Tag - restaurants

 
 

RESTAURANTS

At Peter, The Peninsula Tokyo's revamped flagship restaurant, chef Yohan Da Costa balances French and Japanese elements in his modern French cuisine.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 15, 2026
How Yohan Da Costa is redefining Peter at The Peninsula Tokyo
After 12 years, The Peninsula Tokyo’s flagship restaurant has swapped its steak-and-grill theme for a French concept led by up-and-coming chef Yohan Da Costa.
Chef Masashi Motooka opened Restaurant Kam in Saitama Prefecture, taking over a property formerly used by his wife's late grandfather. The garden is an extension of his kitchen — his daily menu is determined by whatever is ready to be picked.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Jan 30, 2026
In Saitama, Kam finds its garden-to-table concept ripe with potential
Chef Masashi Motooka is making a name for himself with his deft execution of French cuisine paired with greens picked from his own backyard.
Chef Kiyoshi Fujimoto seasons bear meat at his restaurant in Sapporo in December.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2026
From predator to plate: Japan’s bear crisis sparks culinary craze
Although far from an everyday dish, bear has long been eaten in mountainous villages across Japan.
Spanish restaurant Miguel Juani serves five different types of paella.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 2, 2026
Start 2026 with familiar flavors of home
For foreign residents in Japan during the new year, homesickness can creep in. We show you where to go to feed your nostalgia.
Sushi, such as this Kyoto-style "saba bōzushi" (rolled sushi with vinegared mackerel) at Kibun, stood out in Tokyo's dining scene in 2025.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 26, 2025
Tokyo dining in 2025 was defined by sushi and cutting-edge fare
The city’s restaurant scene had no shortage of drama this year as culinary stars set up new shops, Italian stalwarts left and iconic establishments reemerged from their renovation.
Customers eat curry at the first Indian outlet of the CoCo Ichi restaurant in New Delhi in August 2020.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Dec 8, 2025
Curry restaurant chain CoCo Ichi sets sights on major expansion in India
Although the chain initially struggled with low name recognition in the Indian market, its curry dishes have gradually gained popularity as a form of Japanese cuisine.
Fried oysters at a restaurant in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2025
Oyster shortage strains restaurants and retailers in Japan
Farm-raised oysters in the Seto Inland Sea are dying en masse, forcing businesses to pass on the higher costs to customers.
No part of the sheep goes to waste at Cuore in Hokkaido. Here, creamy lamb's brain is pan-fried with banana and draped with a sliver of 24-month-aged prosciutto.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Nov 28, 2025
At Cuore in Hokkaido, lamb offal plays more than a bit part
Chef Yuya Urushizaki takes a nose-to-tail approach when cooking, turning typically wasted cuts of sheep into gourmet delicacies.
Located just one stop away from Shinjuku on the Yamanote Line, Shin-Okubo has long been known as Tokyo’s Koreatown — but in recent years, a range of immigrant communities from across the Asian continent have made it a hotspot for food, services and even spirituality.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Nov 24, 2025
A perfect day in Shin-Okubo, more than just Tokyo’s Koreatown
Long known as Tokyo’s Korean enclave, Shin-Okubo has grown even more multicultural over the years in everything from its restaurant options to its spiritual sites.
Juzo Itami's 1985 movie "Tampopo" has inspired many restaurateurs around the world to open their own ramen shop with the same name, such as this establishment in Auckland, New Zealand.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 22, 2025
‘Tampopo’ lives on in bowls of ramen around the world
Decades after its release, the “ramen Western” continues to shape the menus of those who’ve seen the film.
An area of a shopping mall where several Japanese restaurants are located, in Shanghai on Tuesday
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2025
Japanese restaurant owners in China lament flare-up in diplomatic tensions
The dispute has seen vitriolic responses by a Chinese diplomat in Japan and Chinese state media aimed at Prime Minister Takaichi.
Ramen is a versatile global dish, ranging from traditional tonkotsu broth to innovative mazemen and whole-grain noodles, enjoyed for its endless variations and worldwide appeal.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 17, 2025
How Japanese does that bowl of ramen need to be?
Ramen purist argue about what’s orthodox and what’s allowable, while cooks who love to experiment and improvise push those boundaries.
Yoshinoya CEO Tetsuya Naruse says the firm's China business is now on track to report a record profit this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 13, 2025
Yoshinoya predicts record China profit on new recipes
The beef bowl chain redesigned menus, offering items with vegetable toppings and expanding combo sets, to enhance value without sacrificing margins.
The Onodera Food Service group, which manages Sushi Ginza Onodera and "kaiseki" specialist Nadaman, has merged a sushi "omakase" (chef's choice) into a kaiseki to create a new dining experience.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 7, 2025
At Nadaman, a traditional Japanese multicourse meal gets a new format
The Onodera group has taken a bold step in merging two of its dining concepts — sushi and “kaiseki” haute cuisine.
At Nepalico, the "dal bhat" — a Nepali dish consisting of rice and lentils stewed with spices — with chicken curry is the most popular item on the menu.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 24, 2025
Lentil by lentil, Nepali food takes shape in Tokyo
The cuisine is emerging out of the shadow of Indian fare, thanks to a new breed of passionate chefs keen to introduce locals to South Asian dishes beyond butter chicken and naan.
Swan & Lion's Sunday roast, which is drenched in a red wine gravy, is part of a three-course meal.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Top 5
Oct 17, 2025
Tokyo’s best Sunday roasts and all their trimmings
Bathed in rich gravy and paired with scrumptious Yorkshire puddings, the classic British dish is perfect for a languorous lunch — or dinner.
Japan’s government set a target of 60 million annual foreign visitors by 2030, but many businesses involved with tourism are already struggling with skilled worker shortages.
BUSINESS
Oct 10, 2025
Japan set to be most impacted by tourism labor shortages globally, report shows
The country will see a 29% shortfall in necessary labor in 2035, according to the Future of the Travel & Tourism Workforce report.
Avant-garde chef Grant Achatz and his team from Alinea are in Tokyo for a three-week residency.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 4, 2025
Eat your balloons: The culinary theater of Grant Achatz comes to Tokyo
The man behind Chicago’s iconic Alinea restaurant shares insights on modernist cuisine and his Tokyo pop-up.
Tokyo's current crop of three-Michelin-starred establishments includes six Japanese restaurants, five specializing in French cuisine and one that does Chinese cuisine.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 27, 2025
Tokyo retains Michelin crown with 160 starred restaurants for 2026
This year’s figure, though 10 fewer than the year prior, does little to dent the capital’s reputation as a leading gourmet destination.
Chef Shota Itoi’s innovative take on modern French cuisine at Auberge Eaufeu elevates the produce of rural Ishikawa Prefecture.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Sep 26, 2025
Auberge Eaufeu brings French flair to a quiet village in Ishikawa
Housed in a former elementary school, the restaurant is a brilliant showcase of the creative mind of chef Shota Itoi.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival