What images does the name Tsukiji Market evoke? Likely, the giant bodies of fresh and frozen tuna caught in the early morning waters at auction. Or perhaps a fatty sliver of that tuna belly served over vinegared rice. For most, the fish is where the […]
All posts filed under: Tokyo

New York Style Bagels at Maruichi Bagel (Shirokane)
I was introduced to my first true New York bagel when I was about seven or eight by a family friend, who, although not Jewish, had lived in NYC long enough to have earned her New Yorker badge. For breakfast one day, she had put together a platter of […]

Massimottavio: Neopolitan Pizza in Eifukucho
2 Exceptional Pizzas at Massimottavio The Japanese may be known for topping their pizza with potatoes, corn, and mayonnaise, but a deference to traditional Italian ingredients and ways of cooking has also permeated Japanese tastes. The adherence to the vera cucina italiana way of making pizza […]

Snack Attack! Rotari Parker Jewelry & Accessories (Harajuku)
The most interesting fashion you’ll find in Tokyo is not in a luxury brand store on Omotesando or in Ginza, but rather, in the streets and alleys of Harajuku and Shibuya, where eclectic and experimental street styles are often on parade. Some might even call these looks […]

Streetfood: Roasted sweet potatoes in Tokyo
The smell of sweet potatoes roasting over coals is an intoxicating smell for me–a reminder of a special street food found only during the long cold winters of northeast China where I grew up. Those street vendors roasted the kind with deeply yellow flesh in […]

Luke’s Lobster (Harajuku)
I had my first taste of a lobster roll as a kid on a family road trip with my parents. Like many other of our Chinese immigrant friends, road-tripping as a family was a big deal. It was for one, cheap. And two, it was […]