Setting a table for dinner where I come from usually involves matching china, silverware, and glasses – even for a casual dinner with friends.  I’ve always liked a table with an organized and cohesive look about it and find it a bit frustrating when I can’t find a serving dish that matches my plates.  If […]

It’s spring and Tokyo-ites from across the city turn their thoughts to eating…outside.  Places everywhere make their restaurants into outdoor venues even if they were not meant to be.  Windows come off of storefronts or fold back into the wall.  Some places put tables right out on the street in front of the eatery. A […]

Tokyo is not only densely populated with people, every square inch in the city seems to be put to use in one way or another.  In the older parts of Tokyo, some shops and restaurants are no bigger than a walk-in closet in a western style home. The Yurakucho area is an older part of […]

It’s cold in Japan right now and anything that offers relief from the cool temperatures is most welcome.  Enter the oshibori, a heated damp hand towel, that many better restaurants present to their customers just after they are seated. In the winter a steamy oshibori warms up frozen fingers so that diners can adroitly use […]

Autumn in Japan is fast giving way to winter.  To go naked in autumn, you’ve gotta have yu, a recent article in The Japan Times, talks about the Japanese propensity for being cold and their love of yu (hot water) and nabe (hot pot).  For those studying the Japanese language, the article offers the added […]