I had some consular stuff to do early yesterday morning at the German embassy in Hiroo, which gave me an opportunity to take a stroll (and some photos) in the adjacent Arisugawa-no-miya Memorial Park. Had left home on an empty stomach, so afterwards headed to the nearby “HauS Bake & Cafe” and tried their “Special Morning Plate” which was quite satisfying.😋
“Itago-Kometen” (板五米店) is a restaurant and café in a restored 100-year-old building on the southern edge of Nakajuku Shopping Street in Itabashi, Tokyo. Here are some impressions from a recent lunch; iPhone shots straight out of camera. (I also had an iced coffee with the dessert; not pictured in this set).
Adding on to yesterday’s post, here are a few more photos from Takahata Fudoson Kongoji, a temple located on the western outskirts of Tokyo in Hino. In addition to a beautiful five-storied pagoda, the temple also features a pleasant hiking course through a forest, with 88 Jizō statues located along the trail.
Adding on to my previous post, here are a few more photos from yesterday evening’s walk around Takinogawa, a neighborhood in Tokyo’s Kita Ward with a very “retro” feel.
(I may need to go back one day and document the Sentō from the second photo in a bit more detail).
I was in the Ochanomizu area of Tokyo this evening, so I thought I’d try to capture a night view from Hijiri Bridge towards Akihabara. And as if I had ordered them, a Marunouchi Line subway train (red) and a JR Chūō-Sōbu Line train appeared as welcome foreground elements. 🚊
“Bettenburg” is a German word that literally means “castle of beds”. It is sometimes used with a derogatory undertone to describe cheap vacation hotels - but with a more positive spin, it really just means “huge building with lots of beds in it”. So it could also refer to Japanese mansions as pictured here, that are crucial to the nighttime aesthetic of Tokyo. All shot tonight in Itabashi Ward.
Shout-out to our local bagel shop which is just a short 10-minute bike ride from where I live. We went for a quick lunch there today; I had a “Sandwich and Drink Set” consisting of a multi-grain bagel with Teriyaki Chicken and Burdock Salad, and a Caffe Latte. Delicious, quite filling, and reasonably priced at 910¥. Also brought back some freshly-baked bagels and put them in the freezer.
Taitō (台東区, Taitō-ku) is Tokyo’s smallest ward, yet it contains a lot of history, boasting major tourist magnets such as Asakusa's Sensō-ji Temple, Ueno Park, or the Ameyoko street market. But walk on any of its side streets, and you will discover homely and surprisingly quiet neighborhoods with quirky and photogenic details.
Went to “cafe arica” in Minami-Tokiwadai (Itabashi Ward) again today, and had the Piadina lunch set, as well as a caffe latte and their famous tiramisu (not pictured). Nice quiet and cozy place to spend some time on this cool Sunday, and do some travel planning with the wife for later this year. 😎
Found this place pretty much by chance, but it was really interesting. It gives a great idea of the challenges of printing Japanese before advent of the computer age and desktop publishing (one needs to select from more than 2,500 characters!). We also did a fun hands-on experience printing color on a bookmark with a manual letterpress, and had coffee decorated with topical latte art.
In my occasional series, “On my way back home from work”, here are four new photos of neighborhood shops taken this evening. All in Tokyo’s Itabashi Ward, between Itabashi-Honchō and Motohasunuma Stations along the Mita Line. 🚉
Known to the world primarily for its iconic Sensōji Temple (and, since 2012, Tokyo Skytree), Asakusa used to be Tokyo’s leading entertainment district for many centuries. While it’s best to avoid the tourist crowds around Sensōji as much as possible, I do enjoy the "shitamachi” (downtown) atmosphere of the side streets, where the locals can be seen going about their pastimes.
Sustainability explained for a Japan-based audience in today’s training:
“Failure of the parent turtle (the environment) will lead to the failure of the child turtle (society) and the grandchild turtle (the economy), and ultimately impact companies as well.”
For my occasional “Returning from work” series, I walked through Itabashi-juku tonight, which is the western part of the stretch between Shin-Itabashi and Itabashikuyakushomae Stations on the Mita Line. Full-size iPhone shots. Some nice old shops in that area.😍
Five years ago in January, I encountered this fine afternoon light while walking around in the Jūjō area of Tokyo’s Kita Ward. Jūjō is a working class district, located about 10 minutes north of Ikebukuro by train. Photos shown in chronological order of taking.
This shopping street, up and running since the early 1950s, is like a Shōwa-era time capsule. It is located west of JR Akabane Station in Tokyo’s Kita Ward, inside an old Danchi (housing complex) operated by the Tokyo metropolitan government. Just a few of the shops still open regularly, but it is a fascinating area to walk around and take pictures.
During the five winters I have lived in Tokyo so far, snow has been an extremely rare occurrence. Almost exactly 2 years ago, we got a memorable dusting of a few centimeters, and I walked around my neighborhood after work to capture some impressions.
All photos taken in the Shimura district of Itabashi Ward in Tokyo, Japan.
A new German restaurant, “Grüner Bogen” (Green Arrow), recently opened in Itabashi Ward. The two people running it, Terui-san and Hamamatsu-san, have 30 years experience with German food. Today we went to have lunch; I had the stuffed cabbage (Krautroulade), which tasted very authentic. Then in the afternoon, we went to "Kneten”, a German-named café in Bunkyo Ward for cheesecake and a decaf latte. Can recommend both shops.
Some random shots from last night walking home after an office day, and getting off two stops earlier than usual. I love walking through Itabashi in the evening to relax and wind down after work. Photos taken in Miyamoto-chō and Hasunuma-chō districts.