About food in Japan

Robecks Juice from West Coast America

Hot and humid Summer is arrived in Tokyo. Today's post is about an oasis providing fresh fruits juice. 

If you are based in US, probably you already know about the juice-focused shop born in L.A., Robecks Juice.

The West Coast style juice shop arrived in Tokyo last year and the second unit also opened recently in Harajuku.

Robecks Juice's main products are premium smoothies made with fresh and healthy ingredients, which will be made after it is ordered. It offers more than 10 selections of smoothies with fresh fruits strawberry, banana, orange, pineapple etc. In addition, if you prefer something more watery, fresh juice carrot or orange, hot juice, fruits tea are also available. Yuzu (Japanese citrus) honey tea, Mango & Leomon hot juice etc...they are also attractive options.

These drinks are of course the best suit for breakfast time. So Robeck Juice opens from morning 7h30 a.m and offers food also suitable for breakfast such as muffin, croissant, cinamon roll and sandwiches.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first unit of Robecks Juice in Jiyugaoka residential area of Tokyo has two floors with ample seating space. In some parts, it has a large table with electrical outlets for "nomad-workers." That makes your work-life healthier? The bringht and pop atomosphere reminds us the brand coming from L.A.

   

 

Another thing to be noted about Robecks Juice units based in Japan, they use high quality "Tsujirihei-Honten" (辻利兵衛本店) branded green tea from Kyoto for their green tea related products.   

Your accompanying person would not like to take fruits juice? Don't worry it also provides coffee like an ordinary cafe. 

Cafe name: Robecks Juice

Official site: http://www.robeks.co.jp

<Harajuku branch>

Address: 4-31-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

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<Jiyugaoka branch>

Address: 2-11-13 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo

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Japanese Tea Salon - Higashiya, Ginza Tokyo

At Ginza, the best known luxury shopping district in Japan, it is not easy even for locals to find a cozy place for tea break during exciting shopping hours.

Higashiya, locating on the north part or 1-chome of Ginza, is one of such options, very sophisticated oasis. The "Japanese Tea Salon", as it calls itself, is on the second floor of POLA Ginza building, a property by the established Japanese cosmetic company.

Like the cosmetic brand on the ground floor, the space of Higashiya tea salon looks both peaceful and beautiful with arts placed on the wall, modern lighting and warm wooden tables and chairs. It is also quiet and people enjoy their own "tea ceremony" without any kind of noisy disturbance.

 

It offers fantastic selection of Japanese tea in term of the number of options and quality of listed products as well as Japanese traditional sweets. Otherwise choose the tea set at just over Yen 1000. Then you will have small pieces of seasonal Japanese sweets and again seasonal recommendable tea.

 

 

Don't forget bringing a book or someting to read instead of your moile phone to talk with someone. That is what is the best way to spend time and fully to enjoy at Higashiya, Japanese Tea Salon, we believe.

     

 

Lastly, we also recommend that you "pay a visit to the toilet" without fail.

It is the best and the most comfortable toilet that I have ever seen in Japan and in the world. I visited ladies' room only of course. Sorry for gentlemen, as we do not know how it is for you. 

We would not tell you how it is great so you can enjoy finding it.

Cafe name: Higashiya Ginza

Address: 2nd floor POLA Ginza, 1-7-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.higashiya.com 

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47 Prefectures' local specialities in Shibuya Hikarie, Tokyo

Newest shopping complex in Shibuya, "Hikarie" opened in April, has caught local's attention so much that it had to ask visitors to wait and make a queue to go in the building during Golden Week holiday season on May this year, just after it opened. Some of shops and restaurants in Hikarie are new to Tokyoiets and they attract a lot of locals who love to try new things. 

Restaurant are on two floors, 6th and 7th. They are well appointed as a whole with the relaxing and modern concept as well as varieties of interesting dining choices from Kaiten-Sushi to Hawaiian tables. They are often full with guests and busy even on weekday lunch.

What we recommend in Hikarie, Shibuya is on the 8th floor. The space including art gallery, museum, shop and studios is uniquelly produced under "creation" concept. "d47 shokudo" (d47 食堂, dining) is a part of the space.

The number 47 of the cosy cafe's name represents the total number of all prefectures in Japan, from Tokyo, Hokkaido in the northest, Osaka to Okinawa in south. d47 shokudo offers local specialities from each of 47 prefectures.  

For example for lunch, it has several teishoku (定食, Japanese style set meal at reasonable price) style courses and each of courses is tied with a certain prefecture;

No.001 Hokkaido - dried Hokke fish from Kushiro and salmon rolled by kobu kelp

No.020 Shizuoka - fried chicken of Fuji-Asahi local branded and black fish cake

No. 046 Kagoshima - Pork ginger sautee and simmered potato  

and the photo right  is

No. 043 Nagasaki - deep fried horse mackerel wih tartar sauce and jelly of shrimp and vegetables

As it is very likely to be traditional "teishoku" (定食) style, these main dishes are served with a bowl of rice, miso soup and pickles. That is very close to Japanese locals' "ordinary" meal even not so gorgeous like sushi or sukiyaki.

