Shops

Here are some shops I have found in Japan that I found to be a little out of the ordinary and particularly interesting. Let me know if you need any more information and want to try one!

Nagoya Area Shops

	FURAIBOU - 風来坊 Type: Restaurant / Izakaya Phone: (052) 263-1638 Site: Furaibou Station: Subway - Sakae - 栄駅 Charm Point: Piles of Nagoya-Style Tebasaki Chicken! Avg Price: About 3000 yen.

Access:
A short walk from SAKAE Subway Stop.
Here is an image of the Furaibo business card with map.
NAGOYA-SHI CYUOKU SAKAE 3-12-4 ETOWARU SAKAE 5F
PM5:00-AM1:00 (Sunday to 12:00AM)

Info:
Nagoya is famous for Tebasaki Chiken, and Furaibo is one of the most famous Tebasaki shops in town. Good stuff!

The shop is closed every Monday.

Menu Points:
Order piles of chicken wings and beer.

	ROKURO KOUBOU - ろくろ工房 Type: Cafe + Ceramics Schools Phone: (052) 932-4675 Site: Rokuro Ceramics Schools Station: Subway - Shiogamaguchi - 塩釜口駅 Charm Point: Home-made silverware and furniture, and food! Avg Price: About 800 yen for coffee and cake.

Access:
A short walk from Shiogamaguchi subway station on the tsurumai line.
This map borrowed from the shop site.

Info:
Rokuro is unique because it is also a ceramics school. The food is great, with a cake that changes everyday, fresh ground coffee, and other items as well. The webpage has the full menu available.
Also, if you’re looking for a new experience, you can sign up for ceramics classes. One time experience trial sessions are also available.
The owner is extremely nice and open to conversation. Most of the plates and tables and chairs and what not are all hand-made items that are made by herself, or other friends of the shop.

Menu Points:
Coffee. Cake. What more do you need to know?

Kyoto Area Shops

	YAJIKITA 弥次キ多 Type: Traditional Japanese Ice Desserts (Kakigouri) Phone: (075)351-0708 Station: Subway Shijyo - 四条（地下鉄） Charm Point: Excellent old Kyoto Atmosphere Avg Price: About 1000 yen

Access:
Subway Shijoi Station
京都市下京区市の町 240-2 Kyoto-shi kamikyou-ku ichinomachi
CLOSED TUESDAYS
Here is the map from the business card.
This shop is walking distance from Takashimaya. Turn between Takashimaya and Hankyu, and turn right into the third street on your left. You should have been walking along a tiny river. There will be a parking lot where you turn in, and a red vending machine near the shop. The shop really just looks like a house, so it could be hard to spot!

Info:
This small shop tucked away in Shijo is a real find! The “shiratamai miruki uji kintoki” 白玉ミルク宇治金時 is a giant kakigouri (ice desset) with green tea (maccha) flavor, mochi (rice ball) and creamed milk topping. Also on the bottom is azuki (sweet red beans). You really have to dig to get to the beans though!

Menu Points:
Number one recommendation is the “shiratamai miruki uji kintoki” 白玉ミルク宇治金時 . The shiratama kuriimu (cream) uji kintoki is the same as above, but with ice cream instead of milk cream, also good!

Osaka Area Shops

	mariners c@fe Type: Western-feel cafe/bar with good food, music, and Internet! Phone: 06-6532-6888 Site: mariners cafe Station: Subway Yotsubashi - 四ツ橋（地下鉄） Charm Point: Woody, Internet, power plugs, good food, good music. Avg Price: About 800 yen for a meal and drink. About 300 yen for a non-alcoholic drink.

Access:
Business card Map Scan.

