The Tokyo Traveler

This past weekend I accidentally attended the grand opening of Eataly, a great to place to taste and shop for Italian wines, cheese, breads, pastries and almost everything else that you can imagine in Tokyo’s Daikanyama neighborhood.  And what a great accident it was! 
Surrounding a stone paved courtyard with relaxing patio seating, near Daikanyama’s landmark green flower, Eataly is the largest Italian food & wine center in Japan.   The store is a bakery, deli and wine store all rolled into one great location and also offers prepared food that you can take home and a variety of dine-in offerings. 
La …read more

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Do you like your sushi fresh? I mean straight off the boat fresh? Then you must go to Sushizanmai in the Tsukiji district of Tokyo. The Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market in Tsukiji receives about 4,000 tons of fish and vegetables a day and some of that goes straight to Sushizanmai. You can’t get any fresher than that!
Upon arriving at the restaurant we were warmly greeted by a cheerful, apron clad, standing outside the restaurant clapping her hands and saying “irashai!” or welcome. We were quickly ushered in to a table on the main …read more

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Okonomiyaki are Japanese pancakes but nothing like any pancake that you have ever tasted! The basic ingredients of okonomiyaki are cabbage, flour, and eggs that are mixed together to create a pancake like batter. Other traditional ingredients like pork, shrimp and squid are the most common add-ins but you can add pretty much anything to okonomyaki and it will be delicious.
Okonomiyaki restaurants are fairly common in Japan and the dish is a popular one at festivals but what makes okonomiyaki special is not only do you choose your ingredients, but in most restaurants, you get to cook …read more

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Udon is a thick wheat based noodle that is served in a variety of different ways at Hanamaru Udon (English on signs read ‘Manmaru’), a fast food Udon chain that operates 187 restaurants throughout Japan and serves over 2.5 millions customers each month.
Noodles are a significant part of the diet in Japan and there are three different kinds of noodles.  The most commonly known noodle in the west is Ramen, then there is Soba, a thin noodle made from buckwheat and wheat flour, and finally, my favorite, Udon, which is a thick and substantial noodle made from wheat flour …read more

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If you have a craving for great American food you will find it at Homework’s restaurant in Hiro-o. They claim to have the best char-broiled burgers and sandwiches in Tokyo and I can’t disagree. The bilingual menu offers a variety options, the staff are friendly and the service is prompt.
When we went my husband had a cheeseburger, I had the shrimp and avocado sandwich and we shared a small order of fries. The prices aren’t cheap, our lunch set us back around Y3,000 ($30USD), but the quality of the food is excellent and the portions are generous. …read more

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