I have crossed path online with Yukari Sakamoto and her Tokyo Station blog which offers her tips on cooking Japanese food at home.
Her book Food Sake Tokyo published by The Little Bookroom (Terroir Collection) in the Spring of 2010 slipped by me until I read her July 4 interview by Jenjen on Dashi Dashi (a London based site).
It can be best described as a guide to Japanese Terroir for visiting foodies.
From miso producers , must see depachika (gourmet food
floor in department stores) to eateries and many other things, it will help food fans especially those with no Japanese language skills navigate the local scene.
Here's a snapshot (borrowed from publisher's pages) to give you a taste of Food Sake Tokyo:
"Kushiage Dokoro Hantei • 串揚げどころ はん亭根津 Bunkyo-ku,
Nezu 2-12-15 • 文京区根津2-12-15
Tel. 03-3828-1440 11:30–14:00, 17:00–21:30 Tuesday
to Sunday; if Monday is a holiday, the restaurant will be open,
and closed on Tuesday www.hantei.co.jp/nedu.html (Japanese) restaurant • Moderate • Map
page 157, #3Nezu is an old downtown neighborhood; a walk through the area
offers a glimpse of life in old Tokyo. This handsome, historic
three-story building is home to one of the most popular kushiage
restaurants in the city. While not strictly vegetarian (side
dishes may include fish-based dashi, and meat is readily available
to those who want it), kushiage is a unique way to try vegetables:
bite-size meats, seafood, and vegetables are threaded on to bamboo
skewers, and then breaded and deep-fried. Each day at Kushiage
Dokoro Hantei, there are thirty-six options to choose among;
these change throughout the year. The easiest way to enjoy a
meal here is to order a basic course of skewers accompanied by
several side dishes. The meal ends with rice or ochazuke (rice
with hot tea.poured over it), miso soup, and pickles, followed
by ice cream."
Now that JenJen wet my appetite for the book I will have to give it a detailed look.
New York, London, Tokyo and back for Tokyo Thursdays # 149
Previously: Yamagata Cherries, Special, Pricey and the Cherry Pit Blow-Off