Shōwa Guide Tokyo

Shōwa Guide Tokyo (Limited Edition) 

By Roni Xu & W. David Marx

​​A tour through Japan’s mid-century restaurants, kissaten, bars, and hotels that managed to survive earthquakes, firebombs, and urban redevelopment (along with a few that didn’t)

The best and worst thing about Tokyo is that it’s always expanding and changing. There is never a dull day exploring the city — but at the same time, your favorite places can disappear without warning.

Shōwa Guide Tokyo is the culmination of a years-long attempt to catalog the city’s establishments dating from Shōwa Period (1926-1989) — a formative period when Japan absorbed Western influences but hadn’t quite mastered the details. This hybridization resulted in what is now an extremely unique Japanese culture of yōshoku diners, woody kissaten cafes, nostalgic cake shops, and red brick cocktail bars. The book covers hundreds of Shōwa Period spots in Tokyo, as well as some of the best across the country from warm Kyushu to freezing Hokkaido.  

Shōwa spots are critically endangered! In truth at least a dozen of the best disappeared in the process of writing this book. Shōwa Guide Tokyo thus serves as both a practical guide to finding the best places to relive Shōwa Japan but also as a record to preserve their eternal memory.

This guide was made as a passion project, and it’s exciting to share the book now with the world. The hope is that the book can raise awareness of these establishments’ precarity and encourage more conservation activity. 

• Format: Modified B5 (238 x 182 mm) , full color,  hardcover, 320 pages
• Publication Year: 2024
• Printing: Fujiwara Printing, Japan

Shōwa Guide Tokyo covers more than 250 establishments, including:

• Yōshoku Restaurants
• Fancy Shōwa Cuisine
• Curry Restaurants
• Italian Restaurants
• Machi-Chūka Chinese
• Sweets & Bakeries
• Bars
• Kissaten
• Classical Music Kissaten
• Stores for retro Shōwa goods
• Shōwa-vibe hotels
• Shōwa spots to visit outside Tokyo and
• An original recipe for Naporitan, an iconic Shōwa dish    

 
About the authors 

Roni Xu Mori is a Tokyo-based entrepreneur who has been chronicling her culinary experiences since the age of 10. Drawing inspiration from her Chinese and Japanese heritage, she delights in sharing the most unique and delicious dishes from her home cities. 

W. David Marx is a Tokyo-based author of two books: Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style, and Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change.

*Shipping begins mid November