I heard about Ai to Ibukuro — a cozy little Japanese-French restaurant in Tokyo's Sangenjaya district — through a friend who likes to visit it when celebrating birthdays and anniversaries with the entire family. It can be a challenge to find restaurants that don't simply allow but actually welcome children — and that number quickly dwindles when it comes to proper French cuisine.

Run by husband-and-wife team Shinsaku Suzuki and Emi Ishida, Ai to Ibukuro (literally, "love and stomach") is a tiny restaurant with a big heart. The restaurant's unusual name is based on two of the most basic human needs, love and food, and the couple's belief that eating together fosters love.

From its name to its carefully curated ingredients and wines, Ai to Ibukuro is a restaurant with a vision and, as it turns out, quite the social conscience.