Drew: From A Non-Tourist Guide of Tokyo. From Lasser Family - "really charming street with niceboutiques. Reminds me of LA a little"
Drew: From A Non-Tourist Guide of Tokyo, From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Loveless, Guild Prime, Beams, White Mountaineering, and Isetan Mens: Basically where I buy all of my clothing when I'm in Tokyo."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Lisn: Where I buy all my incense. The flagship is in Kyoto, but they have an outlet in Aoyama."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Tender Bar: The master bartender here is famous for his "hard shake" technique. This is in Ginza."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Awesome store that has a little of everything. The location in Shinjuku (attached to Takayshimaya) is easier to navigate than their location in Shibuya."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Awesome store that has a little of everything. The location in Shinjuku (attached to Takayshimaya) is easier to navigate than their location in Shibuya."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "For vintage eyewear. They also have an amazing eyeglass cleaner there, which I haven't been able to find anywhere else. This is in Aoyama."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "This luggage company has a cult following. There's a flagship in Aoyama and shop-in-shops in various department stores."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Loveless, Guild Prime, Beams, White Mountaineering, and Isetan Mens: Basically where I buy all of my clothing when I'm in Tokyo."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Loveless, Guild Prime, Beams, White Mountaineering, and Isetan Mens: Basically where I buy all of my clothing when I'm in Tokyo."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Loveless, Guild Prime, Beams, White Mountaineering, and Isetan Mens: Basically where I buy all of my clothing when I'm in Tokyo."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Loveless, Guild Prime, Beams, White Mountaineering, and Isetan Mens: Basically where I buy all of my clothing when I'm in Tokyo."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Loveless, Guild Prime, Beams, White Mountaineering, and Isetan Mens: Basically where I buy all of my clothing when I'm in Tokyo."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Loveless, Guild Prime, Beams, White Mountaineering, and Isetan Mens: Basically where I buy all of my clothing when I'm in Tokyo."
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Loveless, Guild Prime, Beams, White Mountaineering, and Isetan Mens: Basically where I buy all of my clothing when I'm in Tokyo."
Drew: From Johan @ 3Sixteen - "this place is bomb, don't get anything too expensive, the 1400-1500 lunch sets are perfect, apple juice is especially good, the white dudes love the katsu-sando's, but they're not my thing"
Drew: From Johan @ 3Sixteen - "Afuri (yuzu ramen, must get the pork chashu rice bowl)", from Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "Really great clear broth ramen with a little yuzu flavor, SO GOOD". Also Eric Huang and Jason Cosgrove
Drew: From Johan @ 3Sixteen - "Afuri (yuzu ramen, must get the pork chashu rice bowl)", from Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "Really great clear broth ramen with a little yuzu flavor, SO GOOD". Also Eric Huang and Jason Cosgrove
Drew: From Johan @ 3Sixteen - "Afuri (yuzu ramen, must get the pork chashu rice bowl)", from Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "Really great clear broth ramen with a little yuzu flavor, SO GOOD". Also Eric Huang and Jason Cosgrove
Drew: From Johan @ 3Sixteen - "get the tsukemen with thick noodles! life changing", from Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "Shibuya: Amazing miso ramen and the BEST Tsukemen with hand cut noodles"
Drew: From Johan @ 3Sixteen - "Dinner at Kaikaya by the sea, maybe need to get reservations, but this place is bomb."
Drew: From Cinda Mcclelland (A Non-Tourist Guide of Tokyo) - "The Japanese also do Italian very well if a break from fish is needed - Faro in Ginza is delish"
Drew: From Johan @ 3Sixteen - "Sushi at Tsukiji Market, breakfast/early lunch, spend the afternoon walking around the market, easily accessible by train." RECOMMENDED BY MANY PEOPLE, CONSIDERED MUST-SEE DESTINATION
Drew: From Heather & John - "I've had my eye on Yakumo Saryo for ages but haven't made it there. It's a tea house and restaurant created by a designer, Shinichiro Ogata, and looks very beautiful/interesting/special!" Also from Masaya Kuroki (Maison Kitsune).
Drew: From Cinda Mcclelland (A Non-Tourist Guide of Tokyo). Also Eric Huang
Drew: From Maddie Lasser - "Itoya is a must visit, kind of like Muji but bigger & better"
Drew: From Nick Leighton via Lucia - "Loveless, Guild Prime, Beams, White Mountaineering, and Isetan Mens: Basically where I buy all of my clothing when I'm in Tokyo."
