Usagi is located in an old private home in a residential district on a backstreet just a short walk from Kenrokuen. Every time I go there, it’s scrupulously clean and full of good vibes. It’s near my office, so I often stop by for lunch. Usagi not only fills my stomach but also fills my・・・
A unique hotel has come to Kanazawa from Tokyo. All staff members are fluent in foreign languages, and most of the guests are from overseas. On the fifth floor, there’s an event space with a kitchen that accommodates about 30 people for parties. But party-partcipants have to bring their own food and drinks. Sometimes it’s・・・
This site is built on WordPress with plug-ins running on top of it. The relationship between WordPress and the plug-ins is similar to the relationship between a computer OS and the software running on it. So if WordPress suddenly gets an upgrade, the plug-ins may not work properly unless they also get upgrades. In practice,・・・
I once read that the only rival Starbucks faced entering Japan was Komeda Coffee. And Komeda’s approach is obviously far different from that of Starbucks, so essentially, Starbucks had no real competitor in Japan. Starbucks is sophisticated and stylish; Komeda Coffee maintains the spirit of the old-fashioned neighborhood tea room. The waitresses are older part-timers・・・
I’ve heard of a “Temple Cafe,” where a cafe looks like a temple, but Houshouji Temple is the first “Temple Cafe” that’s really a temple. Well, actually, there’s a cafe set up in one section of this venerable temple. Houshouji, a Buddhist temple belonging to the Rinzai sect, was built by Maeda Toshitsune, the Kaga・・・
I have a regular get-together with my neighbors. We usually go over to Izakaya Musashi, but this time one of the older guys says, “Why don’t we have a pre-get-together get-together? So we did — over at the new Emblem Social Bar Kanazawa. Happy hour’s before 6 o’clock, drinks half price. That means a draft・・・
On the way from Musashi headed toward Hashiba, off the big street, down one of the side streets, in a quiet residential area, you’ll find the Emblem Social Bar. It’s a joint project by the team that runs Emblem Stay Kanazawa, an overnight accommodation visited by travelers from all over the world. When it first・・・
The best pizza is made fresh at a real pizza place. But somehow it just doesn’t feel right for a middle-aged man to go into a real pizza place and dig in all by himself. Solution? Find a seat at a comfortable bar across the street from the pizza place and call over with your・・・
I usually stop at a cafe while I’m out on my early morning walks. I really try to choose cafes managed by local owners, but unfortunately there aren’t that many real Japanese tea and coffee shops left any more. That’s why I end up going to shops run by the big chains. Be that as・・・
