author

 
Menu
Search
 
October 05, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Twitter

@tokyofoodfile

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
Apr 20, 2019
Kurocyodo: Specialty eel, but not for the squeamish
With its old-school wooden frontage and bold white noren curtain, the chances of you missing Kurocyodo are slim. No prizes for guessing what the specialty is here: The calligraphy for unagi (freshwater eel) is unmistakable.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 6, 2019
World Breakfast Allday: Global dining, morning till night
Hands up, who likes breakfast? Just about everyone, right? The only thing is, not all of us like the same thing for our first meal of the day. Some like it hot and spicy; others cold and drenched with milk. And there are even a few who go straight to beer. No problem: World Breakfast Allday is ready for all comers.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 6, 2019
Schmatz Nakameguro: From food truck to prime premises
Timing and location are everything. For the Tokyo-based German beer pub Schmatz, both were in perfect alignment when its latest branch opened in Nakameguro, overlooking the sakura (cherry blossom) trees lining the river just as they were about to blossom.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 6, 2019
Japan dominates 2019's Asia's 50 Best awards
Japanese chefs and their restaurants continued to dominate at the seventh Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards. But once again they fell short when it came to the ultimate prize, the number one position on the list.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 30, 2019
Le Dessin: How did such refined ramen come to be?
Among the mundane family restaurants, gritty gasoline stands and unlovely strip malls that line National Route 1 in Shizuoka Prececture there are places that catch the eye and justify a detour. None more so than Le Dessin.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 16, 2019
Narisawa: Celebrating 15 years of gastronomic genius
In the closing days of 2018, there was one celebration in particular that stood out. No ordinary bu014dnenkai (year-end) party, this was an event held to congratulate one of Tokyo's best-known chefs, Yoshihiro Narisawa, on the 15th anniversary of his eponymous restaurant.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 2, 2019
Katsuo Shokudo: Celebrating the umami tradition
When it comes to seafood, we all have our favorites. It might be maguro (tuna) sushi, charcoal-grilled unagi (eel), a salmon steak or a nice fillet of batter-fried plaice. For Mai Nagamatsu, though, there's no question: Her fish of choice is katsuo (skipjack tuna).
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 16, 2019
Alter Ego: Synergy and creativity, from Italy to Japan
In Italy, they say, all roads lead to Rome. But in Tokyo's Jinbocho district there's a quiet pedestrian alley that now faces squarely toward Milan and the innovative restaurant there run by Japanese chef Yoji Tokuyoshi. The reason? Alter Ego, his eagerly awaited first project back in his homeland, is...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 16, 2019
Aldebaran: The burger debate isn't over yet, but it could be
Quick: What's Tokyo's best burger joint? Cue heated discussion ad nauseam. Ultimately, the question is so subjective it's not worth the argument. But if you want a premium burger with lashings of atmosphere and setting, then look no further than Aldebaran.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 2, 2019
Yaumay: An elegant fix to Tokyo's dim sum shortage
Is there a more satisfying way to spend a couple of hours at table than a leisurely session of good dim sum? In years past, Tokyo has been poorly served in this department, at least when it comes to the classic, laid-back, yum cha (tea-drinking) Hong Kong approach. Thankfully, that deficiency is now being rectified in style at Yaumay.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 26, 2019
Five Japanese restaurants on the shortlist for new culinary award
A legendary Kyoto restaurant serving kaiseki, Japan's exquisite multicourse haute cuisine. A traditional grilled-eel specialist in Tokyo with roots dating to the days of the shoguns. An irreverent fast-food joint where fish burgers rule. The newly opened offshoot of one of Scandinavia's most innovative...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 19, 2019
Ginza Kagari Honten: The tori paitan classic is reborn
Two words: "tori paitan." The smooth, satisfying soup derived from simmering chicken bones and carcasses long and slow to create a thick, umami-rich broth. Served with ramen and a few choice toppings, it makes for one of the finest bowls of noodles you can find. Just ask anyone who ever supped at Kagari....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 19, 2019
Lakan-ka: Light, wholesome and not a speck of sugar added
From the outside, you might take Lakan-ka for just another of the smart-casual cafe-dining establishments that proliferate on the Aoyama-Jingumae side of town. But behind the sleek, modern facade with its pet-friendly terrace, this new arrival is doing things a bit differently.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 5, 2019