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "Original chef from famed Sushi Yasuda in NYC, had a dispute with his coowners so moved back to Tokyo and opened up his own 10 seat sushi bar with his wife. Best sushi rice in the world, need reservations but also a must try"
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "Il Lupone in Nakamegaro: Japanese guy who studied in Naples and makes fantastic and legit pizza. Really unbelievable"
Drew: From Johan @ 3Sixteen - "Afuri (yuzu ramen, must get the pork chashu rice bowl)", from Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "Really great clear broth ramen with a little yuzu flavor, SO GOOD". Also Eric Huang and Jason Cosgrove
Drew: From Eric Huang. Also close to Ahiru Store and Fuglen (from Heather & John). From Brian Slizgi - " beautiful and during cherry blossom was amazing. People just chillin on blankets @ the park boozing up. Public drinking is 100% okay in Japan and it is encouraged."
Drew: From Nick Leighton (via Lucia) - "Loveless, Guild Prime, Beams, White Mountaineering, and Isetan Mens: Basically where I buy all of my clothing when I'm in Tokyo.
Drew: From Nick Leighton (via Lucia) - "Loveless, Guild Prime, Beams, White Mountaineering, and Isetan Mens: Basically where I buy all of my clothing when I'm in Tokyo.
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - Go for mojitos here. Make sure it is Havana Club Rum and listen to the old records playing on a RCA studio grade Macintosh system. They invested $300k on the sound system. Fun for music, drinks and Tokyo people watching. Love the nuts they serve in the mason jars"
Drew: From Maddie Lasser - "Ramen in Golden Gai at Ramen Nagi and the tiny bars (we went to one across the street from Nagi, it was Halloween themed all year round--cash only, cover charge for all the bars, about $5-$10)" RECOMMENDED BY MANY OTHER PEOPLE AS WELL. From Brian Slizgi - "Golden guy - network of streets. Small mini bars near the red light district. Go there and grab a beer/some infused alcohol. They charge all Americans a $5-10 dollar entry fee just for being white. There is some awesome ramen in the area. We went to albatross which was awesome and happened to be featured on the Bourdain show."
Drew: From Lasser Family. Also from Heather & John - "Senso-Ji temple in Asakusa and the warren of packed, historic streets surrounding it... (though Kyoto is really the spot to hit the temples!)". Also Eric Huang, Stephen Portelli, and Jason Cosgrove
Drew: From Lasser Family - "Michelin star ramen restaurant, if you go for lunch, arrive between 11-11:30 to avoid long lines". Also Eric Huang
Drew: From Lasser Family - "The best ramen in my opinion. Vending machine style. I ordered a spicy ramen when I went"
Drew: From Lasser Family - "very good/reasonably priced sushi. It comes on a conveyor belt right to your seat. I recommend for the experience"
Drew: From Lasser Family - "My #1 favorite museum in Tokyo, it’s inthe same park as the Imperial Palace"
Drew: From Lasser family - "Another open air market with lots of street food". From Stephen Portelli - "Ueno - still my personal favorite neighborhood. definitely visit the park where the zoo is. a lot of times there are festivals there with food stands and I would HIGHLY recommend. also from the park, you can walk towards Ameya-Yokochō, which is directly next to the park and an amazing place to walk around and shop at more local places."
Drew: From Cyrus - "the best place i ate Ramen was at Rokurinsha which is onRamen Street in the Tokyo Station it has a Michelin star and it was $10."
Drew: From Cyrus - "Meiji Shrine was very special and you can just hang out in Harajuku before/after too wander around..." Also from Eric Huang and Jason Cosgrove
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "Sushi Sawada in Ginza: 6 seat sushi bar. YOU MUST GO HERE. I would definitely go here over Jiro. It's expensive but worth it. I went for lunch, have your hotel make your reservations". From Heather & John - "a 3 start michelin sushi counter, really fantastic "
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "Kondo in Ginza: The godfather of Tempura. Don't waste your time eating any other tempura, it's amazing. Open lunch and dinner, need a reservation". Also from Jason Cosgrove - "If you want to eat high end tempura, Kondo is Michelin star and is amazing."
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "For Izakaya, we really liked this place called Narukiyo in Shibuya. Amazing sashimi, gyoza, fried chicken. Get the asparagus and the tomato"
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "Be sure to go here late and sit outside if nice. Great fruit cocktails all made to your taste."
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "Classic whiskey bar . Located in the basement of a building. Unreal selection of whiskeys. Great jazz"
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "One of the most famous bars in Japan. Very cool wood bar. Classic."
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "This is the one restaurant you must dine at if you are going to Kyoto. Make sure it is the original one linked with Hoshinoya."
