Temple food at Time Out Café

As Tokyo descends into the end-of-year bonenkai season, you can get a healthy alternative to all that liver abuse at Time Out Café & Diner. We're inviting Kakuho Aoe, Ryokusenji temple's resident culinary expert, to prepare a dinner of nutritious, vegetarian-friendly temple food that should set you up nicely for the New Year (or at least provide a wholesome respite from the non-stop parties). After earning an MBA at California State University, Fresno, Aoe has become a recognised authority on Buddhist temple cuisine, and published his first book on the subject last month. He'll be whipping up some of his staple dishes on December 27, including mayonnaise-free potato salad, tofu sashimi and 'niku-jaga' made with wheat-gluten bread instead of meat. The meal costs ¥3,500 per person, including one drink, and is limited to 40 places; email info@timeout.jp for reservations.