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November 04, 2025
 

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Robbie Swinnerton
Robbie Swinnerton has been living, eating and writing about food in Tokyo for over 30 years. His column, Tokyo Food File, has run in The Japan Times since 1998.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 5, 2011
Ivan Ramen Plus: Maverick chef Orkin opens new noodle joint
There are those who love ramen, and those who are obsessive. Count us firmly in the first category. We won't cross town, wait in line for hours or pore over websites just to slurp at some particularly popular noodle shop. But if we hear word of anything especially good and unusual, then we want to know...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 5, 2011
Ichikanjin: Sun, sea, sand and slurping soup noodles
There's nothing like a sea breeze and a day spent lounging by the ocean to generate a healthy appetite. And nothing hits the spot better or faster than ramen. If the beach in question happens to be in Kamakura, then we know exactly where to go to refill and recharge on the way back from the waterfront...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 15, 2011
Bistro Authentique: Authentic flavor in a tiny bistro setting
Tokyo is well served for Vietnamese food these days, and there's no compelling need to venture far from the center when the craving arises for pho, cha gio and banh xeo. Even so, many of our favorite places are far from the mainstream. But few are as obscure — or as worth searching out — as Bistro...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 15, 2011
My-Le: On track for great Vietnamese food
As soon as the rains lift and the temperatures rise, our thoughts turn to Vietnam. It's the food we crave: No other cuisine seems quite as appetizing once the sweltering summer sets in.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 1, 2011
Shichi Jyu Ni Kou: Sampling unusual finds on the sake list
Perhaps the most singular aspect of Shichi Jyu Ni Kou (72 Kou) is its drinks list. No other kaiseki restaurant we know of this sophistication lays such emphasis on sake produced with organically grown rice — and to a lesser extent organic wine — to the point of devoting special sections in the menu...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 1, 2011
Shichi Jyu Ni Kou: Japanese cuisine that follows nature's cues
Japan, as has been said far too often, is a country of four seasons. But that tired old mantra is by no means the whole truth. The ancient lunisolar calendar recognizes 24 distinct divisions in the year, while haiku poets and others attuned to the constant flux of the natural world identify three times...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 17, 2011
Two more tempting Kagurazaka finds
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 17, 2011
Kamozou: A traditional cure for the rainy-season blues
In this gloomiest of seasons, when the skies are leaden and the streets clogged with dripping umbrellas, we find there's only one recourse: Head for a favorite neighborhood eatery and hunker down, glass in hand. If we're anywhere near Kagurazaka and sake is what we fancy, our refuge of choice is Kamozou....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 3, 2011
Other dining options in Upper Shibuya
We've been big fans of Don Ciccio (pronounced "Chitcho") ever since it moved here four years ago. The main draw is the hearty, tasty Sicilian trattoria fare, but the lively atmosphere and friendly service always make for a fun evening out. On summer nights, the three outdoor veranda tables are in hot...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 3, 2011
Abasque: Basque in the flavor of rustic, refined cuisine
One area of Tokyo that remains off many people's radar is the small quadrant known informally as Upper Shibuya. Far from the neon glare of the Hachiko Crossing, it has more in common with Aoyama, apart from the prices. Lower overheads mean affordable restaurants, and few of them are better — or better...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 20, 2011
Roppongi Nouen: Farmers' touch brings peas and quiet to Tokyo
Where does the food on our plates come from? Who grows it and how does it reach our tables? It's almost impossible to know, even when we're at home cooking for ourselves. Eating out in restaurants is a far greater leap of faith.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 20, 2011
Daylesford Organics: Chow down in faith with organic eats
Another place where you can dine in total confidence that nothing untoward will be on your plate is Daylesford Organics. There was considerable buzz among Tokyo foodies when this chic natural foods emporium opened last November near Omotesando Station, close to the U.N. University on Aoyama-dori.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 15, 2011
Roppongi Nouen's Eat For Japan: The first bite is with the heart
