The Hiroshima antenna shop in Shinjuku has moved to Ginza. Attached is a PDF with all known updates to my book, Food Sake Tokyo.
Archive for the ‘Food Sake Tokyo’ Category
MetPod
In Food Sake Tokyo on March 4, 2013 at 5:10 pm
Kamasami Kong, Tommy Aoki, and Yukari Sakamoto
I had the great pleasure of doing a MetPod with Kamasami Kong to share information about our new company, Food Sake Tokyo. Click on the link below
http://metropolis.co.jp/podcast/2013/02/24/talking-about-japanese-food/
Here is Tommy Aoki’s MetPod. He talks about the United Tastes of America competition.
http://metropolis.co.jp/podcast/2013/03/03/asia-wide-chef-competition/
Suji’s pastrami sandwich. A taste of New York City in Tokyo. Suji’s is the sponsor for the MetPod. Minato-ku, Azabudai 3-1-5
Food Sake Tokyo Tours
In Food Sake Tokyo, tours on February 2, 2013 at 5:03 pm
Food Sake Tokyo conducts private guided field trips to Tokyo’s popular food destinations that is led by food professionals. Yukari Sakamoto is a chef, sommelier, shōchū advisor, and author of Food Sake Tokyo. Shinji Sakamoto is a fishmonger and former buyer at Tsukiji Market. Popular topics include market visits, saké or shōchū tastings, or shopping at local supermarkets. The customized tours are suited to your needs and include itinerary planning for your trip.
From time to time we will offer guided field trips that are open to the general public. These will be posted on this blog.
What makes Food Sake Tokyo different from other food tour companies is that we are food professionals ourselves. We offer a unique insight to the food culture of Japan. Many of our clients are professional chefs, restaurateurs, beverage specialists, food retailers, and food journalists.
Other services we provide include:
- Tokyo food tours led by a chef, sommelier, shōchū advisor, and a Japanese fishmonger.
- Interpreting from Japanese to English for food related events, market tours, cookbooks, websites.
- Interpreting services for English speaking food professionals (retail and restaurants) visiting Japan.
- Depachika tours that deconstruct the massive food halls by Yukari, a former employee of one of Tokyo’s most famous depachika.
- Supermarket tours to learn about Japanese ingredients.
- Fixer for food and saké travel programs and interpreting services for food and beverage journalists.
- Organize business trips to Japan for food professionals.
- Shinji does private tours of Tsukiji Market.
- Learn about seasonal Japanese seafood by dining together with Shinji at a sushi restaurant.
- Shinji does sashimi classes in client’s homes (we are currently looking for a kitchen).
- Shinji does supermarket tours focusing on the seafood section introducing not only fresh, seasonal seafood, but also frozen, canned, dried, and other products unique to Japan.
- Shinji does consulting for Japanese seafood companies looking to expand overseas.
- Private catering of seafood dishes paired with saké or shōchū.
- Tsukiji Tour
Tsukiji Tour photo by Jun Takagi from Budget Travel
Praise of our tours:
Travel & Leisure: World’s Greatest Tour Guides
“ I can’t thank you enough – I wish I had done this 4 months ago!” regarding supermarket tour – AK, Kamakura
“Shinji is terrific, patient, knowledgeable and wonderful. There wasn’t a question that he could not answer.” – JS, California
“We love the sushi lunch as well and thought that the explanations and pictures of the different seafood were extremely helpful. For the first time in our life, we could at least visualize the seafood we were eating. Shinji’s insightful knowledge of seafood brought the tour of Tsujiki Market alive.” TK, Singapore
“Your knowledge shines through and your friendly and professional manner to your guests and the shopkeepers alike puts everyone at ease.” WL, Sydney
“Wanted to thank you again for such an awesome tour! It was really a highlight of our vacation.” CM, United States of America
“…especially to Shinji for a very enjoyable and informative tour of Tsukiji and environs, and a delicious sushi lunch. Our morning visit was one of the real highlights of our time in Japan!” BH, United States of America
Praise for Food Sake Tokyo:
“I just returned from my first trip to Japan with my family and friends of ours. My wife bought your book, and we loved it so much that we bought a copy for the family with whom we traveled (they are both food-industry veterans). The 8 of us (4 adults, 4 kids) were found all over Tokyo, huddled up with our two copies of your book in hand.” JS, United States of America
Born in Tokyo and raised on the shores of Lake Wobegon, Yukari Sakamoto trained as a chef and baker at the French Culinary Institute. Following that she trained as a sommelier at The American Sommelier Association and worked as a sommelier at the New York Bar and Grill in the Park Hyatt Tokyo. She also worked at Takashimaya’s flagship store in Nihonbashi as a sommelier in the saké department of the depachika. While at Takashimaya she passed the exam to be a shōchū advisor. Shōchū is a distilled spirit native to Japan. Yukari apprenticed at Coco Farm and Winery in Ashikaga, Tochigi. Yukari also offers market tours with Elizabeth Andoh’s Taste of Culture.
Yukari is married to Shinji Sakamoto, a former buyer at Tsukiji Market. Shinji has ten years’ retail experience in Japan selling seasonal seafood directly to customers. He would make cooking recommendations and cut up seasonal fish as the customer needed. He also has three years’ experience selling seasonal Japanese seafood and frozen seafood in both New York City and Singapore.
Yukari’s first book, Food Sake Tokyo, is published by The Little Bookroom as a part of the Terroir Guides. It is a food lover’s guide to Japanese food and beverages and introduces restaurants and food shops in Tokyo. There is also a chapter on Kyoto’s Nishiki Market. The first half of the book focuses on the food and beverages of Japan. The second half selects some of Tokyo’s popular destinations by station and suggests shops not to be missed in that area.
Any changes to information in Food Sake Tokyo, that I am aware of, will be posted on this blog. Please search under “updates” for the most recent PDF that you can print out.
Our other blog focuses on cooking Japanese food at home.
I am represented by Lisa Ekus.
We can be reached at yukari dot shinji dot sakamoto at gmail dot com.
GENERAL CANCELLATION POLICY: Should Food Sake Tokyo need to cancel any or all segments of a program, every effort will be made to re-schedule sessions at a mutually convenient time. If that is not possible, a full refund will be made promptly for sessions canceled by Food Sake Tokyo.
If an individual or group is unable to attend a Food Sake Tokyo program for which they have already enrolled, that person or group may designate a substitute for him/her/them. No additional fees are charged to the participant (substitute attendee). Any financial arrangements made between the original participant and his/her/their substitute is at the discretion of the person originally enrolled. All requests to have a substitute attend a program, however, must be received by phone or e-mail at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled class meeting. When making such a request, please provide the full name and (local, Tokyo) contact phone number and e-mail address of each person who will be taking the place of the originally enrolled individual or group.
LIMITATIONS on LIABILITY: Every possible precaution is taken to ensure your personal safety and the safety of those in your group. However, registration for, and attendance at, all programs is subject to the following condition: the director and staff of Food Sake Tokyo, are released from, and specifically disclaim, all responsibilities for injuries or illness incurred traveling to and from sessions, during sessions, or resulting from food prepared at, or according to recipes distributed during, cooking & tasting sessions, market tours or other field trips, including restaurant meals.
NOTE: Tuition fees for cooking workshops, market tours, and other field trips conducted by Food Sake Tokyo do NOT INCLUDE food & beverage not specifically mentioned in the program description. Tuition does NOT include the cost of local transportation. Any purchases made by participants during class, market tours or field trips are at the discretion of each participant. Participants in all programs are responsible for making arrangements for, and making payment for, their airfare, lodgings, and transportation to/from/within Japan. Participants are also responsible for obtaining and paying for any travel/trip/health insurance coverage they would like to have.
Tsukiji Tour
In Food Sake Tokyo on October 23, 2012 at 9:16 am
Tsukiji Market is the world’s largest seafood market. This tour explores the outer market and the many different food, knives, kitchenware, tableware, and more at the market. Above is my favorite tamagoyaki shop, Shouro.
While Tsukiji is famous for its seafood, the outer market has many stalls with produce, pickles, kombu, katsuobushi, nori, and much more. This is fresh wasabi.
In autumn, aromatic matsutake, the king of mushrooms in Japan, are for sale.
Fall is also the time of year when ginkgo trees drop their nuts. We love these ginnan simply grilled as a small bite with sake or shochu. It’s also lovely in a savory, hot egg custard, chawanmushi.
Kibun’s stall has a wide variety of deep-fried fish cakes, perfect for oden, or for grilling in the toaster oven and having as a snack.
Here are some of the Satsuma-age deep-fried fish cakes from Kibun. The long ones on the right are gobo (burdock). Other flavors include onion, octopus, squid, shirasu, and more.
This Food Sake Tokyo tour is being offered through Elizabeth Andoh’s Taste of Culture on Tuesday, November 13th.
Depachika Tour - There will also be a tour of a depachika, the epicurean gourmet food halls in the department stores. I worked at Nihonbashi Takashimaya for two years and will share many things that you may miss while visiting on your own. The depachika tour will look at all of the areas including sake, confectionaries (both Western and Japanese), osouzai (prepared foods including bento), meat, seafood, bakeries, and the supermarket area.
Ningyocho Tour
In Food Sake Tokyo on October 22, 2012 at 10:55 pm
Ningyocho is a lovely district of Tokyo that is filled with many shops, some with artisans at work like this sembei shop. You’ll also discover a popular taiyaki stall as well as several sweets shops with azuki stuffed ningyoyaki cakes and much more.
There are always surprising delights in the area, including these crackers with the face of the prime minister, Noda-san.
One of my favorite shops is Futaba Tofu, of course for its tofu, but also for soy milk doughnuts.
I will be guiding a tour of Ningyocho on Tuesday, November 13th. The tour includes a copy of my book, Food Sake Tokyo. Please register at Elizabeth Andoh’s Taste of Culture website.
Depachika Tour - There will also be a tour of a depachika, the epicurean gourmet food halls in the department stores. I worked at Nihonbashi Takashimaya for two years and will share many things that you may miss while visiting on your own. The depachika tour will look at all of the areas including sake, confectionaries (both Western and Japanese), osouzai (prepared foods including bento), meat, seafood, bakeries, and the supermarket area.
Kappabashi Tour
In Food Sake Tokyo on October 22, 2012 at 10:41 pm
Kappabashi is where chefs and restaurateurs come to get everything they need to set up shop. I will be guiding a group through Kappabashi with Elizabeth Andoh’s Taste of Culture on Friday, November 16th.
Colorful hashioki for resting your chopsticks.
Plastic food samples is perhaps what Kappabashi is most famous for. These frosty mugs of beer are some of my favorite.
I also can not resist lacquer for soup, rice and side dishes.
This tour will explore the many shops of Kappabashi. The tour includes a copy of my book, Food Sake Tokyo. Register for the tour at Elizabeth Andoh’s Taste of Culture website.
Depachika Tour - There will also be a tour of a depachika, the epicurean gourmet food halls in the department stores. I worked at Nihonbashi Takashimaya for two years and will share many things that you may miss while visiting on your own. The depachika tour will look at all of the areas including sake, confectionaries (both Western and Japanese), osouzai (prepared foods including bento), meat, seafood, bakeries, and the supermarket area.
Food Sake Tokyo Tours with Taste of Culture
In Food Sake Tokyo, tours on September 30, 2012 at 10:44 pmTsukiji Market, Ningyocho, depachika, and Kappabashi are four of my favorite places in Tokyo to explore the food culture of Japan. I have the honor of conducting tours with Elizabeth Andoh’s Taste of Culture this November.
The tour includes a copy of my book, Food Sake Tokyo, part of The Terroir Guides published by The Little Bookroom.
Elizabeth will have a Tohoku-Style Osechi tasting program on December 1. I will participate with a discussion and tasting of Tohoku sake.
Please see the Taste of Culture website for more details.
Food Sake Tokyo reviewed by the ACCJ
In Food Sake Tokyo on July 1, 2011 at 10:45 am
Food Sake Tokyo
If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, a glimpse into a city’s soul is no doubt through her cuisine. Chef, sommelier and Japan-certified shochu advisor Yukari Sakamoto’s book, “Food·Sake·Tokyo,” offers a tasteful insight into Tokyo’s gastronomic galaxy that is sometimes hard to navigate even for locals. Released last month and written from the perspective of an America-based Japanese person, “Food·Sake·Tokyo” will heighten the culinary sensitivities of any tourist in Japan, making for a more full-flavored visit.
Extensive lists of seasonal fruits, vegetables and fish are recommended—with a special section on the best catch of the season for sushi. In the “Food” section the author offers instruction on sushi etiquette: Making a slush out of your soy sauce and wasabi will inadvertently cause it to lose its aroma, while at the same time insult the chef, explains Sakamoto—yet it is not too uncommon to see born and bred Japanese do just that.
“Food·Sake·Tokyo” gives pithy and up-to-date introductions to the essence of over a dozen districts of historical and culinary significance in Tokyo, with a sprinkling of useful tips and interesting observations from the author’s own dining experiences. (For example: Don’t ask what you’re eating at a naizo ryori/horumon, or offal cuisine, establishment until after you’ve savored and swallowed the tasty morsel!)
Even long-term foreign residents of Japan will find the lexicons of food categories and dining etiquette in the book extremely handy. For any expat who has ever wondered what the proper name is for your favorite choice of oden, this book lists them all, from age boru (ball-shaped deep fried fish cakes) to yaki chikuwa (fish paste shaped into a cylinder and grilled).
Foreigners can also impress the locals by applying the appropriate onomatopoeic description of food sensations—from atsu atsu ramen, neba neba natto to puru puru tofu—a list of which is thoughtfully provided.
Sakamoto’s sommelier and shochu advisory acumen sparkles in the excellent “Beverages” section with vivid descriptions of the tastes and textures of various teas, sake and shochu, as well as tips on which areas produce the best types of each. A helpful list of antenna shops, or shops selling regional goods, allows tourists and Tokyoites alike to purchase products usually distinct to a particular region.
Rounding up the easily digestible tome, peppered with delightful food photography, Sakamoto recommends a couple of culinary itineraries within Tokyo, day trips from Tokyo and culinary souvenirs to reminisce about the flavors of Japan.
“Food·Sake·Tokyo,” published by Little Bookroom (www.littlebookroom.com/foodsaketokyo.html), is available on
Amazon Japan for 2,608 yen via this web link: http://bit.ly/dlVGUQ
This review by Ching-Li Tor first appeared in the American Chamber of Commerce Journal:
Chef Seiji Yamamoto of Nihonryori Ryugin 日本料理龍吟の山本征治
In chef, Food & Wine, Food Sake Tokyo, media, restaurants, Roppongi 六本木 on April 17, 2011 at 3:12 am
Chef Seiji Yamamoto photo by Jun Takagi
Avant-gardist Seiji Yamamoto of Nihonryori Ryugin once silk-screened bar codes onto plates with squid ink. His latest shocker: He’s embracing Japanese classics, as in his rice steamed with shamo (chicken).
Ryugin
Minato-ku, Roppongi 7-17-24, Side Roppongi Bldg, 1st Floor
03-3423-8006
http://www.nihonryori-ryugin.com/ (English)
Food & Wine 2010 Tokyo Go List
Here’s a piece I wrote on chef Yamamoto for The Japan Times.
Food Sake Tokyo Reviewed in The Japan Times
In Food Sake Tokyo on January 19, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Food Sake Tokyo
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fg20101231f3.html
If ever a city cried out for a specialist guide to the way it eats, it is Tokyo. It has countless thousands of restaurants, traditional food stores and gourmet boutiques, not to mention the fish market by which all others are measured. Accessing them, though, is another matter — especially for those short on time and language skills.
Where to eat sushi in Tsukiji if you don’t want to wait in line? How to find the finest wagashiconfections, sake or shochu, handmade rice crackers or croissants to rival the best in Paris? These conundrums and plenty more are answered in Yukari Sakamoto’s “Food Sake Tokyo,” the first proper English-language guide devoted specifically to eating and drinking in the megalopolis.
Sakamoto has filled her little volume with all the intelligence she has gleaned over many years living and working in the city. She lists favorite food stores and restaurants — not just the high-end places feted by the name-brand guides but also plenty of humbler, local eateries — tying them in to specific neighborhoods and suggesting itineraries.
She covers Ginza, Asakusa and Tsukiji, of course, but she also leads the way to less mainstream corners such as Tsukishima and Tsukudajima. The best depachika (department store basement food halls) are noted, as is Kappabashi, which is famous for its kitchen supplies and wax food models.
This is a guide designed to be carried around in your pocket or day pack, so it would have helped if the font were rather more readable in the half-light of a traditional restaurant. But your time and wallet (and pocket) are likely to give out well before you exhaust all of the eating and drinking options that Tokyo has to offer.
“Food Sake Tokyo” by Yukari Sakamoto is published by The Little Bookroom. (Reviewed by Robbie Swinnerton.)
