They've never been big on central heating over in the Middle Kingdom. In rural Sichuan, when the icy winter gales blow in from across the Gobi desert, there's only one prescription for keeping the cold at bay: spicy food -- especially the fiery local hotpots -- at regular intervals and in generous quantities.
So when the craving hits to get yourself some of that same medicine, there's only one thing to do. It's time for a trip to Szechwan (the alternate spelling by which the province and its distinctive chili-driven cuisine are better known in the West). Not the place, of course, but the restaurant of the same name, just above Meidi-ya on Roppongi-dori.
Szechwan (its Japanese name is Shisen Hanten) is one of a chain run by high-profile chef Ching Ken'ichi. Born in China but raised in Japan (hence the cross-cultural name), Ching has become virtually a household name here since his involvement in the popular (and now deceased) TV program "Ryori no Tetsujin."