Food and Drink

When kitchen space is at a premium, then a bit of rough and ready outdoor preparation is clearly called for.

Behind the scenes, or at least the back door, of a busy Tokyo kitchen.

A little over a year ago I posted a photo of this wonderfully ramshackle and incredibly faded old sushi restaurant.

At the time, the old man standing by the door led me to believe it was still a going concern. Subsequent walks past, however, appeared to suggest otherwise. There was sometimes a light on which seemed like a good sign, but there was never a telltale noren outside indicating it was actually open.

Until, that is, I passed by during a photowalk tour over the weekend.

The old man was there as expected. It is, after all, his shop — one he started 60 years ago. But these days he only serves tea and helps out a bit with preparation. Instead, his son is now in charge. A man who may lack the experience of his father, but most definitely none of the skills, as the food was as delicious as the restaurant is dilapidated.

Modern delivery motorbikes or more old-school Honda Super Cubs are the standard method these days for quickly, and efficiently, transporting meals around the capital. Now and again, however, it is still possible to see how things used to be done.

A relatively humble street-side food stall, but one that the owner quite rightly feels very proud of.

For the last 40 years, the 82-year-old owner of this little Tokyo bar has stood behind the counter cooking cheap food and serving similarly inexpensive drinks. Yet despite those 4 decades of operation, no other westerners had ever walked through the door. Similarly absent during that time period has been any serious attempt at cleaning — the incredible amounts of dust and grime everywhere making each and every surface a source of both fascination, and trepidation.

Elements that, when combined with the establishment’s regular customers, lifted the evening from the fun, to the truly unforgettable.