Pie Holic, in MARINE&WALK YOKOHAMA, has been attracting attention since they opened last year. In their spacious open kitchen, you can watch (and smell!) each pie being attentively prepared. Bowls placed casually on the dining counter and shelves stacked with plates provide an at-home atmosphere. For the lunch set (¥1850) you can choose soup or salad to go with your choice of main dish and all-you-can-eat “savory pie” (6 types). For those that don’t know, savory pie refers to pies that aren’t sweet. Think meat pies, not apple pies. If you feel the need to add some sweets, there are…
Author: Seasider
What a beautiful time of the year. Depending on your perspective, any time of the year can be beautiful, but perhaps nobody would disagree that April in Yokohama is rich with sensory pleasures. The lively buzz of people enjoying hanami fills the air. The scent of grilled food wafts on the breezes. Cherry trees like billowing pink clouds scatter their petals to the wind, reminding us with sweet poignancy how fleeting beauty is. The warmth of sunlight on the skin turns winter into a memory. Fast on the heels of the fading sakura, wisteria blooms in all shades of violet…
Artisanal grilled cheese sandwiches are definitely not something you stumble on often in Japan. Couple that cuisine with a unique interior that is half diner, half living room and you have Buy Me Stand. The clientele on our visit was varied with some couples, a few businessmen/women, some single diners, and a group of women each with their poodles (the restaurant is dog friendly). Situated on the hillside of Motomachi running up to Yamate, Buy Me Stand is open at 8:00 for breakfast and continues straight through to dinner, closing at 22:00. We stopped in for a late lunch midweek…
The Yoshidamachi area bridges the bustling nightlife district of Noge and the Isezaki-cho Mall pedestrian shopping street. Unlike a bridge, however, it has far more to offer than just acting as a means to cross to the other side. There are many fine restaurants and bars to explore, and also mixed in are small art galleries and other quaint shops. Tradition in the neighborhood is long-running. Toraya, the classic Japanese sashimi and tempura shop run by longtime community leader Arai Hiroshi, has served generations. UMEYA has been delivering delicious chicken to Yokohama’s residents for over a century. Sparta can boast…
The Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu currently has a special Kumamoto Fair going on now through April 16th in their Tosca restaurant. As many know, Kumamoto endured many hardships due to the devastating earthquakes that occurred in 2016, but has been slowly recovering. The prefecture, well known for it’s famous volcano, Mt Aso, and beautiful scenic areas, also boasts some great cuisine. Tosca’s Chef Ogawa visited Kumamoto to personally select foods to be added to the original menu. Try some great seafood from the Amakusa area or Kumamoto’s popular Rindo Pork. See Cafe Tosca’s website for more information.
March is always a month of many changes. The sleeping cherry trees awaken in brilliant fashion, washing away the chills of winter in the span of a few short weeks. Winter coats and scarves are replaced by spring jackets and baseball caps. The days of sankan shion (3 cold, 4 warm days) toy with us as the two seasons fight to claim the weather of the month. March is also, by far, the most hectic time for employment changes. The combination of employee transfers and a freshly minted workforce emerging from college creates a rush on apartments and keeps the…
There are many teachers operating private language schools in Japan, but you’d be fortunate to encounter someone with the passion and experience of Goto Masumu. Goto, a Yokohama native, has been running his Japanese school “Kiwi” in Honmoku for the past three years. He chose the name Kiwi due to his deep connection with New Zealand. In his youth he was curious about life abroad and traveled to New Zealand during his time at Hosei University. After graduation he obtained certification as a social studies teacher, but had such fond memories of New Zealand that he decided to return to…
There are likely many readers who go out to Kamakura on their day off for a change of pace. About a five-minute walk from the west exit of Kamakura Station you will find the restaurant Garden House. A small path surrounded by plants leads you from the road to this modern looking building with a garden terrace on your right. The building–roughly 50 years old–was originally a cartoonist’s atelier. The warm wood interior is cozy and softly lit. The main concept at Garden House is “Local and Craft”, meaning they make every attempt to do things handmade and use local…
At Yokohama International School (YIS), community and service are central to the school’s ethos and learning program. Established on the Bluff in 1924, the school has grown and changed along with the city, and plays an active role in the wider Yokohama community. YIS has enjoyed a long partnership with the Yokohama International Women’s Club, with students and staff volunteering at local orphanages YIWC supports. YIS elementary students host young children from the care homes for monthly visits and high school students organize an annual Orphanage Christmas Party for the orphanages in collaboration with the YIWC, a highlight of the…
The cold weather that has set in recently may lead you to believe winter will linger, but the Setsubun Festival, which takes place every year around the 3rd of February, heralds the traditional first day of spring. It is also a time when families ward off evil through associated rites and welcome fortune into their homes. While we have no control over the weather, maybe it is possible to manufacture at least some portion of your good luck. It’s easy to sit inside hiding from the winter chill, but good fortune may need a guiding hand to find its way…