]

In Japan and throughout the world, there’s been a healthy food trend going on — traditional Japanese meal, known for its high content of amino acids and menus with a lot of vegetables and fish, seems like to be capturing the attention of those who are health-conscious. Having a moth[...]

When I was living in the States, I was literally shocked to see the heavy-glazed, artificially colored cakes on sale at supermarkets. I’ve never seen such “ostentatious” —  visually and in taste as well — cakes in Japan, the country I spent my childhood. Being so d[...]

In the Italian language, comodo means comfortable or convenient. With the wine-reddish atmosphere of the restaurant, it provides a feeling of relaxation to the customers. It’s located about 5 minutes away from Sangen-jaya station, and the owner always welcomes me with a smile upon my retu[...]

Obscura in old English means a camera by itself. Like a camera that reflects the values and virtues that remain over the centuries, the owner of this cafe hopes to reflect the goodness of the modern day life through operating Camera Obscura. It’s a coffee shop that offers six to seven dif[...]

Japan is a nation that loves curry! We Japanese just adore curry, and it tops the children’s favorite food list every year. We have many types of curries available in Japan — Indian, Nepali, Thai, Japanese, amongst many others. You might wonder what a “Japanese curry” ma[...]

Sitting just two stations away from the never-sleeping metropolis of Shibuya, my town Sangen-jaya is dotted with restaurants and bars that operate til dawn. One such bar is Bricca (http://bricca.jimdo.com/), and it’s been my favorite Italian wine bar recently. This place is perfect for dr[...]

Gyoza, or Japanese dumpling, is a favorite choice for lunch for everyone regardless of age and gender. Many people order gyoza as a side place that goes along with an ever-popular Japanese ramen. But for me, gyoza has just enough charm and volume that it can serve as a whole lunch solo. You can[...]

When I was in living in the States, I was astonished by the huge amount of vegetarians that were out there. Though a bit more popular culture by now, I’ve never encountered one all my life in Japan — that is to say, Japan is a very omnivorous country. Most of us Japanese people do n[...]