The cafe also offers very interesting drink tasting set; 3 kinds of either Sake, shochu (distilled sake), made-in-Japan red / white wine, orange juice or grape juice Actually in some parts of Japan, very good citrus concentrated juice is produced. If you would, you can try 3 different branded juices each from different prefectures.

My case, I ordered a single kind of orange juice from Ehime prefecture, one of the best-known origin of "mikan" Japanese orange. It is really fresh and rich in taste.

It is worth to try even though it costs more by a few hundreds yen

than a cup of coffee (the coffee is also special local product though). 

 

Another point to be noted about d47 shokudo is its view of Shibuya town. Through the large window on the 8th floor, a town of Shibuya with hundreds of ad-signs, random sized and shaped buildings, cars on a highway, people on streets .. all are visible and will surely make you feel being in Japan.

Lastly some of ingredients and drinks provided at the cafe are able to be purchased at the cafe and d47 design travel store on the same floor.

 

Restaurant name: d47 shokudo

Address: 2-21-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Official website: http://www.hikarie8.com/d47shokudo/

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******************  Find accommodation in Japan  ***************

OSAKA / NARA / SAPPORO / TAKAYAMA / TOKYO/YUFUIN 

YAKUSHIMA / NOZAWA ONSEN / NISEKO / NIKKO /

HIROSHIMA / MATSUMOTO / KYOTO / KANAZAWA / ISHIGAKI ISLAND /

HAKUBA / FURANO / BEPPU /

 

Grilled tea (ほうじ茶) parfait at Morinoen, Ningyocho (人形町)

Ningyocho (人形町), literally meaning "dolls town", is an interesting district for a stroll in east Tokyo. The name reportedly comes from the history of the town where a few of Japanese traditional puppet theaters had been there or where a lot of puppeteers lived there in Edo period. Nowaday one of major theaters for Kabuki and other plays, Meijiza (明治座), stands on the town. 

Apart from Meijiza, many small shops, bars, restaurants and studio of Japanese traditional craftwork can be found in the district. Many of them have been loved and supported by local clients for long years. In the heart of Tokyo, Ningyocho reminds us a good old day of Japan, while walking and shopping around at the town. It exist in a town of 10 minutes drive from Tokyo station where tens of Shinkansen bullet trains run in and out. 

Morinoen (森乃園) is one of such small but great shops. The tea shop with a century long history is specialized in Hojicha (焙じ茶), Japanese grilled tea. If you walk down the main street of Ningyocho on weekday afternoon, you may sense the roasting tea aroma. The scent comes from the second floor of Morinoen making grilled tea. The brown tea has excellent flavor and joy different from fresh green tea. It gives you a calm peaceful moment.

It will be a good idea to get a pack of Hojicha, Japanese grilled tea at Morinoen for souvenir. What can't miss at Morinoen is not only the tea leaf.

On the second floor, the tea shop offers a cozy tea salon, next to the studio making tea grilled. The small space is filled by local guests and staff are running around to serve them.

The list of attractive Japanese sweets from ice cream parfait, anmitsu (beans paste and syrup), sweet bean soup to dumplings, will make you be in trouble to select just one or two from them. So let's take the one very unique to the tea store.

This is it, Hojicha ice cream parfait

Ice cream, jelly and cream, all of Hojicha flavor

as well as small pieces of cake, dumplings

fill a tall glass.

 

That is another way to enjoy the grilled tea introduced by the tea shop master.

Why not try it?

 

Tea store and cafe name: Morinoen 森乃園

Official website: http://morinoen.jp/

Address: 2-4-9 NIhonbashi-Ningyocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 

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My top 3 recommendation from FOODEX JAPAN 2012

This week FOODEX JAPAN, one of the biggest food and beverage trade shows in Japan, was taken place at Makuhari Messe. There we found and tasted many food and beverage products come from across Japan. Some are new ideas and others are traditional ones. Here we selected three products that we can recommend the most among many we found there.

 

Haccho Miso Curry (八丁味噌カレー) from Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture

The curry sauce is produced by a small "Ryori-Ryokan" (料理旅館, Japanese traditional inn featuring its local cuisine especially). Normally Ryokans do not serve curry-rice to guests, as it is rather daily home-cooking food. The product actually originated from meal provided on the ryokan's staff during their break time. The unique point is that the curry sauce is made with the city's local product Haccho Miso paste. The miso adds sweet flavour into the spicy hot curry and it makes the sauce tender and leaves distant Japanese taste.  Needless to say, it is the most popular souvenir gift at the accommodation. 

