Elegance, refinement, exclusivity: These are qualities only to be expected at any high-end Japanese restaurant. Affordability? Think again. Or, rather, think different. That’s the way to approach Yoshihashi. One of Tokyo’s most elegant and traditional sukiyaki houses, Yoshihashi is also one of its least ...

Neighborhoods are like microclimates, each with its own ecology of dining opportunities. Some are arid desserts with barely a ramen shop in sight. Others are lush and fertile, with a rich range of cuisines and styles. And then there are the hidden corners, seemingly ...

Neighborhood restaurants are different from those where the lights are brighter and overheads (and expectations) higher. Almost by definition they’re more casual and down-home, rougher around the edges, simpler and less stylish. Iri doesn’t fit that pattern at all. Hidden from sight down a ...

First the sad news: One of Ebisu’s finest, friendliest little French restaurants has upped and moved to the far side of town. Now the silver lining: Those selfsame pint-sized premises have reincarnated as a branch of Ebisu’s finest, friendliest oyster emporium. Just six weeks ...

Is Tokyo becoming the Naples of Asia? It’s starting to feel that way, and not just because there’s a volcano lurking on the horizon. There must be as many artisan pizzerias here as in all of Campania, ranging in quality from worthy to excellent. ...

On one side of the battered shōji screen with its panels of flimsy washi paper, the sleet and biting wind. On the other, a small old-fashioned hibachi brazier, its coals glowing softly. There’s no contest: At Botan, the charcoal wins every time. But that ...

The narrow pocket of Kanda comprising Sudacho and Awajicho boasts half a dozen restaurants that are among the most venerable in Tokyo. Like Botan (see main article), the buildings date from the late 1920s, boast superb wooden architecture and have improbably survived the bombs ...

Given the considerable media buzz that accompanied the opening of Yoyogi Village — and the involvement of Il Ghiottone’s chef Yasuhiro Sasajima — tables are still at a premium at code kurkku. But even if you can’t snare a reservation, don’t fancy a full ...

Long before you sit down to dine at code kurkku, before you even glimpse its splendid glass-fronted facade, you know already you’re going to love it. How could you not? It has everything going for it. First of all, it’s the central focus of ...

The holidays are behind us now, but it’s still the season for celebrating the New Year. From mochi rice dumplings to mikan mandarins, there are so many festive foods in Japan. Few are more auspicious, or supremely delicious, than madai, known in English variously ...