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My 13 (+1) favourite cafés in Tokyo
Café culture in Tokyo is a vibrant and diverse scene that blends traditional Japanese aesthetics with international influences. From sleek, minimalist coffee shops serving meticulously brewed speciality coffee to themed cafés featuring everything from cats and owls to anime characters, Tokyo offers a unique café experience for every taste. Many Tokyo cafés emphasize quality, with expert baristas crafting pour-over coffee and matcha lattes using locally sourced ingredients. The city’s café culture is also deeply tied to social experiences, providing spaces for quiet solo reflection, study sessions, or lively conversations with friends. Whether seeking a peaceful retreat or an Instagram-worthy aesthetic, Tokyo’s café scene offers an unforgettable experience. Today, I’m recommending…
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My 10 (+1) favourite bars in Tokyo
Tokyo has a population of over 14 million. The Greater Tokyo Area, however, includes Tokyo and parts of six neighbouring prefectures (Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi), and is, therefore, the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with 41 million residents. Considering that in Japanese culture, alcohol plays a significant role in social gatherings and business interactions, it comes as little surprise that Tokyo is home to many, many, many bars. Popular drinks include sake, beer, and shochu, yet my favourite is the whiskey highball. Today, I’m sharing my impressions of my 10 (+1) favourite bars in Tokyo. The Old Blind Cat This is the first bar I…
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13 places to try Japanese cuisine in London
The Japanese cuisine is one of my favourites. I am therefore very grateful that London is not short of Japanese restaurants. In this post, I revisit some of my favourite places (not necessarily restaurants) to try Japanese cuisine in London. About half of those are located in West London, where I live. At the same time, West London is home to many Japanese people too. 6 places to try Japanese cuisine in West London 1. Momo Momo is a great sushi restaurant on Hanger Lane, in West London. It’s the closest to where I live, so I’ve been there quite a few times. I never get tired of it though. That…
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9+1 Japanese literature classics
A few months ago, I published the post ‘23 Japanese books to read in 2023’. Since then, I’ve read a few more books from the Land of the Rising Sun (but I’ve still not been there). Among those, there are a few Japanese literature classics, which I would specifically like to discuss today. In writing this post, I’ve made two rather controversial decisions. First, to include works by Kazuo Ishiguro. Born in Nagasaki, Ishiguro moved to the UK at the age of 5, and has been a British citizen since 1983 (Japan does not permit dual citizenship). Even though he writes in English, and most of his books have little to…
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23 Japanese books to read in 2023
World Book Day 2023 will be on 2 March 2023. To mark the occasion, I have compiled this list of 23 Japanese books to read in 2023. A fan of Japan (a country that I am yet to visit) and literature, I have read quite a few Japanese books in the recent years. A year ago, I joined the Virtual Book Club: Japanese Literature on Meetup. This is a book discussion club that meets online once a month. Before each meeting, a Japanese book (that has been translated into English) has been selected for the attendees to read, whereas during the 90-minute meeting the attendees share their thoughts, impressions and reflections…
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5 (+1) Japanese novels to read in 2020
Happy New Year! 2020 is the year that the Olympic Games are heading to Japan. Even though I have never been to the land of the rising sun, I’ve always been fascinated by the Japanese culture and pretty much anything else Japanese (including literature). In fact, in the last couple of years, I have read quite a few Japanese novels, and in 2020 I plan to read even more, as well as other books from Japan, or about Japan. A few days ago, Barack Obama shared his annual list of favorites — books, films, and music. The former US President reflected that ‘outlets like literature and art can enhance our…