6F Eiwa bldg. 2-1-16 Kitahama,
Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0041 Japan

大阪市西区北堀江1-5-4四ツ橋シグマビル1F
Osaka-shi, Nishi-ku, Kitahorie 1-5-4 Yotsubashi Sigma Building 1F

地下鉄四つ橋線　四ツ橋駅　６番出口すぐ
地下鉄御堂筋線　心斎橋駅　７番出口徒歩５分

Yotsubashi subway line, Yotsubashi station, right outside exit 6
Midousuji subway line, Shinsaibashi station, 5 minute walk from exit 7

Info:
This is a great cafe. The interior is woody with a strange Asian and Western mix. The main cafe is actually in Tokyo in Ebisu, and this is one of their branch locations. You can sit at the counter and plug-in your laptop to surf the web for as long as you want while sipping chai, or eat a full lunch before heading out to shop in the fashionable Kitahorie area. The only complaint is that there is no non-smoking section. Otherwise, this place is great. You can relax, work, eat, and at night it becomes a bar so you can socialize in style. They even have a terrace (though it’s facing a busy street) so you can get some fresh air and watch all the trendy Kitahorie shoppers walk by.

Menu Points:
I tried the Nasi Goreng and my friend had the curry, they were both great! It’s rare to find a cafe where you can actually get a decent meal for a reasonable price, so this place is a real find! Did I mention they have free internet?

	WORKROOM Type: Artsy Cafe Phone: 06-6222-3888 Site: Workroom HP Station: Subway Yodoyabashi - 淀屋橋駅（地下鉄） Charm Point: Giant bookshelf with eccentric Japanese books, random events, and even a movie collection. Avg Price: About 1000 yen

Access:
Map Available from Wookroom homepage.

6F Eiwa bldg. 2-1-16 Kitahama,
Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0041 Japan

〒541-0041 大阪市中央区
北浜2丁目1-16 永和ビル6階

地下鉄御堂筋線&京阪「淀屋橋」駅より東へ5分、20号階段上る。
地下鉄堺筋線&京阪「北浜」駅より西へ5分、23号階段上る。
永和ビル6階（1階はカメラのハマムラ）

If you come on Yodoyabashi Subway station, stay in the underground and walk out towards Keihan Railway. You’ll need to exit Keihan Railway number 20. Once you get out exit 20, cross the street, and walk to the right about 100 meters and Workroom should be there. It’s on the 5th floor of a very plain looking building, so look sharp!

Info:
This is one of my favorite cafe’s in Japan I would say! It’s the kind of place you can go alone, order a coffee, work for 3 hours, order some curry for lunch, work for 4 hours more, and then enjoy the night view of the river before calling it a day. They also have random events including Theremin performances, Chinese Tea or Wine tasting parties, there is an Art Gallery called SAI right next to the cafe, and you can even pull a movie off the shelf and pop it into the TV to watch. They have old French movies, and things like the original 1984 as well. Good place!

Menu Points:
Mostly cafe-ish cakes and drinks, but they also have a very good seasonal curry!

	SAIGON SAIGON Type: Vietnamese Phone: 090-5260-0475 Site: SAIGON SAIGON HP Station: Hankyu Ashiyagawa - 芦屋川駅（阪急） Charm Point: Delicious food prepared by Vietnamese cooks. Avg Price: About 3500 yen

Access:
Map Available from SAIGON SAIGON homepage.

Address Details on official website.

Note, the shop phone is a cell phone. Sometimes you may not be able to get through!

Exit Hankyu Ashiyakawa Station and head left. Take the first left hand turn you come to, immediately after exiting the station. You’ll walk slightly uphill down a narrow street for about 3-5 minutes, and eventually you’ll see SAIGON SAIGON on the left side. There are not many other restaraunts around, so you can’t miss SAIGON SAIGON when you get there.
Info:
This restaraunt is really cool. The staff are extremely friendly and the food is really good. Even though it’s a little bit upscale in terms of food, the atmosphere is totally laid back, and if you try really hard, you may even be able to mentally transport yourself to some place in S.E. Asia!

Menu Points:
It’s all good. Really.

	Hale Hale Cafe(CLOSING 8/27/2006) Type: Organic Restaurant/Cafe Phone: 06-6244-3400 Station: Subway Shinsaibashi - 心斎橋駅（地下鉄） Charm Point: Relaxed organic food in American Mura! Avg Price: About 2500 yen

Access:
Shinsaibashi Station Station, exit near OPA, 3 min walk into American Mura.
地下鉄御堂筋線心斎橋駅　徒歩3分

Come out of the OPA exit of Shinsaibashi Subway. Head right, towards Apple Store. Now you’re heading into American Mura. Turn right again at the first biggest intersection before triangle park.
Info:
This is my favorite restaurant in Shinsaibashi! It has organic, distinctly Japanese food, is very spacious, and has a great atmosphere. It’s slightly hippie right in the middle of trendy Shinsaibashi. Highly recommended.