Men Chirashi: Udon gets the hip, creative treatment
After all the holiday overindulgence, what better way to start a new year than with noodles? They're simple, wholesome, filling and, best of all, cheap. And none more so than the long, white, chunky, chewy wheat noodles known as Sanuki udon.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 5, 2019
Torioka: High-quality yakitori that's accessible ... for now
When it comes to premium yakitori, nowhere does it better than grillmaster supreme Yoshiteru Ikegawa's brilliant Torishiki. No place is harder to reserve, either. Which is why it was such good news when Torioka, his new offshoot, opened last autumn.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 29, 2018
Tokyo dining: So many great new options in 2018
The sands of time are rapidly running out on 2018. But before the Year of the Boar comes trotting into view, there's still a chance to pause, look back and appreciate some of the highlights and new arrivals from the past 12 months — and to wish all Japan Times readers good eating and good health in...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 15, 2018
Nihonryori RyuGin: New address for a Tokyo classic
Even in Tokyo, a city that relentlessly reinvents itself, change never comes easy, no matter how celebrated a restaurant may be. The bigger the name, the greater the expectations, and few have larger reputations than Nihonryori RyuGin.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 15, 2018
Konjiki Hototogisu: Ramen's new star rises in Shinjuku
Konjiki Hototogisu is exactly the kind of new-wave noodle counter that old-school ramen grinches love to hate. It's squeaky clean and has a rustic wooden frontage. The delicate noodles are handmade in-house. The soups are light, complex and deep, with none of that porky tonkotsu greasiness. And then...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 1, 2018
Wana Tedome: Partake in a feast on the wild side
Wana Tedome doesn't mess with any ordinary meat. "Deer, not cow. Boar, not pig," the illuminated street-level sign outside proclaims in Japanese. "Grilled venison, grilled boar and grilled pheasant."
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 1, 2018
Lature: Wildfowl and game meat worthy of a Michelin star
As you head to your table at Lature, don't be surprised if you spot your dinner curled up on the counter by the kitchen. It might be a mandarin duck, a mallard or a pheasant from Okinawa, resplendent in its plumage. At this time of year especially, gibiers (game birds and animals) play a central role...
Takaichi poised to become Japan's first female PM after winning LDP poll
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, holds a news conference after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo on Saturday.
A Japanese ski resort town is roiled by a debate over immigration
A Swedish snowboard instructor works at the Niseko ski resort area on Hokkaido, in Kutchan, in December 2022
Tokyo's newest stationery store sells 'a slower, more human rhythm'
Plotter's signature customizable leather binder is just one of many products contributing to the ongoing boom in the popularity of Japanese stationery.
One dead, one missing in Japan after bear attack
A bear warning sign. More and more wild bears have been spotted in Japan in recent years, even in residential areas, due to factors including a declining human population and climate change.
Japan’s jobless rate edges up to highest in over a year
August’s unemployment figures showed a slight tempering of Japan's job market, but the data still points to overall firmness amid an ongoing labor shortage.
The summer kabuki came roaring back
Kabuki has been trying for years to attract a new generation of fans. One way to do this has been to adapt manga and anime franchises, such as “Naruto,” for the stage. 
Tea ceremony experts see matcha boom as a big opportunity
Atsuko Mori, founder and director of Kyoto-based tea salon Camellia Tea Ceremony, prepares matcha during a tea ceremony in Kyoto.
Japan's far-right party courts Trump allies and vows not to get 'wacky'
Sanseito party leader Sohei Kamiya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Sept. 25.
How Ohtani has boosted Japan's soft power and made LA even more baseball-obsessed
Fans at Dodger Stadium pose in front of a mural highlighting the Dodgers' Japanese stars from past and present during a game earlier this year.
Japan faces fresh energy challenge as it seeks to expand power-hungry data centers
Data storage tapes at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center facility in Berkeley, California. Data centers consume massive amounts of electricity and water, and that will only rise as generative artificial intelligence takes off in earnest.

Podcast

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

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons
Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER