Goodbye Tokyo
… tonight we are on a boat to Oshima, where we are spending the next two days exploring the island by walking and cycling.
2024 – Japan
Seasonal dessert…
With the onset of winter it’s chestnut season. Best way to consume these is with a Mont Blanc in yanaka ginza
The store is Waguriya and it is the only place you should eat them. In the centre is meringue (not sweet) and over the top is creamy chestnuts. The second chestnut dessert is freshly made upon ordering and is warm when provided… guaranteed not to last long.
Don’t read the reviews online about the shop – negative ones are from tourists expecting over sweet desserts who have no appreciation for this timeless classic.
You will likely need to queue to get in.. but it was worth the 30 minutes we waited.
Yanaka Ginza
Spot of brunch at Cibi
… yes they are also in Melbourne.
Cycling pt3
Once we left the cycling path we headed up a slight hill towards Tamako (lake – man made reservoir). The view was spectacular..!
The area had walkers, cyclists, and dog walkers. Also a great spot to watch the autumn leaves….
From here we went towards the baseball field… and the path/road continued up – as it often does in Japan, and we continued up towards a temple.
… and one of the great advantages in temples… is food. Mayumi had planned our lunch stop at a hand made udon noodle place on site. The dish featured fresh vegetables, meat and a warming meat broth, which matched with the noodle was heaven!
After we headed back down the hills through a few tunnels (used in making the reservoir) an headed back towards Kichi-joji and there around 5:30ish and headed to Yakitori for dinner.
It truely was a delightful ride. We did approximately 40.3km… thanks to Mayumi for taking us in her favourite route!
Chotto matte
Cycling day.. pt2
Back on the cycling path we came across more local farms. These also have stands/vending machines where locals can buy the amount of food they need. As we were cycling along we saw many people pushing trolleys and carrying bags with veggies.
We stopped along the way at Kodaira folk house village – which is owned and run by the local council highlighting Japan old living – and a real delight.
Cycling day..! pt1
Thursday was a cycling day… we met our Brompton cycling friend Mayumi who was going to take us on one of her favourite rides.
All good rides start at train stations (near the library I posted earlier) … the photo is of our waiting spot and the duck on her bike. Once we briefly talked about the ride we headed off through the back streets to the cycling path.
The cycling path goes past houses, apartment blocks, farms (yes you read that correctly).. schools, shopping areas – it really is a connected for the community. It has two sides- one for walkers and one for cyclists. But like all good paths… walkers do tend to walk on the cycling section!
These photos make it appear that there are not many people on the path – but there were quite a lot just going about their daily routines.
We stopped at a local cafe for morning tea, which Mayumi had not been previously… and as Kym was keen we ventured inside. It was run by a local who makes food for the cafe.. let me tell you these cakes looked as good as you think they did. They were served as a set with a tea or a coffee.
The traditional Japanese house opposite the cafe had been renovated. Part 2 to come…
Public buildings as art…
If you are a follower of the blog – you may recognise this building. Yes – it’s a public library… and why shouldn’t money be spent on making buildings which look great!
Both the seats on the outside and the toilet block all fit the same style. The train sign is included to remind me of the station.
As I had been inside the building previously didn’t need to return. The library has a cafe, RFID technology and a sorter to make the experience easier for customers and staff. Inside the building there is a lot of natural light due to the fabulous large windows. We were. Last here in 2018 (photos below) – and it still looks good today.
Wow factor…
There are many buildings in Tokyo where the owners have gone all out architecturally – the Mori Group is one high profile company in Japan of this type. They produce high end buildings which combine office complexes, residential, and high end shops. They usually are connected with the train system and have public elements to them which encourages customers, such as galleries and museums.
The building we went to for the Team Labs boarderless experience was at the bottom in Azabudai Hills. as you can see – not you run of the mill square building you see in Adelaide.
While in the depths of this building we had a wander around the supermarket… which had many amazing things we wanted to bring home – that customs would definitely not allow.
Later in the day we also went to Rappongi Hills which has the Mori art museum, city view and galleries.