Menu Points:
It’s all good, all healthy. Try the Yuzu Tea for a great after meal drink.

	Bep Oi Type: Vietnamese Restaraunt/Bar w/ Billiards Phone: 06-4964-6089 Site: http://www.xin.jp/bepoi/ Station: Subway SakaiSuji Honmachi - 堺筋本町（地下鉄） Charm Point: Free Pool all day long! ビリヤードは無料でいつでも楽しめます。 Avg Price: About 3000 yen

Access:
Sakaisuji Honmachi Station, exit 7, 5 min walk
中央区久太郎町1-8-9　大阪塗料会館ビル　Ｂ１Ｆ

Map on site.

Info:
This shop is strange. The food quality and atmosphere are good enough to bring a date… But the music is usually house, dance, or techno… and there is a pool table right in the middle of the restaraunt that customers can play free of charge… anytime! There is nothing else around the shop as Honmachi is kinda in the middle of a business area…

Menu Points:
Be sure to try the Vietnamese drip coffee, and the chicken wings (tebasaki chicken)! Also, the Pho (noodles) are a great last point for a meal.

	WARAKU - 和楽 Type: Izakaya + Live Music Phone: 06−6489−4658 Site: No Website Station: JR Amagasaki Station - ＪＲ尼崎駅 Charm Point: Live Shamisen and Folk songs from 7:30 to 9:30 食べながら三味線と民謡を楽しめます。 Avg Price: About 3000 yen

Access:
JR Amagasaki Station, South Exit, walk 2 minutes.
When you get off the train head for the direction of Kobe and it’s across the street in front of the rotary on the left. It’s on the 2nd floor, between a Chinese shop and a Sake store. You should see signs advertising “Live Shamisen” (in Japanese).

ＪＲ尼崎駅（神戸方面向いて左側ローターリーの前。 酒屋と中華屋の間の階段を上がって2階にある）

Info:
A course menu available for 2000 yen. Individual items also available. The music starts at 7:30, and cusotmers drink and eat while they listen. The owner is a Shamisen master, who is used to foreigners, so the music is always good, and atmostphere friendly. The shop is very large and spacious.

Menu Points:
They have a fish head which is pictured that my Japanese friends loved. Also interesting on the menu is whale meat. Other dishes are typical Izakaya fare.

	BAR HEMMINGWAY Type: Wine Bar - Spanish + Live Music Phone: 06-6282-0205 Site: No Website Station: Shinsaibashi Station- 心斎橋 Charm Point: Live Flamenco Nights [Call for Event Schedule] Avg Price: ~ 4000 yen Hours: Open 18:00 - 3:00 (Sat 1:00) - Close Sunday Others: SPANISH OK

Access:

大阪市中央区東心斎橋1-12-14
ゼルコヴぁビル６F 542-0083

Osaka, Chuo-ku, Higashishinsaibashi 1- 12-14
Zerukova Building, 6F 542-0083

Info:
BAR HEMINGWAY makes up for its small size with big flavor and atmosphere. The owners of HEMINGWAY claim to love Spain just as much as Ernest Hemingway did. Many pictures and magazines featuring Spain, and Hemingway’s life are on display. The shop only has about 6, 4 person tables and a bar, but during events customers do not hesitate to take their drinks and food while standing. If you want a seat, arrive at around 6:30pm! The live flamenco shows performed by Japanese locals keep things lively.

Menu Points:
Expensive, but the 1000yen entrance fee gets you all you can drink Sherry (シェリー), which is a light Spanish Wine. The menu is expensive, ranging from about 250 yen to 500 yen for a delicate plate of authentic Spanish cuisine, such as Hammon, Escargo, and a type of Liver Paste.