Whenever an exciting new restaurant is launched in Tokyo, usually it’s all over the foodie magazines within days. Not so with Flatiron. Though it’s been up and running since September, it’s been flying well under the radar. That is nothing to do with its ...

For a food with such a long and venerable history, udon gets surprisingly short shrift in Tokyo. Sure, it's not hard to find these long, chunky, white wheat noodles.

Attention all chocoholics! Here’s a way to satiate your sweet tooth without gaining a single gram. In fact you’re likely to work off plenty of calories as you explore “Chocolate: The Exhibition.” This major show, which opens Nov. 3 at the National Museum of ...

Autumn is the golden season. Fruit and hearty root vegetables; mushrooms, nuts and new-season rice; plentiful fish and seafood, too: This abundance is the palette from which Japan’s top kaiseki chefs draw in creating their intricate, elegant multicourse meals. Few are as accomplished at ...

The golden age of luxury long-distance train travel is over. The days when overnight journeys were made in exclusive style — complete with Pullman sleeping cars, lounge bar and restaurant on wheels — have gone the way of the steam locomotive. But memories die ...

Great fanfare accompanied the reopening of Tokyo Station’s redbrick building in Marunouchi this week. And, just like any major new (or in this case 98-year-old) landmark, it’s a bonanza for tie-in marketing, including plenty of sweets — all limited-edition items that can only be ...

The entrance to Yorozuya Okagesan is, to put it mildly, discreet. The modest sign is set back so far from the sidewalk you’d never spot the steps unless you knew to look. And you’d never go down them anyway unless you had a reservation ...

Beard. What sort of name is that for a restaurant, least of all one serving French-inflected food?

In a city the size of Tokyo, it’s all too easy to be unaware of where your food comes from. Most of what we eat is shipped in from far away, not just the extremities of the country but from all around the world. ...

Summertime, and the living is far from easy in the city. Stuck in the middle of the heat island, appetites fray and taste buds wilt like yesterday’s lettuce. Simple snacks are called for, not major meals, with copious quantities of liquid sustenance too. Whether ...

In the relentless heat of summer in Japan, it is often hard to generate the appetite and energy for a full-course sit-down meal. But there’s far more incentive to head out for dinner (or lunch) at a top restaurant if you know you’ll be ...