Simmering Mist

Nankotsu," a local stew of Kagoshima, is made by simmering pork cartilage until tender. It is a local delicacy that is also made at home. The cartilage is simmered and then coarsely simmered with brown sugar, soybean paste, and shochu (distilled spirit). ...

Isa City, the birthplace of imo-jochu (sweet potato shochu) The Miyanojo Line, which ran between Oguchi and Kawauchi, was closed in 1990, and Isa City is not easily accessible without a car. Sogi Falls, the Niagara of the Orient Isa City, which merged with Oguchi City and Hishikari Town in 2008, is known as the birthplace of imojochu (potato shochu)...

Kagoshima's Meizanbori When you think of downtown Kagoshima, Tenmonkan is the first place that comes to mind, but there is also an interesting streetscape in front of the city hall, just a 15-minute walk from Tenmonkan. Meizanbori is made up of several old-fashioned alleys...

Ome "Sekichu" The proprietress of Ginrei, which was the first restaurant we visited, told us that "Sekichu" might be older than Ginrei, so we came here. Founded in 1949, Sekichu is the same age as Ginrei. If you are a bar lover like me, you will be thrilled...

Ome "Ginrei" The area around Ome Station is dotted with stylish izakayas. On the way to "Ginrei," I was tempted by several attractive bars, but I stuck to my original plan and arrived at "Ginrei."

The availability of good authentic hoppy drinks in Tohoku is limited. The two I know of are Ajino Kushiten in Koriyama and Hoppy House Nonki in Noshiro, Akita Prefecture. Using their own delivery routes, these two are special places that are very particular about serving it in returnable bottles. ...

Shin-Maruko "Sanchan Shokudo" After taking care of some business in Yokohama in the morning, I was heading home on the Shonan-Shinjuku Line around 3pm. I was wondering if there was a place to have a quick lunch on the train when... "The next stop is Musashi-Kosugi" was announced... Ah! It's been a while since I've been to Sanchan...

A 10-minute walk from Chiba Station, Sakaemachi is a neighborhood for grown-ups, home to a plethora of bars and restaurants, including the 90-year-old Yokozuna "Hakkaku," the "Yoshiume" (which suddenly closed in October 2024), and "Hanazawa Mitomo," known for its fried chicken. Motsuyaki Hakkaku, a 90-year-old restaurant...

Koriyama's "Aji no Kushiten" started as a food stall under the first-generation owner's grandmother, and next year will mark 70 years since the second generation opened a restaurant. This long-established bar is now run by a married couple in the third generation. "Aji no Kushiten" before relocation. The interior before relocation. Road development, which has been planned for 50 years...

Kayabacho "Kyohachi" established in 1936. Established in 1936 at Reigashibashi Bridge on the Shinkawa River for about 50 years. Moved to a new location when the land was raised, and has been here for more than 30 years. KYOHACHI is a long-established bar in Kayabacho that will soon be in business for 90 years. KYOHACHI on Reiganbashi Bridge There are still many restaurants around here from the Meiji era...

A 400-meter-long shopping street commonly known as "Hoppy Street in the West" connects Akitsu Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and JR Shin-Akitsu. It is not densely packed with drinking establishments like Asakusa's touristy "Hoppy Street," but it is realistic and cool, dotted with austere, privately owned stores. If you like bars, it is fun to walk around...

Otaru" is a very beautiful town with retro buildings from the Meiji era, abandoned railway lines, and canals. It is so beautiful that even I, a person who only gets excited about the downtown area at night, can't help but admire it. On weekends, hotels are fully booked due to the inbound effect, and the train from Sapporo to Otaru is packed with tourists....

Kisarazu "Motsuyaki Akichan" Located just across the Aqua Line from Kawasaki. I visit Kisarazu several times a year, whether it's for fishing trips to Uchibo or Minamiboso, or clam digging in the spring. Despite being a frequent visitor, I've never had a drink in Kisarazu, let alone enjoyed a char siu bento or...

I like to go to machi-zushi when I travel, and while it's hard to abandon the standard ramen to finish off the meal, my recent favorite is to fade out after picking up a nigiri or a dish at machi-zushi where you can enjoy local ingredients. It is not at all immoral, and if you go in with a good nose, you can get your fill...

Nago City in the northern part of Okinawa's main island, about 30 minutes by car from Churaumi Aquarium. Nago is a castle town located in the northern part of the main island of Okinawa that is suddenly gaining momentum as the Shinjo Fighters' training camp and a huge theme park "Jangria" will be completed in a year or two. Spend the day at Chimei Shoten...

Orion Beer Nago Factory Speaking of Nago, there is the Orion Beer factory, which is a landmark of Nago, attracting many visitors every year for factory tours and restaurant use. Nago "Chiyo Shoten" is located near the Orion Beer Nago Factory...

"Iseya" in Kichijoji made me realize how comfortable a pub is. "Kishidaya" in Tsukishima made me fall in love with the depth of stews. "Fujiya Honten" in Shibuya made me discover the joy of standing and drinking. One of the pubs that gave me that "opportunity"...

Sasamoto, a famous skewered stew restaurant Sasamoto is indispensable when talking about stew in Tokyo, and is located in Shinjuku Memori Yokocho and Ginza. There are three so-called "Sasamoto-style" restaurants in Tokyo that were opened by people who were trained there. The most important feature of Sasamoto's restaurants is that they are ...

I was wandering around Higashimuroran, drinking at two bars and wondering if I'd find another good place, when I suddenly smelled the aroma of curry coming from the duct of a local Chinese restaurant that looked perfect from the outside. The stinky smell of curry was so strong that before I knew it, I was sucked inside. Higashimuroran...