Tokyo Weekender August 2017

POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME
No reputable Tokyo neighborhood is complete
without its share of coffee shops and
intimate cafés, and Kuramae has both in
heaps. Camera has good coffee and food, as
well as a nice showroom of leather goods to
peruse while you wait. Sol’s Coffee also does
double duty, operating out of the Koncent
homewares store. Square Café, Coffee Nova
and Splendor Coffee round out the list of
the neighborhood’s notable roasted bean
breweries. For sweets, you won’t be let down
by Dandelion Chocolate Factory & Café, a
recent San Francisco transplant dealing in
boutique chocolate, cookies and even booze.
For more traditional Japanese confectioneries,
Eikyudo has a variety of wagashi sweets
they’ve been selling since 1887.
TOYS IN THE ATTIC
In addition to crafts, Kuramae is also home
to a number of notable toy stores. Yoshichi
Kimura has a variety of traditional kites, hand
fans and wooden kokeshi dolls. Yamagata and
Isobe Mitsuru are both stocked to the gills
with vintage Super Robots, model trains and
toy cars. Gun Mall has almost-too-realistic
replicas of firearms and all-too-real airsoft
weapons for cosplayers and enthusiasts
alike. Mainstays Bandai and Epoch have their
headquarters in the neighborhood as well. On
the decorating side, Saiga and Kishi’s Party
Store offers banners, balloons and ornaments
to suit any special occasion and holiday, while
Hanabiya and Matsuki will supply festive and
colorful ordnance for summertime fireworks.
ALL NIGHT THING
From grabbing a quick lunch to settling in
for dinner all the way to downing late-night
drinks, Kuramae has you covered. Genraku
Sohonten is a good ramen spot, specializing
in the tonkotsu variety. For a sandwich,
McLean Old Burger Shack serves up
satisfying meaty fare. Further south towards
Asakusabashi, Hapa is the rare Tokyo restaurant
that caters to the gluten-free crowd with
generous portions of celiac-friendly pasta and
soba noodles. Elegant Cielo y Rio lets you
dine with a great view of the river on multiple
levels. If you want to make it an all-nighter,
Nui Hostel and Bar Lounge has a great
bar on the ground level, and after you’ve had
one too many, you can go upstairs and sleep
it off in one of their comfortable beds.
TOKYO WEEKENDER | AUGUST 2017 | 9