Spending time at 7artscafe gives the feel of sitting in a cafe on a New York City street corner. According to their website, “the name refers to the seven traditional arts: architecture, dance, film, literature, music, painting and sculpture.” As opposed to overly formal art galleries, the atmosphere at 7artscafe is bright and open-minded. This is a direct reflection of owner Joseph Amato’s character. Artists can gather in this positive space and allow the mood to get their creative juices flowing. Healthy cuisine and unique drinks are the focus of the menu here. You’ll find a wide variety of smoothies infused…
Author: Seasider
We introduced Joseph Amato in the previous issue and focus here on his new endeavor, 7artscafe. While we review the cafe itself, we want to talk more about its conception and ultimate aim. It’s more than a cafe, after all; it’s a community space that could change the way we appreciate the cultural arts in Yokohama. Amato notes that inspiration for the space harks back to the Beat Generation of the 1950s, when this loose group of poets and artists lived in New York (before many shifted to San Francisco). There was a 7 Arts Coffee Gallery in Soho, near…
Popular cake shop Shortcake Shortcake is located about a 7-minute walk from JR Isogo Station. Though we visited on a weekday, people were lined up outside. At first glance, it appears to be a regular residence but for a sign indicating otherwise and a sweet fragrance wafting from within. Inside, where gray is the dominant color, there is cute furniture arranged in the ample space. Owner Rie hails from Hokkaido and trained in Tokyo. She chose Isogo to start her own business as she was attracted by its easy station access and its charming atmosphere. Customers will be warmed by…
Ingredients corn 4 ears (stripped from cobs) edamame 200g (boiled, beans removed from pod) onion 1 (diced, 1cm cuts) bacon 100g (diced, 1cm cuts) butter 40g fresh cream 100ml garlic 20g (chopped) salt and pepper to taste oregano a pinch Fry bacon with butter in a pan. When bacon starts to sizzle, add garlic and fry on low heat until aroma is evident. Add onions and fry until transparent. Add corn, edamame and oregano. Continue lightly frying at medium heat. Add salt and pepper. Add fresh cream to mix and simmer on medium heat until cream is mostly viscous. Adjust taste as you like. Bon appetit!
First-time visitors to Yokohama are most likely to do all of their sightseeing in Naka Ward. Since Naka Ward has so much to offer, we can’t really argue with that approach, but Yokohama has a total of 18 wards and a ton more to explore beyond its popular, central districts. This month we take a stroll around Isogo Ward. Isogo is known to most Yokohama City residents for its industrial strength and as a commercial hub due to its position along Negishi Bay, which allows access to major shipping lanes. Because of that reality, the ward’s greenspace and historical areas…
We discovered Restaurant Shin on a stroll from JR Negishi Station. This cozy, welcoming restaurant was established in 1978 and over the decades has become an Isogo landmark loved by locals. The house recommendation is the White Hamburg Steak, made from an original, secret recipe passed down to owner Shin Nakagome from his father, the restaurant’s founder. Of course, we had to order it (¥1200~). Surely, the use of white sauce is something you won’t find in many other places. As it’s the trademark dish, it will come as no surprise that the meat and sauce make for a good…
Imagine for a moment a Yokohama museum of living culture–not a place where objects and artifacts are displayed, but a dynamic space where Yokohama can celebrate scholars and artists in the moment, whether they be musicians, dancers, poets or some other kind of rare talent. Imagine a community space where visitors can be educated and entertained while also enjoying good food and drink inspired by Yokohama’s rich history as a gateway to the West. This vision is the driving force behind Joseph Amato’s 7artscafe. And if anyone can pull off the creation of such an institution, it’s Amato. Many in…
pork spare ribs 500g cajun spice 40g Cajun Spice Mix chili powder 25g cumin powder 10g coriander powder 6g paprika powder 50g onion powder 15g garlic powder 5g oregano to taste salt 8g black pepper 8g * Makes more than required for ribs. Use surplus for other dishes. BBQ sauce soy sauce 100ml ketchup 70ml maple syrup 10ml brown sugar 8g Kahlúa liqueur 10ml (optional) apple vinegar 20ml cajun spice 20g (from above) bourbon 30ml Directions Mix cajun spice ingredients. Sprinkle 40g of the spice on the spare ribs and store in refrigerator for 12~24 hours. Wrap spare ribs in…
Shinya Suzuki, owner and head brewer at Yokohama Bay Brewing has played an important part in the city’s craft beer scene for over a decade. After a stint as head brewer at Yokohama Beer, he established his own brewery in 2013 in Naka-ku before moving to Totsuka to greatly increase its capacity. He is also the organizer of the annual Japan Brewers Cup, held at Osanbashi in January (excepting this year). His efforts have gone a long way toward his personal goal of “making Yokohama the craft beer city of Japan!” Due to his fame, the Keikyu Corporation approached him…
Kazutomo Shimizu is a bilingual, licensed tax attorney based in Yokohama and a long-time supporter of our magazine. We recently spoke to him about accounting, money and life. People often say that a good accountant will actually save you money, not just hassle; in other words, the money they can save you can sometimes pay for their fees. Can you give more concrete examples/cases of how this might work? You can legally save on taxes by having an accountant. For example, if you are a business owner, there is a system called blue return. When people choose that system, they…