Eating in Japan- Izakaya

A traditional akachōchin, red paper lantern fusually hung outside an izakaya in Japan.

Eating anywhere in Japan is a treat. Eating in an Izakaya is the best treat, in my opinion. Izakaya are sometimes compared to pubs in the West, but I think of them more as bars with amazing snacks. Similar to tapas bars. They are casual, fun and often rowdy. Izakaya translates to stay and drink. … Continue reading Eating in Japan- Izakaya

Ebisu Yokocho

You can really get a feel for what this experience was like by watching a very short video here. Many areas of Tokyo have awesome "yokocho". Yokocho means alley and these alleyways are busy and bustling and full of amazing little bars and restaurants. They are loud and vibrant and narrow and a writhing mass … Continue reading Ebisu Yokocho

Looking for the Master

As a follower of Japanese culture, if you have never seen Midnight Diner on Netflix, you need to stop reading this blog for a moment and queue it up. It is one of Nihonshu Girl’s and my favourite television shows - ever. It is set in a diner in the backstreets of Shinjuku which opens … Continue reading Looking for the Master

Five Crazy Days in Tokyo….. Part 4

Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate at Senso-Ji temple in Asakusa in Tokyo.

Our last full day in Tokyo we started by dropping Ewan in Akihabara. He was on a mission to find a figurine, and the rest of us were not keen for the noise and crazyness of Akiba. We continued on to Asakusa. Senso-Ji temple is amazing, and I wanted to show Harper. We started at … Continue reading Five Crazy Days in Tokyo….. Part 4

Five Crazy Days in Tokyo…… part 3

The only thing driving me out the door on our third day in Tokyo was coffee. We found a very cool little cafe, but sadly their coffee machine was broken. The owner, was however, making drip filter coffee, which is very popular in Japan. It takes an extrodinary amount of time to make, and is … Continue reading Five Crazy Days in Tokyo…… part 3

Sake Master Class 

(Or The Continuing Adventures of Super Sake Boy and Nihonshu Girl) So, a couple of months ago Super Sake Boy and I attended a Sake Master Class at Maedaya in Richmond, Melbourne. Maedaya is a sake bar and Izakaya style restaurant, where the food is really delicious and the sake selection is impressive. Maedaya is … Continue reading Sake Master Class 

Eating out in Japan

When you go to a Japanese restaurant in Australia, or Brazil or Dubai, you are offered a veritable cornucopia of feasting options, including many different types of food. I had no idea that when we got to Japan that all of these delicious foods would be segregated from each other, in restaurants which specialize in … Continue reading Eating out in Japan