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) .- "Opens early, great for breakfast. Sushi made with cured fish/ egg". From John & Heather - "Supposed to be the place for Kyoto-style sushi (which is vinegared fish), but we didn't have time to try." Also from Eric Huang
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "600 year old soba restaurant. SO GOOD! Great for lunch". Eric Huang also mentioned it
Drew: From Stephen Portelli (via Cyrus) - "Awesome gyoza and stuffed chicken wings. Open late (in general Kyoto is much quieter at night than Tokyo"
Drew: From Lasser Family - "Well known udon noodle restaurant, the tempura here is also fantastic."
Drew: From Heather & John - "Tawaraya + Hiiragiya in Kyoto (both lovely and so special, though I do think the best ryokan experiences are in rural areas)"
Drew: From Heather & John - "The book/periodical/music store to end all book/periodical/music stores. This place is a dream. There's a cafe for refueling after an epic browsing session. The neighborhood all around it, Daikanyama, is great for strolling."
Drew: From Heather & John - "is a very sweet little design shop with ceramics, preserves/foods and clothes. "
Drew: From Heather & John - "We had a fantastic experience at this 6-seat sushi spot in Ginza. It was absolutely superb, and extra-special because the chef is young and speaks a little English (and is friendly and lovely)."
Drew: From Heather & John - "SUPER special, miniature place for simple cooking and incredible natural wine. Definitely call ahead to reserve. I desperately wish this place existed walking distance from me, forever. On the side of Yoyogi park, near Fuglen."
Drew: From Heather & John - "a special oasis in Harajuku. They do a set lunch or dinner, and the food is Japanese-French-ish with some California aspirations. It's attached to a gorgeous flower shop."
Drew: From Heather & John - "go here for a bowl of Japanese vegetable curry and a Coedo (a Japanese beer). It's a very cool spot, and the owner has a few other things in the vicinity, including a home store."
Drew: From Heather & John - "Great coffee during the day, cocktails at night (same neighborhood at Ahiru)"
Drew: From Heather & John - "classic, serious tonkatsu (breaded and fried pork cutlets) in an old house"
Drew: From Heather & John - "the silver pavilion, Gingaku-ji temple, walking along the philosopher's path, the bamboo grove and river in Arashiyama (more on that below with Shoraian), and obviously stroll all around Gion (in the day but also at twilight -- so beautiful and lots of geisha sightings!)". Also from Jason Cosgrove
Drew: From Heather & John - "The streets just west of Teramachidori (a big shopping arcade) are lined with hip little boutiques (Gokimachidori is one of the streets.)"
Drew: From Heather & John - "a long food market street lined with shops and spots for snacks. Be sure to get the sesame soft-serve from the sesame shop and roasted peanuts from the shop on the south side about 3/4 of the way through!" Also from Eric Huang
Drew: From Heather & John - "best coffee in Kyoto (and we hit a lot of the serious coffee spots) -- we stayed near the Higashiyama one; they have two other locations now, too."
Drew: From Heather & John - "best coffee in Kyoto (and we hit a lot of the serious coffee spots) -- we stayed near the Higashiyama one; they have two other locations now, too."
Drew: From Heather & John - "best coffee in Kyoto (and we hit a lot of the serious coffee spots) -- we stayed near the Higashiyama one; they have two other locations now, too."
Drew: From Heather & John - "This place is rather special. It feels like a grandfather's living room, if your grandfather had top-of-the-line stereo equipment, a world-class collection of jazz records and a stuffed animal bear, and only served pour-over coffee, cheap salted nuts and Japanese whiskey over hand-cut ice spheres. Quirky and awesome...but definitely off the beaten path."
Drew: From Heather & John - "really REALLY quirky place run by an israeli man who has lived in kyoto for decades. Speaks fluent english which enables you to really learn about sake. Really funky stuff - more of an intellectual experience than a pleasurable one at times."
Drew: From Heather & John - "famous old tofu place tucked into a hill overlooking the river in Arashiyama. We showed up sans reservation and couldn't eat there, which was a bummer, but I've heard it's amazing (it is in a really magical spot...the river there is bright turquoise and insanely beautiful). Make a reservation, stroll through the bamboo grove before lunch, and then eat there overlooking the river." Also Eric Huang
Drew: From Heather & John - "great modern izakaya. Everything we ate was good but the kobe beef was stellar. Simple but great."
Drew: From Heather & John - "mini (6-seats?), semi-hidden cocktail bar (but not that hidden, because it's been mentioned in the NY Times); we stumbled on it and had a great experience. Beautiful glassware, fantastic whiskey!"
