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Latest tokyo Stories

Beyond Sushi: Neighborhood by Neighborhood, Bite by Bite

Kabuto: Eel Only

Tokyo |
By Lee Chapman
Tokyo -- Shinjuku’s Omoide Yokocho (“Memory Lane”) gradually grew from the rubble of post-war Tokyo, and has since become an institution of sorts. It started out as a black market area and gradually morphed into the narrow bar-lined, charcoal smoke-filled alleyway it remains to this day, with little in the way of real change since the 1950s. Read more
Tokyo -- Shinjuku’s Omoide Yokocho (“Memory Lane”) gradually grew from the rubble of post-war Tokyo, and has since become an institution of sorts. It started out as a black market area and gradually morphed into the narrow bar-lined, charcoal smoke-filled alleyway it remains to this day, with little in the way of real change since the 1950s.

It’s not just the alley’s looks that haven’t altered much over the years, but also the food on offer – in the late 1940s, a crackdown on controlled goods affected the food stalls, forcing the vendors to switch to products that weren’t controlled, such as roast giblets. It’s a shift reflected even now, as many places continue to serve yakitori (chicken skewers) and motsu (offal).
Read more
April 2, 2025

Suburban Bars: Tokyo’s Time Machines

Tokyo |
By Lee Chapman
Tokyo Even for someone like myself who has lived in Japan for a long time, sliding open the door of an unfamiliar place can still be a little intimidating, as what lies beyond is invariably a complete unknown. Read more
February 25, 2025

Shimonya: Poultry Poetry

Tokyo |
By Ken Kawabata
Tokyo Our friends who visit often ask, “What’s the spot in Tokyo for X,Y, or Z?” We explain that this is not how the city works. There are numerous microcities that make up this megacity, and it’s more of a question of: “What’s the best __ in this area?” There is one exception when it comes to the best yakitori (grilled chicken) restaurant in Tokyo: the answer is, without a doubt, Shimonya in the southwest neighborhood of Shimokitazawa. Read more
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