The Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo opened in Tokyo’s revitalized Marunouchi district on March 2nd of this year. This hotel is committed to offering guests in Tokyo the same level of service and hospitality that Shangri-La is known for at all of their properties. The Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo occupies the top 11 floors of the Marunouchi Trust…

blocky concrete buildings reach outwards in an organised jumble of unbroken monochrome until it reaches another neighborhood, another station. It is Saturday, almost noon, and commuters come and go through the streets of the typical shopping district behind the station. A couple of greengrocers compete for attention, plastic baskets of oranges and apples displayed to…

The long history of Japanese sake is one that continues to be hotly debated among connoisseurs of the revered beverage. While some claim that sake has been with us for about 2,000 years, others believe that Japanese sake, in its current incarnation, has existed for about 1,000 years. Either way, the history of sake stretches…

Known as one of the world’s most famous Dim Sum restaurants from Hong Kong, Tim Ho Wan opened a new branch in Hibiya, located near the newly opened Tokyo MidTown Hibiya, across from the new Godzilla statue. The restaurants Mong Kok, Hong Kong branch has been featured in the Michelin Guide since 2010 gaining internationally…

Those aficionados of Japanese cuisine who have snacked on sushi and slurped udon cannot consider themselves to be true gourmets until they have tried kaiseki ryori, that most traditional of traditional cuisine eaten in Japan. Kaiseki derives it’s meaning from the words for “hot stone” (seki) and “kimono pocket” (kai). Historically, it is said that Buddhist…

Although Christmas and its Western trappings have become more and more popular in Japan, New Year’s or Oshogatsu as it known locally is the Grand Daddy of all Japanese holidays. Leading up to the end of the year, many people will take part at bonenkai or “parties to forget the year” with friends, former classmates…

We’ve all been there — in need of a cool one after work, at the end of a day traipsing around the shops, after the most recent ear-lashing from the missus, or just because… Beer, according to a certain American born scientist/writer/politician named Benjamin Franklin is proof God loves us. Whether or not this is…

Instagram is a mobile, desktop internet-based photo sharing application and service that allows users to share pictures and videos either publicly, or privately to pre-approved followers. Recently “Instagram” has become very popular in Japan. The buzzword “Insta-Bae” means “Instagenic (Instagram+photogenic)” in Japanese, photogenic pictures that get many likes on Instagram. “Insta-Bae” has been picked as…

When you hear “Kobe beef,” you may conjure up the image of a Japanese cattle rancher lovingly massaging its ample hind legs, alleviating any stress build up in its body, while his wife gently brushes the hide with sake, bringing out the sheen of its coat. Such is the mystique surrounding the production of the…

Sanchoku food means direct to the table.  While the farm to table concept in many countries has a very “peasant” food connotation with a higher emphasis on organic products, the Japanese sanchoku idea is a broader one. It really begins with the idea of wanting to bring seafood — so integral to Japanese cuisine —…