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April 30, 2024
 

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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.
For Robbie Swinnerton's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants 2021
Jul 17, 2021
Tonoya Yo: Japan's fermentation fundamentals, made modern
Chef, brewmaster and hotelier Yotaro Sasaki takes locally grown Tono rice and traditional fermented fare to new culinary heights.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 3, 2021
Chef Daniel Calvert finally opens Sezanne, and the wait was worth it
Any new high-end French restaurant in Tokyo is big news. But Sezanne's official unveiling on July 1 signaled the arrival of a young chef of considerable accomplishment.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants 2021
Jun 19, 2021
Pesceco: ‘Satohama gastronomy’ rooted in local soil and sea
Creative, seafood-based cuisine inspired by the vista and bounty of Shimabara.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 5, 2021
At Dashin Soan, handmade noodles take pride of place
Expect refined ambience, a selection of elegant appetizers and top-notch soba.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants 2021
May 29, 2021
L’evo: Destination dining that’s worth the journey
Chef Eiji Taniguchi's “avant-garde regional” cuisine showcases the best of Toyama Prefecture's seasonal ingredients and local artisans.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 15, 2021
Sip, snack and stand in style at No. 502
Tucked away in suburban Setagaya Ward, No. 502 is a perfect example of the recent fashion for wine stores with bars attached — plus an innovative plant-forward menu.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 1, 2021
This laid-back tea specialist has flown under Tokyo’s radar — until now
The latest state of emergency in the capital means it's more important than ever to stay safe, which means outdoor dining. Cue the calm, secluded Sakuu.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 17, 2021
Burger Police: Locking in its status as one of Tokyo’s best burgers
This offspring of the well-known Tacubo serves a gourmet burger like no other, pared back to the simplest of no-frills basics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Food Sustainability in Japan
Apr 3, 2021
When life gave him olives, this Shodoshima farmer made world-class beef
Shodoshima's Olive-fed Wagyu Beef is taking the “Wagyu Olympics” by storm, and putting the island on the gastronome's map.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 20, 2021
Hakko Department: Set meals showcase the breadth of Japan’s fermented foods
It's easy to take Japan's wealth of fermented foods for granted. Hakko Department puts them front and center.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 20, 2021
BGM: Coffee shop’s small size belies big flavor
Chef Yusuke Namai of Ode turns up the volume at his hip spinoff coffee shop in Hiroo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 7, 2021
Tenoshima: A master chef's tasting menu in the comfort of your own home
While Tokyo diners continue to wait for an end to the state of emergency, the city's fanciest restaurants are finding ways to survive by offering take-out meals.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 7, 2021
Chuka Soba Tomita: 'Ramen of the Year' box sets from Chiba to your door
Fans of ramen who don't want to travel can now order boxes from the award-winning Chuka Soba Tomita in Chiba Prefecture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 20, 2021
Freeman Shokudo: Backyard barbecue defies convention
Pitmaster Jeremy Freeman brings “Brooklyn backyard BBQ” to Tokyo — well-spiced and with more than one twist.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 6, 2021
Xie Wang Fu: Auspicious ambience for high-end Chinese dining
The first overseas offshoot of Shanghai's best-known specialist crab restaurant is bringing the crustacean delicacy to Tokyo year-round.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 30, 2021
The Restaurant: Florilege protege gives local Gunma ingredients the high-end treatment
With a focus on local food products, the reborn Shiroiya Hotel has put Gunma Prefecture's capital city back on the culinary map.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 17, 2021
Shoku-Ishinho: Healing cuisine for body and soul
Shoku-Ishinho serves traditional yakuzen cuisine, which incorporates elements of Chinese herbal medicine, in an entirely contemporary aesthetic.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 17, 2021
Japan’s foundational ferment takes pride of place at Sano Miso
This preeminent purveyor's Ginza branch stocks 45 varieties of miso which you can sniff and sample with its in-house “misommelier.”
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 4, 2021
Shuka Nomoto: An intimate toast to 2021
This Ebisu-based izakaya is small, stylish and serves top-notch food — just what we need to carry us through 2021.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 4, 2021
Fool Magazine’s latest issue dives deep into the recesses of Japan’s food culture
The publication's mook-sized issue is back with a second printing — get it while you still can.
When will Japan intervene to support the yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has reiterated the government's readiness to take an appropriate action as the yen continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
Yen rebounds strongly after first slide past ¥160 since 1990
The yen dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01 amid speculation of an intervention by Japanese currency authorities.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo
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