Among the massive outpouring of support for Tohoku, one fundraising effort in particular has caught our eye. Eat For Japan is a program launched by Roppongi Nouen, a fine restaurant tucked away in the heart of Tokyo's nightlife district that specializes in good, wholesome dishes and farm-fresh produce....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 15, 2011
Namikibashi Nakamura: Celebrating spring with sake and seasonal fare
Is it too soon — postquake, post-tsunami and still mid-nuclear crisis — to eat, drink and be merry? It's certainly a valid question. The answer, for us at any rate, is no, especially if we know that by doing so we can provide a small measure of support for the devastated areas. And most especially...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 1, 2011
Keats House: Simple nourishment that tastes like poetry
"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever." Those oft-quoted words by the romantic poet John Keats resonate here in Japan no less than in his native England. Now, two centuries after being penned, they are the inspiration for a splendid little cafe-restaurant in one of Tokyo's lesser-trod neighborhoods.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 18, 2011
Warung Bintang: A taste trip to the Bali backstreets
With all the thousands of Japanese who visit Bali each year, enjoying its beguiling climate and culture, it's a mystery why the island's cuisine does not have more adherents here. Indonesian restaurants are so few and far between in Tokyo that any addition to their number is worthy of note. When it's...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 4, 2011
Martiniburger: Enjoy your burger shaken, not stirred
Martiniburger. It's a great name for a restaurant. Even before you arrive you can picture it in your mind: As sleek as a cocktail lounge, with subtle lighting, cool music and even cooler people tucking into prime patties of best beef. And you wouldn't be far wrong.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 4, 2011
On the Corner: American breakfast around the clock
The idea of the all-day breakfast — the kind found in countless roadside pit stops and blue-collar grills throughout North America — has taken a very long time to reach these shores. But finally that glaring gastronomic gap was filled last summer by the arrival of the aptly named On the Corner, just...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 18, 2011
Wanoba: Affordable eats with a contemporary vibe
One of our favorite discoveries of the past couple of months has been Wanoba, a stylish little dining bar in Ebisu that marries contemporary Japanese design with tasty, affordable food and drink — all with a welcoming, easygoing ambience.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 18, 2011
Shokkan: Good Japanese dining that's accessible to all
Ambiance, food, value for money: These are universal factors when deciding where to eat. But when it comes to Japanese cuisine here in Japan, there's another criterion: Accessibility. How well do you fare if you don't speak or read Japanese?
The unstoppable rise of konbini tourism
Guests typically follow Ryo Ito’s lead as he weaves through the narrow, colorful aisles of convenience stores.
More Japanese universities pushing toward teaching in English
Waseda University in Tokyo
A narrow Pacific waterway at heart of U.S. plans to choke China’s vast navy
Philippine and Australian troops fire an M777 howitzer during live fire exercises as part of joint military drills in Laur, Nueva Ecija, the Philippines, in August.
Trump would make U.S. Supreme Court history by attending tariffs case
There is no record in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 235-year history of a sitting president ever attending arguments, according to Clare Cushman, director of publications and resident historian at the Supreme Court Historical Society.
Dodgers clinch back-to-back World Series titles as Blue Jays downed in thriller
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and teammates celebrate after winning the World Series against the Blue Jays. Yamamoto was named MVP for the series.
How airlines are refining their in-flight food in Japan's tourism boom
All Nippon Airways' gourmet program, The Connoisseurs, showcases the Japanese concept of "shun" (peak season for ingredients), giving passengers a preview of the refined cuisine that awaits them in Japan.
The unstoppable rise of konbini tourism
Guests typically follow Ryo Ito’s lead as he weaves through the narrow, colorful aisles of convenience stores.
Anime isn’t competing with Hollywood — it’s beating it
After its July release, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle,” an animated feature adapted directly from a TV arc, became the highest-grossing Japanese film ever.
Oasis returns to Japan after 16 years — and fans can still sing every word
Liam Gallagher commanded the stage with effortless charisma during Oasis' Tokyo Dome set on Saturday.
At Japan Mobility Show, BYD gears up to conquer Japan's EV market
BYD Auto Japan President Atsuki Tofukuji unveils the Racco at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes
By Alex K.T. Martin

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