Ramen is sometimes described as Japanese soul food. But in this tiny place, in a very old part of Tokyo, it is good for the soul on several levels.
Real Japanese soul food?
Steve McQueen attempting a great Tokyo escape?
Almost 50 years after The Great Escape, it would seem that Steve McQueen is once again poised for a daring motorcycle ride. Only this time, rather than a well-run prison camp, it’ll be from a decidedly fancy — although no doubt equally efficient — shop in central Tokyo.
Tokyo’s Kamiya Bar and one of its many characters
There’s a seemingly endless number of unique and interesting drinking spots in Tokyo, but even amongst such stellar company, Asakusa’s Kamiya Bar still manages to stand out.
Built in the late 1800s — becoming the capital’s first western-style bar — the boozer has lived up to its no-nonsense image by somehow surviving the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, and then the devastating bombing raids of World War II.
Yet despite this history, and the establishment’s staunchly working class attitude in a supposedly middle class society, what really makes Kamiya Bar special are its patrons — plus the practice of having to sit wherever, and with whoever, one can find a space. A system that makes for continually different experiences, with continually interesting characters.
An urban fox in Tokyo
Rats aren’t uncommon sights in Tokyo, and giant, evil-looking crows are everywhere, but unfortunately this is the nearest I’ll ever come to seeing an urban fox.
Rushing home. In a kimono. In the rain
A lovely Asakusa sight, on a lousy rainy season afternoon.
