Twentythree

A limited tour in Kagurazaka, Tokyo invites guests to “Discover Edo Through All Five Senses” in one morning with full English services.

Kagurazaka is a central Tokyo neighborhood with refined charm that was once located on the edge of Edo Castle and has connections dating back to Japan’s third “great unifier” and shogun, Ieyasu Tokugawa, in 1590. Its main shopping street, relatively quiet for Tokyo standards, still retains the essence of traditional Japan, while its myriad of cobblestoned back alleys are home to expensive kaiseki multi-course restaurants where geisha still perform. It’s particularly full of gems for lovers of green tea, including traditional tea shops that entice passerby with the heavenly scent of hojicha roasted green tea. In more modern times, the area has also become home to a sizable French influence, with creperies and French-style bakeries dotting the streets.

▼ The Rakuzan tea shop on Kagurazaka’s main shopping street

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If that all sounds like an excellent reason to add Kagurazaka to your upcoming itinerary of Tokyo, you’re in luck because the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau will be offering two immersive Shogun Cultural Experiences this summer in English on the mornings of one Sunday in June and July respectively. The schedule on both June 21 and July 12 begins at 7:30 a.m. and spans 2.5 hours, incorporating a mix of hands-on experiences that link all five human senses in the context of traditional Japanese culture. An overview of the flow of activities is detailed below.

7:30-8:20 a.m. Kagurazaka Cultural Walk (Sense: Sight)

After meeting your host in front of the West Exit ticket gate at JR Iidabashi Station, you’ll first embark on a walking tour of the neighborhood. Learn about Kagurazaka’s development from the inception of the Edo Period (1603-1868) to modern times, including samurai history and the establishment of temples of importance in the area.

▼ A typical cobblestone alley in the quiet back alleys of Kagurazaka

8:20-9:10 a.m. Wagashi and Tea Ceremony Experience (Senses: Taste and Smell)

Next, put your hands to work by engaging in a wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets)-making workshop led by Takeshi Inoue, the fourth-generation head of local sweets shop Baikatei and a purveyor of sweets to the Imperial Household of Japan.

▼ It takes a certain deftness of hand to form the elegantly detailed shapes of typical wagashi.

He will also guide you through a traditional tea ceremony where you can sample freshly whisked matcha.

9:10-10 a.m. Kokyu Performance and Hands-on Session (Senses: Sound and Touch)

You’ll end the morning by learning about the kokyu, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument played with a bow.

Professional musician Daisuke Kiba, who contributed to the soundtrack of the 2024 Shogun television series, will lead a special performance for your enjoyment.

Finally, participants will even get the chance to try their own hand at playing the instrument.

Tickets for the Shogun Cultural Experiences in Kagurazaka can be purchased through Confetti for 17,000 yen (US$108.57) per person. As the activities wrap up at 10 a.m. sharp, you’ll still have time to explore Kagurazaka a bit more before finding a place for lunch. We recommend Kagurazaka Saryo, a restaurant with a number of special tea-based dessert offerings that you won’t find anywhere else.

Source, images: @Press
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A unique way to eat your greens in Tokyo.

Japan has a knack for taking the familiar and elevating it to realms we never thought possible. A great example of that can be found at Takase Yogashi, a long-established store founded over a century ago, in 1920.

▼ 洋菓子 or “yogashi” translates as “western confectionery”.

With five stores in Tokyo, Takase Yogashi has a loyal base of customers, many of whom come for the anpan (red bean paste bread) and almond tuiles (elegant French cookies), but those with more adventurous tastes vouch for the Mekabu Salad Bread.

The minute you lay eyes on this offering, you know it’s no ordinary bread, and when you learn that “mekabu” is the base section of wakame seaweed, your instincts might be to run in the other direction. You really shouldn’t, though, because mekabe is a highly nutritious Japanese “superfood” that’s high in minerals, fibre, and fucoidan.

▼ It’s usually served with rice, though, so we were curious to find out what it would taste like as a bread ingredient.

Pulling the bread apart, we could see the dough was scattered with black sesame seeds, and the filling in the centre contained a very generous amount of mekabu.

After taking a bite, we were immediately impressed by the mouthfeel, with the soft, chewy bread contrasting beautifully with the crunchiness of the mekabu. The salty Chinese-style seasoning complemented the seaweed while also permeating just enough of the bread to give it an incredibly unique flavour.

It tasted like seaweed but not like the sea, as the bread and sesame seeds helped to round out the flavours, striking a pleasant balance that made every mouthful as delicious as it was nutritious.

It’s certainly one of the most unnique breads you’ll find in Japan, so if you’re feeling adventurous, be sure to stop by a branch in Tokyo and give it a try. And if you’d like to continue your foray into the world of unusual Japanese baked goods, this rare Nara bread is also worth searching for.

Related: Takase Yogashi
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We love Japan’s favorite donut chain as much as the next foodie, but you’ve got to eat a lot to get your money’s worth.

Looking back, the last time we didn’t want to eat a donut was…uh, actually, we’re not sure. We seem to vaguely remember that there may have been somewhere in our past when we weren’t craving one, but we’re pretty sure it was back in our infant days. Since graduating to solid foods, though, we can’t seem to recall ever not having at least a background craving for donuts, especially since, here in Japan, we’re never very far from a branch of Mister Donut.

Mister Donut is an especially good place to indulge in our donut-y desires, since not only do they have an array of delicious treats, they’ve also been quickly expanding the availability of their all-you-can-eat deal, which they call the “Donut Buffet.” It’s now available at 108 branches nationwide, and six in Tokyo (at the Nakano, Machiya, Oyama, Hachioji Narahara Copio, Seiyu Fussa, and Hamura branches).

However, Mister Donut now charges 2,000 yen (US$12.90) for adults for an all-you-can-eat session, double what they originally did when they launched the Donut Buffet service 10 years ago, so can we still get our money’s worth? To find out, we dispatched two of our reporters, P.K. Sanjun and Ahiruneko, representing the larger-than-average and smaller-than-average-appetite demographics, respectively.

▼ P.K. (left) and Ahiruneko (right)

Here’s how the Donut Buffer works: you get 60 minutes in which to eat as many donuts, muffins, or pies as you want. You’re allowed to order up to six at a time, and can get another batch once you’ve finished off your batch. Also included in the 2,000-yen price (or 850 yen for kids) are unlimited soft drinks such as tea or coffee.

Though they hadn’t discussed strategies beforehand, P.K. and Ahiruneko opted for similar opening gambits, each selecting three donuts and one pie to start. Their logic was that since Mister Donut, as a donut chain, has a lot of sweet items on its menu, the saltiness of the pie crust would make for a nicely invigorating accent flavor/palate cleanser.

P.K. polished off his first tray in no time at all, and quickly bounded back to the counter to get two more donuts and another pie. Ahiruneko, meanwhile, was eating at a much slower pace.

Feeling no compunction about his coworker’s condition, P.K. launched himself with gusto into his second plate. We should note here that not all of Mister Donut’s pies have sweet feelings.

Some are savory in nature, so the Donut Buffet can be both lunch/dinner and dessert if you want it to be. After staring off with a sausage pie in his first tray, P.K. switched things up with a meat sauce and mashed potato pie in his second batch, and the meaty, salty notes felt all the more intense following the sweets he’d scarfed down just before.

▼ P.K.’s “I love this meat sauce mashed potato pie sooooo much!” face

Eventually, Ahiruneko moved on to his second batch too, but also became unable to say anything other than repeatedly murmuring “…Double Chocolate…Double Chocolate…”, with the Mister Donut offering of the same name that he’d eaten in his first batch having left the deepest impression on his taste buds and the heaviest one in his stomach.

Before time was up, P.K. managed to fit in one more batch, bringing his total for the 60-minute all-you-can-eat course to six donuts, three pies, and three drinks. Ahiruneko’s numbers were four donuts, three pies, and three drinks.

So did they come out ahead on this deal? Let’s add up what they ate and drank.