 

 

Satsuma Sparkling Yuzudon (薩摩スパークリング　ゆずどん) from Kagoshima, Kyushu region

It is sparkling wine made by mixing Kyushu region's distilled sake, shochu, and fresh natural Yuzu citrus. Even before taking the wine into the mouth, fine scent of Yuzu from the glass must strike your mind. We have many flavoured sparkling wine around the world but it is rare to find such real fresh, non-artificial, and strong (but never be too much) citrus fruit flavour. 

 

 

Apple jelly from Aomori

The last one has not been in the market yet. We tasted its sample product at the trade show. The jelly contains a lot of grated apple pulp. It is simple as product maybe but the pure and rich taste of apple is impressive. Hope it will be in the market soon. 

Sorry, we will disclose the name and image of the product when it is officially available.

 

These food and drink are availale at limited places within their origin regions and major department stores sometimes, apart from online shops.

Don't miss a chance to get them if you visit their regions

FOODEX JAPAN 2012 (6th to 9th March) official site: http://www3.jma.or.jp

*The trade show is exclusive for professionals related food and beverage production and distributions.

Toraya Cafe, Roppongi (トラヤカフェ, 六本木)

Toraya (虎屋) is an established sweets maker born in Kyoto over five hundreds years ago. The Japanese traditional sweets producer, mostly known for their high quality Yokan (羊羹, red beans cake), offers their modern Western style products in different way from their Yokan.

Toraya Cafe at Roppongi Hills, highend shopping complex in Roppongi, looks ordinary modern cafe from outside along Keyakizaka street. Its dessert menu is not what we can find at ordinary Western style cafe, for example cheese cake, chocolate tarte etc.

Fresh sweets at Toraya Cafe are created with the knowledge and skills by the established Japanese traditional sweets producer. Japanese ingredients such "an" (餡, sweet red beans paste) and matcha (抹茶, green tea) are mainly used. We can also recognize their new challenges to generate good harmony with non-Japanese ingredients like cacao. They look like Western style dessert but the flavour remains Japanese taste. 

Another point, what can't be missed is, unlike ordinary modern cafe, Toraya Cafe provides Japanese tea on the menu list, which must be also good combination with Toraya sweets.

Try the interesting fusion between East and West and also between tradition and modern.

Cafe name: Toraya Cafe at Roppongi Hills

Address: Roppongi Hills, Roppongi-Keyakizaka street, 6-12-2 Roppongi, MInato-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.toraya-cafe.co.jp/

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Genka Bar (原価バー), Gotanda(五反田) Tokyo

Genka (原価) is a business term and it means "original cost price". 

The bar, called Genka bar (cost price bar), offers an interesting system.

First at the entrance, guest is required to pay Yen 1500 for entrance. After that, all drinks and food menu are served at cost price.

Yes, that is true Let's us list up some of their menu with price.

 

Beer Asahi Super Dry regular pint - Yen 180 

Cocktail Gin Tonic single size - Yen 90

Cocktail Martini single size - Yen 120

Whisky I.W.Harper - Yen 90

Scotch Whisky Lagavulin 16years - Yen 300

Potato chips - Yen 90

Salami and olives - Yen 150

Cheese platter - Yen 300

Sausage platter - Yen 300

Fois gras terrine　- Yen 420

Surprising prices

 

The quality of food plates provided is as good as or even better than ones at other casual bars which charge much more.  As long as you are ready to drink a few glasses, it is a wortwhile option.

Of course the more you take drinks and food, the more you get better total value.

Please be careful not to drink too much

 

The bar is only one minute walk from JR Gotanda station which is on JR Yamanote line. It is 3 stops from Shibuya and 2 stops from Shinagawa stations.

 

*************************** UPDATE December 2014 ***********************

Entrance fee

for Genka Bar Gotanda is now Yen 1600,

for the newer unit in Akasaka Mitsuke (Add: B1 floor, 3-21-17 Akasaka, Minato-ku) is Yen1800

We posted new report about the newest, upscale, Genka Bar Ginza. Please click here.

 

*************************************************************************

 

Bar name: Genka Bar (原価BAR)

Address: 2-5-8 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.genkabar.jp

 
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Try fine Japanese tea at Uogashi-Meicha Cha Ginza (うおがし銘茶 茶 銀座)

Uogashi-Meicha (うおがし銘茶) is a traditional tea leaf shop in Tsukiji outer market. The shop is always busy with local people who seek for fine quality Japanese tea leaf come across the country.

Taste of Japanese high quality tea is also upto ways to make it from the leaf.  With what kind of pot? How much to put tea leaf in the pot? How long to brew it in the pot...?  Actually there are many points to be noted in order to make the drink at the best.

