No Fish, No Life: Kaikaya By the Sea in Shibuya

There can’t be life without ramen, but sometimes you need other things too. And in Japan, the land of sushi, one of those things is seafood.

Recently, I celebrated a friend’s birthday at a cool, quirky restaurant called Kaikaya By the Sea (開花屋) in Shibuya. Located about a 10-15 minute walk from Shibuya Crossing, Kaikaya has an eclectic menu of seafood dishes inspired by cuisine from around the world. You’ll see a lot of the places that likely inspired owner-chef Teruyuki Tange in the travel photos posted in the restroom and other parts of the restaurant.

Japanese Craft Beer: T.Y. Harbor Brewery in Shinagawa

As part of our ongoing series on the craft beer scene in Tokyo, “No Ramen, No Life” recently went to a popular brewery restaurant called T.Y. Harbor Brewery in the Shinagawa area. True to its name, T.Y. Harbor is located along a quiet canal a short distance away from the Tokyo waterfront, in an area that has been known more for warehouses than for craft beer and fine dining. It claims to be one of only two microbreweries in the 23 wards of Tokyo.

Curry Lab at Tokyo Tower

If you visit Tokyo, one of the places you will probably consider checking out is Tokyo Tower. Its iconic status has been overshadowed recently by the new Tokyo Skytree — the second tallest structure in the world after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai — but it is still a great place to take in spectacular views of the city. It’s also home to a great, innovative eatery called Curry Lab whose stated mission is to “put Tokyo Tower on the world curry map as the center of Japanese curry culture.”