Simmering Mist

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. ...

Fujisawa "Asataro" Hisasho closed in 2017, and my personal favorite "Ittoku" closed at the end of 2023. Furthermore, three buildings in front of the station, including the Fujisawa Meiten Building, will close in 2027, and the area in front of Fujisawa Station is about to be reborn. With such a rapid turnover...

Nakanobu "Chūya" on the Tokyu Oimachi Line. As a Chuo Line user, I rarely ride this line. The last time I rode it, I think it was to go to Chuya in Nakanobu. Chuya is a renowned Tokyo bar that's worth making the effort to visit, and it even has a sister location in Yutenji.

Honjo Azumabashi "Meijiya Sake Shop" Just from its name, Meijiya Sake Shop seems to have a long history. The main liquor store is on the right, and the entrance to the kaku-uchi bar is on the left. Founded in 1883 (Meiji 16), it's a very long-established establishment with 140 years of history. About five years ago, they reopened the kaku-uchi bar after a 30-year hiatus....

A famous stew restaurant reopens after an eight-month hiatus. "Osakaya seems to be reopening today," I heard from my drinking buddy, Mr. Taniguchi, the owner of Sasa Taniguchiya, a venerable bar in the "Sasamoto" style of skewered stew in Tokyo. Founded in 1924, this year marks its 100th anniversary...

Akita "Miyoshi" Located in Kawabata, Akita, this quietly located restaurant in a back alley is called "Miyoshi" because it means "beautiful taste"...or rather, it's "delicious" read backwards. Its appearance is irresistible for any drinker, and once you step through the noren curtain, an even more spectacular view awaits. Let's head to the spectacular view...

Torihana in Shinjuku has been a yakitori restaurant for 39 years! Torihana is a yakitori restaurant near Golden Gai. Lines start forming before 6 PM, when the restaurant opens, and the seven-seat counter quickly fills up. The proprietress now handles everything from preparation to service and cleanup all by herself...

When I visit the countryside, the first thing I do is make a reservation at my favorite restaurant without being lazy. I'm the type of person who doesn't make reservations and just goes with the flow, so I've ended up crying countless times without making a reservation. Not being able to get in because of a temporary closure is a big blow, but not being able to get in because the restaurant is fully booked is 100% worse...

Akitsu, home to West Hoppy Street, is a city lined with famous stew restaurants, including Yakitori Nojima, Salaryman, and Harukoma. I was so busy trying stews that I almost missed it, but I found an incredible restaurant: High Rabbit...

Yaesu "Toryaki Miyagawa" Located in a corner of the Yaesu Exit of Tokyo's business district, this space feels like a time travel back to the Showa era. While tall buildings continue to pop up one after another, "Toryaki Miyagawa" has been in business for over 70 years. It's a long-established sake shop that's rarely seen in Marunouchi, on the other side of Tokyo Station.