Uogashi-Meicha offers an opportunity to try fine quality Japanese tea prepared by their skillful tea specialists at the unit "Cha Ginza" (茶　銀座), in central Ginza.

In the three-floor-height modern house, with small amount of entrance fee (Yen 500 per person), Uogashi-Meicha provides a special tea tasting opportunity in Japanese-modern space on the second floor.

Two different kinds of Japanese tea are prepared by their staff who knows how to make them at the best condition. Japanese traditional sweets, which is also the best match with the tea provided, is served in the middle of the tea tasting. Both tea and sweets are ones fit for the season, carefully selected by the shop staff.    

 

Take a rest and taste the best quality Japanese traditional tea during shopping in Ginza.

 

On the ground floor, Uogashi-Meicha's fine tea selections are available for souvenir, while on the third floor, it offers matcha green tea tasting as well.

 

Shop name: Uogashi-Meicha Cha Ginza

Address: 5-5-6 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website (in Japanese): http://www.uogashi-meicha.co.jp/shop_01.html  

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Enishi (縁) Art meet modern Japanese tea ceremony exhibition

Modern Japanese tea ceremony exhibition called Enishi will be taken place at Seibu department in Shibuya during 4th to 24th October 2011.

The word, Enishi (縁) represents tie, link or encounter among people or between human and things. The younger generation tea ceremony master, Mr. Matsumura, introduces the world of modern Japanese tea ceremony, collaborating with modern art creators. Followings are what you will find at the exhibition "Enishi, Art meet modern Japanese tea ceremony", taken place at 3 different exhibitions corners all on either the 5th or 8th floor B-wing Seibu department Shibuya.

*Tea ceremony room brought to the department store.

 On weekend afternoons, in the room, tea ceremony will be taken place several times. For the ceremony, modern tea making tools created by young 20 potters will be used and Japanese traditional sweets also made by new generations of Japanese sweets (和菓子) masters, "wagashi asobi" will be served to the ceremony guests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Introduction of tea ceremony in modern lifestyle

Combining with materials in life; clothes, sweets, tea making tools and housing, new ways to enjoy tea ceremony in daily life will be introduced.

 

*Tea bowls, tea making tools and decoration objects for tea rooms will be presented under the theme "Neo-Japonisme and Avant-garde" in a gallery.

 

Related links

Enishi (縁) Art meet modern Japanese tea ceremony information on Avant-Garde Cha Kai site(Japanese)

http://www.ava-cha.com/2011/09/21/3479

 

Shuhally (Japanese) - Tea ceremony school by the master, Mr. Matsumura who plays the main role of the exhibition producer.

http://www.shuhally.jp

 

Wagashi Asobi - Young Japanese sweets maker who provides tea ceremony sweets for the exhibition.

http://wagashiasobi.wordpress.com

 

 

Exhibition: Enishi (縁) Art meet modern Japanese tea ceremony

Date: 4th October to 24th October 2011

At: 5th and 8th floor B-wing, Seibu department store Shibuya

Address: 21-1 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

大きな地図で見る

Newly developed Japan's foods!

Last friday Gourmet & Dining Style Show 2011 Autumn was taken place in Tokyo. It is a trade show for professional food & drink buyers to seek for new products. 

At the site, under the project titled "Re-discover Japan's good products" (ニッポンのいいもの再発見！), newly developped local food products made with traditional ingredients are introduced by local small size producers across Japan. Today we picked up two products which we liked the most among these from "Re-discover Japan's good products".

 

Jo-con (醲献), Japanese sake

It is condensed Japanese sake made from rice in Ueda-city, Nagano prefecture. It contains 38% alcohol, unusually high rate, more than double companred with normal sake. The richness must attract alcohol lovers, as whisky or brandy do. It is good to have it on the rocks. 

Another point to note is..., unlike normal fresh sake, it can be kept over a year. It will be aged day by day like vintage wine and you can enjoy different taste at each stage.  

For international travelers, the small bottle of 100ml at a reasonable price Yen1500 per bottle must be a good souvenir item to bring back to your country. 

Go to Jo-con facebook site (Japanese)

Official site: http://www.jo-con.jp

 

Awajishima Rusk (淡路島ラスク)

Rusk is originally Wester style product but different versions of it are available in some places in Japan. This is one of them from Awajishima, Hyogo prefecture.

Awajishima rusk offers 3 different kinds of flavor; onion, local citrus Naruto orange and honey, all are ingredient harvested on the island. Onion rusk is salty and maybe good as snack with beer, while other two have tender sweet flavor. Each of them surely has each different vivid character but they are never too strong. It must be a good souvenir of Awaji island. 

Official site (Japanese): http://www.m-awaji.jp/onion/rask.html

 

Although we are not able to find them easily so far, we are looking forward to seeing these nice products attacting many of both Japanese and interenational clients soon