Drew: From Heather & John - "There's a tiny ryokan up in the hills that I first heard about from Thomas Keller, called Miyamasou. It's supposed to be really special, with incredible cuisine. Email them at info@miyamasou.jp ... I've also stayed at Tawaraya and Hiiragiya ryokans in Kyoto (the two oldest) and loved both (but slightly preferred the food at Tawaraya)."
Drew: Recommended by a few people, a nice 30-45 minute hike to see monkeys
Drew: From Eric Huang - "we bought like chopstick holders and some really cool handmade mugs."
Drew: From Eric Huang. From Stephen Portelli - "Ueno - still my personal favorite neighborhood. definitely visit the park where the zoo is. a lot of times there are festivals there with food stands and I would HIGHLY recommend. also from the park, you can walk towards Ameya-Yokochō, which is directly next to the park and an amazing place to walk around and shop at more local places."
Drew: From Stephen Portelli - "Burn Side St Cafe for breakfast, they have RIDICULOUSLY good pancakes."
Drew: From Stephen Portelli - "Red Rock Harajuku for lunch, incredible roast beef rice bowls."
Drew: From Stephen Portelli - "Curry Up, owned by Nigo (original creator of Bathing Ape and current owner of Human Made), my fav lunch curry spot."
Drew: From Stephen Portelli - "Bongo, this is an onigiri (rice balls) place that is famous and usually has a line. amazing stuff."
Drew: From Stephen Portelli - "Ueno - still my personal favorite neighborhood. definitely visit the park where the zoo is. a lot of times there are festivals there with food stands and I would HIGHLY recommend. also from the park, you can walk towards Ameya-Yokochō, which is directly next to the park and an amazing place to walk around and shop at more local places."
Drew: From Stephen Portelli - "Seirinkan was easily the best pizza that I've ever had. they can have long wait times so I would recommend going when they open (6p or so). highly recommend watching one of the YouTube profiles on the chef before going! also recommend their octopus appetizer! also while we're talking pizza - a lot of Americans go to Savoy after David Chang profiled it on his Netflix show. I went there and while it was amazing, Seirinkan easily takes the cake."
Drew: From Stephen Portelli - "Doromamire for dinner. this is a yakitori restaurant that a coworker recommended and I loved it so much that I went back twice. it was amazing amazing. I would recommend going here and then walking to Bar C-Shell afterward. the owner of the bar is this guy named Yu who speaks fluent English and I cannot recommend it enough!"
Drew: From Stephen Portelli - "Doromamire for dinner. this is a yakitori restaurant that a coworker recommended and I loved it so much that I went back twice. it was amazing amazing. I would recommend going here and then walking to Bar C-Shell afterward. the owner of the bar is this guy named Yu who speaks fluent English and I cannot recommend it enough!"
Drew: From Stephen Portelli - "best udon I've ever had hands down. was well worth the 70 minute wait!"
Drew: From Kristen Palma - Make a reservation here if you can! Really cook cocktail tasting experience with fresh ingredients!"
Drew: From Brian Slizgi - "this little pastry shop happened to be right next to our spot. Granted I don’t eat a ton of pastries, it was legitimately some of the best stuff I’ve ever had. They give the French a run for their money - seriously worth the trip but it’s closed Sunday and Monday. Great for breakfast."
Drew: From Brian Slizgi - "not sure how to describe this other than it is an absolutely necessary visit. Crazy Japanese anime meets dancing and lights."
Drew: From Brian Slizgi - "- This was one of my favorite areas. There is this canal that runs through the middle of the area and is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen during the cherry blossom festival.- I had some yakitori and street food/ matcha (btw the best matcha I’ve ever had)- Did some awesome shopping and walked around the surrounding area. Clearly a wealthier area as I saw some gorgeous ferraris and beautiful homes"
Drew: From Brian Slizgi - "Clothing stores - Kiki, PROD were both Steven Allen type spots but included Japanese denim"
Drew: From Brian Slizgi - "Stopped by Saigoyama park for some amazing views of the city. Walk there from nakamaguro"
Drew: From Brian Slizgi - "mixology laboratory. Hands down best cocktail bar I’ve ever been to and the service is incredible. There is also a spot called Bar Tram (I didn’t go) but came highly recommended."
Drew: From Jason Cosgrove - "In Kyoto - my favorites were the Kinkakuji (gold temple), ginkakuji (the silver temple), the bamboo forest and fushimi-inari. Fushimi-inari is a bit of a hike, but it was my favorite."
