TOKYO LOVE: THIS BOOKSHOP

I think Japan is possibly one of the last remaining places where people would even think about opening a new bookshop. I was only there for an hour or two and I couldn't bear to leave! Thank goodness they had a good English section to entertain HC the whole time we were there.

I find bookshops closing almost as heartbreaking as films going out of production.

@Daikanyama T-Site

TOKYO LOVE: THIS CAFE

Isn't the place just beautiful?

I've been trying to get to this cafe for the past 2 trips but either due to bad timing or my terrible sense of direction, could never find it on my own. This time I enlisted some extra help :D

If you spot a strange 'intruder' in the photos above, don't be alarmed, it's just HC's Stick Man who has been tagging along with us on this trip. HC has had lots of fun making him do all kinds of weird things while I was happily snapping away.

@Hara Donuts

TOKYO LOVE (ESP. BY HC): THIS BOT

HC will tell you this is more than just a bigger-than-usual robot, it's the RG 1/1 RX-78-2 Gundam Ver. GFT.

He would later go on to bring home an RG 1/144 himself, though I think what he really wanted was the life-size one.

I told him we could pay for all the season parking lots and put it at the open-air carpark right in front of our flat, and we'll be able to see him everyday from outside our window *lol*

Teasing aside, I think I surprised myself by having a few 'wow' moments too.

@Gundam Front, Tokyo

TOKYO LOVE: THIS PARK

Things I remembered from that day, sunny-shining occasionally hot, picnic under the conifers, fruit tarts with ice-cold beer, poppies in full bloom, meeting family we haven't seen in a while, chasing cats, lots of dogs (my favourite's the shiba), and walking and walking until the sun was orange over the horizon.

A perfectly good day.


@Showa Kinen Park

'YOU WENT BACK TO JAPAN!'

To quote most of everyone around us, yes we somehow found our way back to Japan again this time. 

HC had quite a number of free Sheraton points to use and so we got to stay in a really nice area this time round. In fact, it was so nice and so full of beautiful apartments and expensive continental left-hand drive cars that for the first day we walked around a little bewildered. When we jokingly mentioned to friends there about 'all these rich people in Tokyo', they just laughed and said, "well, that's Shirokanedai for you".

We had a great time (though I might have packed a teeny weeny bit too much into each day for our liking), and I'll be sharing more from the trip as I go along. It's one of my favourite things to do, sifting through all the photos after a good trip.

See you in a bit :)

>> Check out 2 beautiful shops from above, Mina Perhonen / Biotop.