It reads like a palate-pleasing menu. You start out with a truffle soup, followed by oysters and then a main course of flounder with risotto and vegetables. There’s a side of potatoes and you finish it off with a scoop of ice cream. Here’s the twist — this all comes with a generous helping of dirt. Not normal, backyard variety dirt, special nutrient-rich soil. The unique tasting menu is the creation of Toshio Tanabe, a former gymnast and boxer turned...
Read MoreThings to do: this week in Tokyo September 4- September 8
Tokyo Tower 2020 light-up Until Sat Sep 7, 2013 Tokyo Tower Tokyo Tower is doing its part to get the city into the spirit of the Games. Check it out after dark to see it lit up in the Olympic colours of green, yellow, blue and red, with the shut-off observatory lights representing black to complete the set. Catch it while you can – the lights will only be on until the announce date (September 7). Details Open Until Sep 7 Time 5-10pm...
Read MoreThings to do: This weekend: Roppongi Hills Bon-Odori dance festival
Until Sun Aug 25, 2013 Roppongi Hills Arena This lively Roppongi Hills event features traditional Obon dance performed in a purpose-built arena by yukata-clad dancers. Decorations add to the atmosphere, while the surrounding stalls cater to hungry crowds with all the usual festival fare. Details Open Aug 23-25 Time Fri (stalls only) 5-9pm, Sat-Sun stalls from 3-9pm, performance 5-8pm Venue Roppongi Hills Arena Address 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Transport Roppongi...
Read MoreThings to do: This weekend: Super Yosakoi (2013) dance festival
Sat Aug 24 – Sun Aug 25, 2013 Yoyogi Park Omotesando, Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park The final weekend of August is always a good time for dancing in the streets, with many major festivals kicking off. The original yosakoi dance started life in Kochi in 1954, where it was intended to help revitalise the struggling post-war economy, and Tokyo’s own Super Yosakoi festival has been going for just over a decade now. The event sees 90-odd teams of brightly attired dancers trying to...
Read MoreThings to do: This weekend: U-1 Grand Prix; an undon noodle contest in Yoyogi park
Sat Aug 24 – Sun Aug 25, 2013 Yoyogi Park There are plenty of delicious udon places in Japan, but which is the best? How do you know whether you’re eating the finest bowl out there, or being fobbed off with second or third-rate noodles? The U-1 Grand Prix, held in Yoyogi Park, is a championship to determine Japan’s best udon. Stores from across the country will gather for the two-day fest to prove their worth, including representatives from as far afield...
Read More
