Simmering Mist

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...

Each izakaya has its regular customers, and among them, there is the occasional black belt who is like a boss monkey. These black belts know not only the restaurant and its customers, but also the history of the town, and when you talk to them, they will tell you interesting and informative stories. Finding such black belts and getting to know them is also a great way to get to know them....

Nagoya "Minoya Kitamura Sake Shop" Minoya Kitamura Sake Shop is a liquor store located just across the national highway from Ohsone Station near Nagoya Dome. It is open from noon for corner sales, so you can stop by before a baseball game, and it is the best barter for the Nagoya Dome. Baseball games are held...

Kasai "Genji" When you walk north along Kannana from Kasai Station on the Tozai Line, you can't help but notice a tent with the name "Genji" written in huge letters on the eaves of the roof. The name "Genji" and the appearance of the restaurant indicate that it has been in business for many years. This must be a good izakaya. The ca...

Akasaka "Tsukon" Hoppy Beverage, the maker of Hoppy, a drinker's ally, is located in Akasaka. A Hoppy employee once told me about a place in Akasaka where you can enjoy delicious Hoppy, so I decided to come and visit. The shop opened two and a half years ago in 2022...

Dote no Shinagawa Ten minutes south of Minato-san on Nagoya's favorite walking course, the "Toei Line" line. In the middle of a dark and quiet residential area, "Shinagawa" with its brightly lit lanterns and people hanging out standing around drinking appears out of nowhere. Hmmm..! Uncles...

Minato" in Mizuho-ku, Nagoya City, Japan A favorite walking course in Nagoya, the "East Suburban Line" course. According to my research, streetcars used to run on the section between JR Horita Station and Tsurumai Park until about 50 years ago. If you ask me, the streetscape and atmosphere of the town shows the remains of stores, liquor stores...

Sapporo Daisan Mokkiri Center. The Daisan Mokkiri Center is synonymous with Sapporo. It started as a corner bar in Otaru in 1926 (the first year of the Showa era) and moved to Sapporo as a standing bar. It later moved to its current location and became the Hop, Step, Jump Daisan Mokkiri Center.

Sapporo's "Shichifuku Shokudo" Unable to bear the heat of Tokyo, I headed to Hokkaido. Located in the underground food court of the bus terminal, Shichifuku Shokudo is a long-established restaurant founded in 1976. What an auspicious name! Their fried rice and other savory dishes have been satisfying the appetites of nearby workers...

Tomakomai "Sakae Sushi" Next door, in Chitose, a huge plant of domestic semiconductor manufacturer "Rapidus" is scheduled for completion in 2025. The Chitose area is booming with construction underway at a cost of 500 million yen, including government subsidies. The hotels along the Tomakomai line from Sapporo to Tomakomai are exploding in the wake of this...

Tomakomai's long-established yakitori restaurant "Tori-Senjiro" There are many yakitori restaurants in Tomakomai. The owner of Ebiten told us that Senjirou was an old yakitori restaurant. This is the second restaurant in a row. Senjirou has been in business for 48 years. The second generation of the family is in charge of grilling. The mother and her two...

Tomakomai, the fourth most populous city in Hokkaido after Sapporo, Asahikawa, and Hakodate, was established more than 100 years ago as a result of the clean water flowing from Lake Shikotsu. Tomakomai was founded more than a century ago by the Oji Paper Company in search of clean water from Lake Shikotsu. ...