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May 17, 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 / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 18, 2019
Raku: Squeeze past the other customers to get your gyōza fix
Raku is not the absolute tiniest restaurant in Tokyo. But it certainly feels that way once you've squeezed past a couple of cramped tables and several people's posteriors to shoehorn yourself in at the seven-seat counter. So why bother? One word: gyu014dza.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 4, 2019
Hiyori: Oden crosses over to wine country
Few restaurants capture the Shinsen neighborhood feel better than Hiyori. Looking in from street level, you can tell that it's easygoing and convivial, the sort of place where you drop in for a quick drink, strike up conversation with your neighbors and end up staying the rest of the evening.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 4, 2019
Kashiyama Daikanyama Cafe and Coteau: From Basque cheesecake to rooftop vistas of Daikanyama
The Daikanyama district continues to mushroom new developments, most of them notable more for their architecture than their carefully curated content. It would be tempting to lump the new Kashiyama building in that category, but there is definitely gastronomic substance to be found along with its undeniable style.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 20, 2019
Sio: Confident, modern cuisine making up for lost time
Located in the quiet backstreets of Yoyogi-Uehara, Sio is compact and simply furnished. But it boasts a sense of style that would be the envy of many places in far buzzier parts of town.
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
...
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...
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
Kishida defends planned rule to revoke foreigners' residency
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a meeting of the Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
Human bone-like objects found at Nippon Steel plant’s molten iron pot, with one worker missing
Police believe it’s highly possible that human bones found in a molten iron pot at Nippon Steel's Oita factory belong to a missing male employee.
Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
Man suspected of using smart glasses to cheat on Waseda University exams
The Waseda University campus in Tokyo. An 18-year-old male test-taker is suspected of using smart glasses to cheat during the university's entrance exam.
Japanese rap creates its mecca in Pop Yours
Tokyo-based artist Jumadiba says he forgoes the label of simply “rap” for his music because the Japanese rap scene isn’t confined to a particular sound.
Who’s toughest on China? Biden’s tariff tactic ups ante as election looms.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about new actions to protect American workers and businesses from China's "unfair" trade practices, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.

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