My time in Tokyo was brief, but one of the restaurants/shops I did want to check out was Kintame — Tokyo’s branch of Kyoto’s famous Japanese pickle house. One of my most memorable food experiences from the time I lived in Japan was visiting the original Kintame restaurant in Kyoto. Until then I had never thought much of Japanese pickled vegetables, but after my lunch there I fell in love! I love food experiences that open your eyes to an entirely different world — that give you a taste for a type of food while also conveying the flavors of culture and history.

I wasn’t aware that Kintame had Tokyo branches until reading Food Sake Tokyo. So for nostalgia and for a good traditional meal, Cynthia and I ventured to the Kintame in the Tokyo Station Daimaru department store. I know it sounds cheesy to eat in a department store, but inside Kintame it felt like a different world — peaceful and Zen. I could have been back in Kyoto.