Author of Food, Sake, Tokyo, an exploration of Tokyo’s food scene, Yukari Sakamoto is on a mission to demystify Japanese cuisine. Trained at the French Culinary Institute and the American Sommelier Association, she also passed the rigorous exam to become a certified shochu adviser. She teaches classes on food, wine,…

Dining out in Tokyo doesn’t always adhere to Western expectations. The customer is not always right and sometimes not always welcome. There are secret spots from the old-world kissaten coffee shops where you can still find people smoking, to restaurants with no-signage that operate on the second floor of a…

Hidden in an ordinary residential street in Tokyo’ Shinjuku ward, Ken’s Cafémakes the most extraordinary gâteau au chocolat in Japan and the best-molten chocolate cake I’ve ever had. It is also the most difficult to get too. If you buy it directly from the shop where it’s made, the waiting…

To see my full article in collaboration with All Nippon Airways please go here. Japanese ceramics expert and gallerist Robert Yellin once told me that “ceramics are like living creatures”. Indeed, when on one late autumn afternoon I was walking around his Yakimono gallery in Kyoto, located in an old…

When Tea Ceremony first came to Japan, it was elaborate and “Chinese Oriented”, but everything changed with the introduction of “Wabi” by Zen monk Murata Juko, who introduced simple and rustic aesthetics vs the richness and elegance of the Chinese arts. Like Alex Kerr writes in his brilliant book “Another…

The magical world of the Japanese ceramics, which encompasses wide range of styles and aesthetics from earthin-like Bizen ware to glazed stoneware pieces and porcelain by ‘Living National Treasures” or phantasmagorical creations by young generation artists such as Takuro Kuwata. Some objects that have caught my eye recently- mainly by…

Some highlights from Kimoto in Tokyo that relocated from Kobe in 2018 and is one of top kaiseki restaurants in Japan. Chef Yasuya Kimoto used to train at Sakurada in Kyoto along with Tadayoshi Matsukawa (who runs introduction only Matsukawa, thus similarities in styles..).

Those who have ever tried to book Tokyo top sushi shops like Saito or Sugita, might know how difficult or even impossible to book them unless you are introduced by a regular. I asked Andrew Gyokudari, the man who has over 300 sushi meals per year to recommend top sushi…

By John Hirai a.k.a. Tokyo Rocks on Tabelog (instagram.com/tokyorocks69)All images©John Hirai As most of you might know, ramen is originally from China. The first ramen shop opened 1910 in Tokyo and spread around all over Japan after World War II. Almost every region or city has their own style of…

Shuji Niitome, currently Japan’s number one tempura master in action. Until only recently, tempura master from Nagoya Shuji Niitome refused to be listed in any restaurant guides. As soon as he got onto tabelog.com, he soared to number one in Japan for tempura. Niitome-san is a true shokunin (and despite…