Japan, one town at a time. Food notes and town essays by Misako Fukuda — where I went, what I ate, when I checked.https://www.lua-branca.com/enhttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/totoya-no-hanare.htmlhttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/totoya-no-hanare.htmlThe couple who run this place are fishmongers, and three of the staff are certified in a method of bleeding and ageing fish that has changed how Japan handles sashimi. Two minutes from the station, and it closes on no fixed day.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/aoi-shokudo.htmlhttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/aoi-shokudo.htmlThe town of Itoigawa invented a black, squid-ink yakisoba and left the rest of the recipe to each restaurant. Aoi Shokudo is two minutes from the station, opens at ten, and does a mild, salt-based version of it.Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/itoigawa.htmlhttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/itoigawa.htmlAlmost all the jade in Japanese archaeology comes from one small town, and for fourteen hundred years nobody knew it. It was found again because someone took a myth seriously. Four hypotheses about Itoigawa, checked one by one. One of them fails.Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/izumiya.htmlhttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/izumiya.htmlA soba shop on the old main street of Itoigawa, open straight through the afternoon. The menu runs at two grades, and the hand-cut one is made in a single batch each morning — worth knowing before you plan your day around it.Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/kominka-kamakura.htmlhttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/kominka-kamakura.htmlA former sake shop, a former rice cracker shop, a former antique shop that becomes a bistro at night. Five places around Kamakura where the building is as much a reason to go as the food — arranged by station and by how you want to use them.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/gallery-aki.htmlhttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/gallery-aki.htmlA former sake shop dating back to the Taisho era, now a Showa-retro cafe with tatami seating and a gallery in the back. The spices behind the chai and curry come from a well-known Kamakura spice house.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/isso-chaan.htmlhttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/isso-chaan.htmlA vegan Taiwanese kitchen hidden on the temple road in Kita-Kamakura. Shoes off, tatami underfoot, a garden through the window — and a monthly-changing plate that leaves out meat, fish, dairy, egg and alliums.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/kadoya.htmlhttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/kadoya.htmlThe building once sold senbei rice crackers; now it turns out bruschetta, Kamakura-vegetable soup and pasta of the day. Full by just after noon — book before you walk over.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/parlor-room.htmlhttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/parlor-room.htmlA former antique shop a minute from Kita-Kamakura Station, now a small bistro that opens in the evenings. Craft beer, wine, and small plates made with care rather than thrown together.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/takeru-quindici.htmlhttps://www.lua-branca.com/en/posts/takeru-quindici.htmlAn old house turned Italian restaurant that disappears into the temple townscape of Kita-Kamakura. Reserve before you go — when I called, the only table left was long after the lunch rush.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT