The capital of the Umamisphere, Tokyo is a cluttered jungle of JUNK. Yoko reports.
After four years in Tokyo, Yoko recently relocated to the Bay Area. She loves dips, dashi and deals.
Tokyo JUNKtion
March 14, 2013
Tokyo JUNKtion: Dessert Le Comptoir (Fukasawa)
The art of perfection is everywhere in Japan. In its laquerware, electronics and especially in its food. Dessert Le Comptoir in Fukasawa, Tokyo is an example of food perfection. A 10 minute bus-ride from Jiyugaoka, it’s a bit of a challenge to make it out here if you are not given specific directions, but when you arrive, it’s worthwhile. Our friends who live in Fukasawa invited us here on our last day in Tokyo before heading back to Berkeley.
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January 31, 2013
Tokyo JUNKtion: The B-Kyu Charm of Ramen
Ramen has always been big in Japan, and since the mid-2000′s it has exponentially grown in popularity and trendiness, with younger entrepenuers trying their hand at making the nation’s most beloved B-kyu (B-Class) food.
B-kyu foods are defined as “comfort foods” like curry, ramen, gyudon (beef bowl) and yakisoba. In contrast, A-kyu (A-Class) foods are the countless kaiseki and Michelin-starred restaurants that populate Japan.
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August 16, 2012
Tokyo JUNKtion: Toraya (Roppongi Hills)
On the very special occasion that a visitor from Japan would bring Toraya to our home in Cupertino, I would actually be excited about eating. I was a very picky, skinny child, but whenever my mom busted out the Toraya I would eat blocks of yokan (red bean dessert) and stack as much anko into my monaka sandwiches.
Wagashi (Japanese confections) have yet to hit it big in America, and you have to actually go to Japan to experience the real deal.
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June 21, 2012
Tokyo JUNKtion: Matsunami Ramen
Matsunami Ramen was my first stop in Tokyo after a 9-day long trip of a lifetime to Darjeeling, India (more on that later). I was in Darjeeling and Tokyo on business but I was able to squeeze in a lot of culinary excitement into the trip.
After eating spicy curries in India, and fresh herbs I had never heard of before, I wanted my first meal in Tokyo to be familiar and yasashii (easy and kind).
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May 24, 2012
Tokyo JUNKtion: The World Famous Awamori Wasabi-wari
I want Washio’s Awamori Wasabi-wari to be world famous, so I’ve gone ahead and named it “The World Famous Awamori Wasabi-wari.” It’s been out there on the WORLD wide web for over three years now, so I think it has earned its title.
I caught the making of the world famous Awamori Wasabi-wari on tape last year during my visit to this tiny little bar in western Tokyo.
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March 29, 2012
Tokyo JUNKtion: Ikko-an (Koshikawa)
After reading Moto’s post about making anko (sweet bean paste), I began to reminisce about my visit to a wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionary) shop in Koishikawa, Tokyo called Ikko-an. All of the wagashi are made by hand by the owner Chikara Mizukami, while his wife works in the storefront. He has made it a point to have only one shop, firmly believing that the only way to ensure quality control is to have everything within his reach.
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November 22, 2011
Tokyo JUNKtion: Cateriam Cat Cafe
A cat cafe is not a place that serves cat sandwiches. It is a cafe… with cats.
Cat Cafes in Japan were very popular in the early-mid 2000s and still remain peppered throughout Tokyo. Building on the otaku culture of manga, maid and mimikaki (ear cleaning) cafes, cat cafes provide solace for people who love cats but can’t have cats in their apartments.
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March 17, 2011
Tokyo JUNKtion: After the Quake (The Supermarket Edition)
These photos my friends in Tokyo sent me gave me a glimpse of what is going on there. The images have also reshaped my idea of what to include in my pathetic earthquake kit consisting of some nonperishable food and 4 gallons of water. (Note to self: buy sweet things and dried foods).
Most of my friends and family are still in Tokyo, feeling that the radiation threat is not immediate.
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January 13, 2011
Tokyo JUNKtion: Hitsumabushi at Unagi Ochiai
While my husband is away in Tokyo this week, I dig myself deeper everyday into a dark hole of despair and yearning. With emails from him like “I am going to Bar Tender in the day then Sasagin and Saburo in the night,” missing him is eclipsed by missing the food in Tokyo.
To torture myself even more, I dug through a bunch of Tokyo food images from my dusty external hard drive.
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October 7, 2010
Tokyo JUNKtion: Fuku, a Yakitori Joint
Raw Chicken at Fuku
Fuku in Yoyogi-Uehara was a last-minute discovery I made before my escape from Tokyo.
It was a five-minute walk from my apartment and served yakitori in a style much trendier than Tori-ina. Tori-ina brings in the 40s and 50s crowd, whereas, Fuku is patronized by people in their 20s and 30s.
The exterior is unassuming – no windows, just an entry-way with a noren.
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