● P.K. Sanjun
Frankfurter Pie: 253 yen
Cinnimon Ring: 176 yen
Dora Matcha Tsubuan Hana Whipped Cream: 341 yen
Zakuzaku Custard French: 209 yen
Meat Sauce and Mashed Potato Pie: 264 yen
Sugar Raised: 176 yen
Pon de Uji Matcha Azuki Matcha Warabimochi: 275 yen
Butter Chicken Curry Pie: 264 yen
Plain Pon de Ring: 176 yen
Iced Coffee: 297 yen
Iced Coffee: 297 yen
Orange Juice: 297 yen
Total: 3,025 yen

● Ahiruneko
Angel French: 187 yen
Sugar Raised: 176 yen
Double Chocolate: 187 yen
Frankfurter Pie: 253 yen
Butter Chicken Curry Pie: 264 yen
Plain Pon de Ring: 176 yen
Meat Sauce and Mashed Potato Pie: 264 yen
Iced Oolong Tea: 264 yen
Iced Earl Grey Tea: 297 yen
Iced Coffee: 297 yen
Total: 2.365 yen

So yes, both of them got their money’s worth, with P.K. eating/drinking 1,025 yen more than the 2,000 yen he’d paid for the Donut Buffet, and Ahiruneko 365 yen more. It’s probably worth noting, though, that both of them also had multiple savory pies, and they also had three drinks each, and if you subtract those out. So if you’re thinking about giving Mister Donut’s all-you-can-eat deal a go, the best plan is probably to show up not just when you want donuts, but when you’re also jungry for meal, and thirsty too.

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Salons are dying in more ways than one.

One of the great things about gradually losing my hair is that I don’t have to worry about getting it cut in any significant way. I can get the job done myself with some electric clippers these days, which is good, because the place where I used to get it cut hiked prices 60 percent in the past year.

It’s pretty dire straits for a lot of businesses these days, but hair salons in Japan seem to be especially feeling the heat. Last year saw the highest-ever number of salons filing for bankruptcy at 235, breaking the record set in 2024 with 215 bankrupt hair stylists.

▼ Don’t blame us. Our writers have single-handedly done more than enough to support hair salons over the years.

This also had an effect on the average lifespan of salons, which could expect to survive for 13 years in 2025, down from 14.1 years in 2024. Also, of the currently active salons, 49 percent are less than 10 years old.

This is all worse than even during the COVID pandemic, partially because such businesses were supported through that period by various subsidies and zero-interest loans. Then, annual bankruptcies actually hit a record low in 2021, with only 68. The current situation more closely resembles what took place during the 2008 global financial crisis, except that the reasons behind it are different.

Prior to 2008, hair salons were considered rather stable businesses, since most people always need haircuts. However, during the crisis, people began searching for ways to cut costs as much as possible. Around the same time, discount hair cutters like QB House hit the scene, causing widespread disruption to the market, and making it hard for established salons to maintain with their relatively high prices. As a result, bankruptcies climbed above 100.

Now, with inflation and a looming oil crisis, people are once again seeking out cheaper ways to live their daily lives, mimicking what happened in 2008. However, this time the price squeeze is exacerbated by just about everything rising in cost, from electricity to hair products, making it virtually impossible to lower prices to meet customer needs.

▼ And customer needs in Japan aren’t even nearly what they used to be.

To make matters much worse, many salons can’t even find enough staff to operate. Stylists are often drawn to the wages and security of large chains and salons with strong reputations, leaving small to mid-sized ones little to work with. These smaller businesses tend to recruit straight out of beauty school, but many of those new grads have dreams of opening their own salons and end up leaving shortly after being hired.

Readers of the news all seem to agree that the real driving force behind the bankruptcies is an oversaturation of the market.

