Earlier this autumn, the Italian charcoal-grill restaurant &GRILL opened in the heart of Sakuragicho at the foot of Momijizaka, a crossroads of cultural facilities in Kanagawa, including the Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall, the Prefectural Library, and the Noh Theater. Chef Masayuki Watanabe honed his skills in Tokyo before spending 15 years at Charcoal Grill Green in Ishikawacho, a competitive dining district. Now, together with his wife Tomoe, a certified sommelier, they have shifted course from their days at Green and are charting a new path with this creative take on Italian cuisine. On opening the door, you discover an intimate…
Author: Seasider
Yokohama is ever-changing. So it is with all cities. But the transformation of central Yokohama has been fast over the past decade. One of the Seasider’s co-founders, My Huynh (our original designer), remarked on this when she recently returned for the first time in many years. She could hardly recognize Sakuragicho (we hear this from many). One thing, she said, hadn’t changed: people were friendly and attitudes, laid-back. Yokohama, however much you change, may your soul stay mellow!
Everybody’s Table, located just a minute from the Kannai Station, offers authentic Chinese food and craft beer. The director of the restaurant, Yuki Yamaguchi, also runs two ramen shops and a food truck service. This restaurant will only be open until December of next year as the station area will undergo redevelopment. Visit while you can! Though the restaurant opened just this past March, it always boasts a lively atmosphere, with locals of a wide age range coming to savor the delicious food and comfy interior. Chef Jumpei Shibata formerly ran a famous Chinese restaurant in Honmoku called “Xiang” which…
We recently had the pleasure of attending a reception party for an international conference to report on the Awazu Family Shodo Performance, presented by shodo (Japanese calligraphy) artist Awazu Kōka, her daughter Kōsen, and son Kōsho. The city of Yokohama has long been a stage for such global exchange, with the national and local governments alike hosting international events here. The city also has a large international community. Shodo performances by this group have become a common feature at receptions for such events, both welcoming guests from abroad to Japan and showcasing Japanese culture. The event we attended showcased a…
Yet another attractive establishment has opened in Bashamichi, where a diverse range of old and new dining establishments line the streets! The World Yakiniku Center, which opened in July next to Charcoal Grill Green, is an unusual yakiniku restaurant that incorporates food cultures from around the world. Owner Yosuke Katsuchi, who also operates Green, decided to open the yakiniku restaurant after the izakaya next door closed during the pandemic. Unlike the casual American-style ambiance of Green, the interior of this new place is chic and sophisticated. The menu is unique and differs considerably from typical yakiniku restaurants. It features ingredients…
It’s been a year since the Yokohama Seasider became an official NPO. Nothing much has changed for us, though. Over our 15+ years of publication, we’ve always been a community oriented magazine, written for Hamakko (Yokohama folks) by Hamakko. The magazine and website is still produced by Bright Wave Media, Inc. We are still supported by the sponsors you see in these pages (please patronize them!). We’re still carried by businesses and city facilities all over Yokohama. Thank you, Yokohama community, for making this work!
”Your health means everything to you.” This is a motto of Spine Chiropractic -with Joint Motion-, which opened in January of this year. Some of you might be putting off addressing health problems, such as body aches and constant fatigue. There might be concerns with language barriers or building trusting relationships with your doctor when choosing a clinic. At Spine Chiropractic, experienced chiropractor Motohiro Yasumi, a physician with globally acknowledged credentials, can treat a variety of symptoms. Yasumi’s family moved to Singapore when he was six months old; there, he was exposed to English. He returned to Japan for elementary…
Yokohama Seasider would like to congratulate Soleil Provence on its 20th anniversary! This French language and culture school in Fujisawa, Kanagawa was launched by the husband-and-wife team of Michel and Alana Bonzi. Although small, it has had an outsized impact on the local community and far beyond. The Bonzis say that roughly 1800 students have passed through their school. Alana adds, “Many have ‘graduated’ to having their own pastry shops, to living, studying, or working in France, or to joining international organizations in Japan.” The Bonzis arrived in Japan in 1996. They were originally in Kagoshima (on the JET Program)…
In 2022, the Japan International Cooperation Center or JICE (sic) invited the Special Olympics UAE women’s football (soccer) team to Japan for cultural exchange and to have a friendly match. The Japan Women’s Intellectual Disability Football Team, organized by JFFID (the Japan Football Federation for those with Intellectual Disabilities), represented the country in the match. As many know, the Special Olympics is an international athletic organization that provides people with disabilities training and events to showcase their accomplishments. The concept is based on the approach of Unified Sports®, which pairs “athletes” with intellectual disabilities and “partners” without disabilities to compete…
While digital music is the norm in today’s society, vinyl records seem to be gaining recognition once again. Of course it’s easier to enjoy music using streaming services. But maybe you feel more immersed when you’re listening to records while sipping a drink. Located just a five-minute walk from Yokohama Station, Music Bar 45 creates just such an environment with numerous records and high-end audio. Owner Kei Maki is originally from Shizuoka, but relocated to Yokohama at the age of nineteen. Influenced by both his dad who was a conductor of a school symphony band and radio shows he loved…