JAPAN GUIDE
If you are new to ŌKAN STUDIO, welcome!
It all started with the discovery of a fascinating jewel, between power and fragility, during a trip to Japan in March 2018. If you want to know more, I invite you to read our Manifesto, right here .
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From this trip, I also have a lot of good addresses and advice that I am happy to share with you below.
Before leaving:
- Pocket wifi: to have access to the internet on site without paying too much for a package, book a pocket wifi in advance that you will pick up at the airport. I had booked mine through Japan Experience (rue Sainte-Anne in Paris)
- Japan Rail Pass: to be able to travel unlimitedly during your stay, book this pass in advance.
- Tabelog: to find restaurants recommended by locals, I used this site that I translated into French using Google Chrome. Several of these addresses are taken from this site.
- Japan Travel by navitime: the local citymapper!
TOKYO
The restaurants below are normally still open as I created this list recently for friends who were going on their honeymoon.
Restaurants:
- Maisen (harajuku) : our first dinner in Tokyo - crispy tonkatsu as you want :)
- Araumi (Shibuya- Yoyogi) : to try the salary man ramen. You pay at the machine and queue until a seat becomes available at the bar. Good and filling.
- Kidoguchi (minami aoyama) : great sushi, not very expensive and recommended by François Simon himself.
- Harajuku gyoza (omotesando): informal but delicious
- Beige (by Ducasse at Chanel) : tested at the end of the stay - it was nice to eat again with cutlery with an incredible view of Ginza.
- Ramen at Tokyo Station (Ginza) : -1 is full of restaurants - Food Market atmosphere!
Bar :
- Tokyo whisky library: an impressive collection of bottles that will delight enthusiasts :)
- Park Hyatt Tokyo: if you want to relive Lost in Translation. Very touristy but breathtaking view and cozy atmosphere :)
Club:
- Womb - multiple stages, cool atmosphere. We had a drum and bass night with my partner.
Tea room:
- Anjin : I think they also have a restaurant but we went there in the afternoon. Delicious traditional desserts in a cozy atmosphere, all surrounded by books (it's a large modern bookstore)
KYOTO
Bar :
- Towser Bar - FAVORITE : we were looking for an intimate Japanese bar. Bet won :) 8 seats, cozy atmosphere, large selection of spirits in a chic atmosphere served by a bartender who looks like David Douillet in a bow tie suit.
Tea room:
- Saka Murayama : I wanted to try a tea room sought after by the Japanese. The setting was intimate, the service refined as well as the wagashis. Great memory :)
Restaurants:
- Kyogoku Kaneyo: for eel lovers.
- Pizzeria da Naghino: I hadn't booked enough restaurants and my favorite addresses were all booked. We ended up in a pizzeria run by a Japanese man trained in Italy. It was ultimately a slightly unexpected offbeat experience with pizzas cooked in a large Neapolitan oven.
OSAKA
We only had one evening so we didn't have enough time to tell you about the city.
We went for a walk around Dotombori to try the street food. It was really nice! We were able to eat takoyakis :)
BETWEEN KYOTO & OSAKA:
- Suntory Factory Tour