“There are too many salons.”
“I see so many incompetent hairdressers at salons these days.”
“I haven’t gone as often after shaving my head, but I go once a year to change the color.”
“Even the cheapest places cost over 1,300 yen (US$8.30) now.”
“Hair salons, dentists, and restaurants. There are too many of all of them.”
“The old one in my neighborhood is still going. It must have loyal customers.”
“The population is decreasing, so of course demand is decreasing too.”
“I think the 1,000-yen discount places have better hairdressers. They have to handle so many customers, they must be highly experienced.”
“There are more salons in Japan than traffic lights.”
“There are about four to five times as many salons as there are convenience stores.”

Those last two comments might be hard to believe, and as a driver in Japan, I can attest that there is an absurd number of traffic lights here. However, it is true. Despite the record bankruptcies, it still doesn’t put a dent in the roughly 250,000 salons operating nationwide. As for traffic lights, Japan still has a lot, but they fall short of hair salons, with only 210,000 installed. And although convenience stores may seem to be everywhere, that’s more to do with strategic locations because Japan only has about 55,000 of those.

This would suggest that the rapid increase in bankruptcies isn’t just a sign of the current economic hardships, but also early cracks in an industry that’s been stretching itself too thin for a long time now, much like my own follicle count.

Source: TDB Business View, IT Media, Golden Times,  Japan Up!,  Japan Today
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Grown-in-the-shade green tea gets its time to shine.

As green tea and green tea sweets continue to grow in popularity around the world, so too do attempts to upsell it. Outside Japan, you may, for example, encounter cafes and confectioners billing their premium products as using “ceremonial matcha,” which isn’t an actual classification in Japanese tea culture, and is merely a marketing term meant to imply higher quality to go along with the higher price being charged.

That’s not to say that there aren’t sweets in Japan that employ types of green tea that sit above matcha in the country’s tea hierarchy, though, which brings us to cream puff chain Beard Papa. Spring is the harvest time for green tea, when its flavors are said to be their most robust, and so Beard Papa has brought out a new limited-time green tea flavor that uses gyokuro.

Gyokuro is a type of green tea in which the leaves are shaded from the sun for at least 20 days during the growing process. This helps smooth out any rough astringent elements and enhances the sweetness/umami of the tea, making gyokuro at once mellower and more flavorful than other types of green tea. The timing of when the leaves are shaded is important (do it too soon and the leaves won’t have enough sunlight to properly mature, but do it too late and you’ll just end up with regular old green tea), and this extra required care means that gyokuro is one of the most expensive types of green tea, but well worth the price for fans.

▼ Gyokuro plants with their sun-shading nets not yet unfurled

With this year’s crop of gyokuro now coming in, as of May 1 Beard Papa is offering Gyokuro Matcha Cream Puffs, with a cream filling flavored with a mixture of matcha and gyokuro that promises to be a delicious mix of sweet and bitter elements. The treats are finished off with a dusting of green tea powder, and they’re cooked after ordering for the optimal amount of crunch to the dough for you bite through on your way to the warm, melty filling.

As you might guess from the high-class marque ingredient, the Gyokuro Matcha Cream Puff is a little more expensive than Beard Papa’s standard 250-yen (US$1.60) cream puffs, and will instead set you back 320 yen. That still makes it a pretty affordable luxury, though, and something we’re sure we’ll be able to find room in our budget for between now and June 30, when they’ll be leaving the menu.

Source: Beard Papa, PR Times via Japaaan
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: Wikipedia/Westermeierw, PR Times
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We play culinary roulette at a cheap restaurant in Kabukicho.

When you’re looking for somewhere to eat in the middle of Kabukicho, Tokyo’s notorious red-light district, the choices can be as overwhelming as the bright lights and multi-storey buildings towering over you. What can help in these situations is some advice from a local who’s eaten in the area before, and that’s where our reporter Yuichiro Wasai steps in, with a recent review of an izakaya (Japanese-style tavern) where the price of sushi starts at a super low 100 yen (US$0.63).

Eating at such a cheap place, especially in the middle of a red light district like Kabukicho, can be like playing culinary roulette, so Yuichiro decided to bite the bullet and find out what lay inside the multi-storey building, which attracted his interest with its super slim appearance.

▼ This has got to be one of the narrowest buildings in all of Tokyo.

According to the signs outside the izakaya, the prices are as tiny as the plot of land it stands on, with 120 minutes of all-you-can-drink starting at 980 yen, skewers at 90 yen, and, as we mentioned previously, sushi at 100 yen.

▼ The name of the izakaya is “Umi no Chikara“, which translates as “Power of the Sea“.

Stepping inside a place like this can be intimidating for a first-timer, but Yuichiro is used to visiting these types of under-the-radar spots. After walking in boldly, he headed over to the lady at the reception desk on the ground floor, and as he was dining alone he asked her if they had tables for one. She replied, “Yes, that’s fine. Please go up to the fifth floor.”

Yuichiro thought it was interesting that the izakaya stretched across so many floors, and it was a unique quirk as the slim building design meant the store had to expand vertically instead of horizontally.

▼ When he made his way up to the fifth floor and was shown to his seat, it was a tight space as well.

The passageway beside the table was so narrow that only one person could pass through at a time, and several customers brushed their coats against the edge of Yuichiro’s table as they made their way through.

▼ Checking out his surroundings, Yuichiro found an ashtray at his table, as smoking is allowed at all seats, making it a smoker’s paradise.

In a way, the space was very typical of Kabukicho, as it was casual and unpretentious, and when he browsed the drinks menu, he saw that draft beer was 380 yen, highballs were 150 yen, and lemon sours were an unbelievably low 50 yen.

Looking closer, the prices all excluded tax so that’s something that can crank up prices a little – the sushi, for example, might be listed as 100 yen but it’s actually 110 yen including tax.

With or without tax, these prices are undeniably cheap, so Yuichiro opted for a bottle of beer, placing his order on his smartphone. Shortly after, a waiter appeared with a serving of edamame, which he hadn’t ordered, but he was told it was an otoshi, the appetiser that acts like a seating charge in Japan.

This was a nice surprise for Yuichiro, as it was a large serving for an otoshi, and cheap too, at 380 yen, showing a sense of generosity you don’t usually see at a cheap izakaya.

▼ Then his sushi arrived: lean tuna (110 yen), medium fatty tuna (280 yen), and squid (110 yen).

Yuichiro was relieved to find that the cheap price point didn’t reflect the quality, as every piece was delicious. The texture of the rice beneath the fish toppings was a little on the dry side, but other than that he had no complaints.

Then his next dish arrived – the Mega Fried Chicken (830 yen). Like the edamame, this was another larger-than-expected serving, with 11 chunky pieces of fried chicken, and it left him feeling very satisfied.

Continuing with the meal, the yakitori was the second most satisfying item after the fried chicken, with a platter of five skewers costing 650 yen.

Happy with the skewers, Yuichiro felt emboldened enough to try the eel, which was only 380 yen. It was tasty and good quality, but if he had to choose between this and the fried chicken, he’d probably go with the fried chicken.

▼ Another better-than-expected menu item was oyster gratin in the shell (430 yen).

By this stage, Yuichiro was now feeling full so he didn’t have enough room in his belly to try any of the other options on the menu, and there were many to choose from.

▼ The menu is written in Japanese, Chinese and English, so foreign tourists are welcome here.

The only downside to this izakaya, in Yuichiro’s eyes, was the narrow seating, as this is what the table he sat at looked like.

So is this an izakaya you’ll want to visit next time you’re in Kabukicho? Well, it might not be for everyone, but if you prefer a casual atmosphere over refinement, don’t mind the smoking policy, and can cope with a small space, then this is a very cheap option that’ll leave you with more money in your back pocket to spend elsewhere.

Despite being the narrowest izakaya Yuichiro has ever visited, there’s nothing narrow-minded about the place, with a sense of boldness in its prices and offerings. He likes to think that this boldness, hidden in what can seem like an intimidating building, attracts customers who have a little boldness hidden in them as well.

Restaurant information
Umi no Chikara / 海のちから
Address: Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Kabukicho 1-18-7, Shinjuku Daiichi Building
東京都新宿区歌舞伎町1-18-7新宿第一ビル
Open 24 hours

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