kichijoji, day one
A little to the east of Koganei and Mitaka, but before you get all the way into Shinjuku, there is a wonderful shopping area called Kichijoji, full of department stores, clothing shops, restaurants, Starbucks, movie theatres, and places selling everything from jewelry to tea pots to dried squid.
On Wednesday we made our way to Kichijoji on bicycle, pedalling down the sidewalks and narrow streets, past other cylclists and weaving in and out of pedestrians. One of the things I noted immediately was the sheer number of bicycles in Tokyo, often "granny style" bikes with prop stands, and with riders of every age from young boys to old women, men in business suits and girls in dresses, baskets sometimes full of groceries or a parasol in one hand, shading the rider from the hot August sun.
The degree to which bicycles are central to Japanese transportation is evident from the ample parking areas designated for them, both along sidewalks and within parking garages otherwise filled with automobiles:
Given the narrow streets and scarce parking in Tokyo, a bicycle is a nearly perfect form of transportation for short distances and doesn't have the cost of the trains.
After arriving in Kichijoji and parking our bikes in an underground garage, I was suffering from coffee deprivation and Berek was kind enough to lead me to the nearest Starbucks, of which there are at least four in the immediate vicinity:
The Starbucks in Japan are nearly identical to their American counterparts in both products and decor, the only immediate clue to the difference being evident in the Japanese language menu.
One of the reasons we had decided on Kichijoji as a destination was in order to give me the opportunity to shop for souveniers and gifts to bring home for friends and family and to find some postcards to mail home. After helping Berek shop for some jewelry as a going away gift for Emeth, we browsed some department stores, including one where I found this great stuffed animal for Claire:
It struck me as the quintessential Japanese toy monster, with the over-sized head, large eyes set far apart, and the odd white plastic claws. Claire thinks it's a teddy bear and seems quite fond of it, occasionally sucking on its claws as she carries it around.
We had lunch at a tempura place, enjoying batter-fried vegetables and seafood served with soup, rice, and pickled vegetables, much like this. I don't really care much for fish and was a bit worried given the prominence of fish in Japanese cuisine (e.g., sushi and sashimi), but I was able to always find alternatives to fish, including other sorts of seafood that I do enjoy.
Among my shopping finds, I was able to find a lovely paper fan for my mother-in-law, who was staying with Laurel and Claire during the two weeks while I was gone. I wasn't able to get a picture of it before giving it to her, but it was a typical Japanese fan, much like this:
In addition, I was able to pick up some postcards of Tokyo to send back to friends in the States.
When we were done shopping and browsing, Berek and I biked back towards the Covenant Worldview Institute in Mitaka, passing many different sorts of houses, both single family homes and apartment buildings of various shapes and sizes:
Some Japanese apartments are essentially a single room, a "studio" apartment by American standards, though in some cases such an apartment wouldn't include a shower or bath, requiring the resident to use a nearby public bath instead. In Tokyo even such an apartment would be relatively pricey.
After spending some time at the research institute, we went out for dinner to an eel restuarant where I actually rather liked the grilled eel, which was served much like this:
It wasn't overly fishy and had a flaky texture like fish. Moreover, it seemed to be grilled with some kind of sauce on it that enhanced the overall flavor.
Satiated with eel we cycled back home in the dark, bike lights flickering and with less maneuvering among pedestrians, and after picking up some items at the local liquor store enjoyed an evening of drinks before bed.
(continue to next post: kichijoji, day two)
On Wednesday we made our way to Kichijoji on bicycle, pedalling down the sidewalks and narrow streets, past other cylclists and weaving in and out of pedestrians. One of the things I noted immediately was the sheer number of bicycles in Tokyo, often "granny style" bikes with prop stands, and with riders of every age from young boys to old women, men in business suits and girls in dresses, baskets sometimes full of groceries or a parasol in one hand, shading the rider from the hot August sun.
The degree to which bicycles are central to Japanese transportation is evident from the ample parking areas designated for them, both along sidewalks and within parking garages otherwise filled with automobiles:
Given the narrow streets and scarce parking in Tokyo, a bicycle is a nearly perfect form of transportation for short distances and doesn't have the cost of the trains.
After arriving in Kichijoji and parking our bikes in an underground garage, I was suffering from coffee deprivation and Berek was kind enough to lead me to the nearest Starbucks, of which there are at least four in the immediate vicinity:
The Starbucks in Japan are nearly identical to their American counterparts in both products and decor, the only immediate clue to the difference being evident in the Japanese language menu.
One of the reasons we had decided on Kichijoji as a destination was in order to give me the opportunity to shop for souveniers and gifts to bring home for friends and family and to find some postcards to mail home. After helping Berek shop for some jewelry as a going away gift for Emeth, we browsed some department stores, including one where I found this great stuffed animal for Claire:
It struck me as the quintessential Japanese toy monster, with the over-sized head, large eyes set far apart, and the odd white plastic claws. Claire thinks it's a teddy bear and seems quite fond of it, occasionally sucking on its claws as she carries it around.
We had lunch at a tempura place, enjoying batter-fried vegetables and seafood served with soup, rice, and pickled vegetables, much like this. I don't really care much for fish and was a bit worried given the prominence of fish in Japanese cuisine (e.g., sushi and sashimi), but I was able to always find alternatives to fish, including other sorts of seafood that I do enjoy.
Among my shopping finds, I was able to find a lovely paper fan for my mother-in-law, who was staying with Laurel and Claire during the two weeks while I was gone. I wasn't able to get a picture of it before giving it to her, but it was a typical Japanese fan, much like this:
In addition, I was able to pick up some postcards of Tokyo to send back to friends in the States.
When we were done shopping and browsing, Berek and I biked back towards the Covenant Worldview Institute in Mitaka, passing many different sorts of houses, both single family homes and apartment buildings of various shapes and sizes:
Some Japanese apartments are essentially a single room, a "studio" apartment by American standards, though in some cases such an apartment wouldn't include a shower or bath, requiring the resident to use a nearby public bath instead. In Tokyo even such an apartment would be relatively pricey.
After spending some time at the research institute, we went out for dinner to an eel restuarant where I actually rather liked the grilled eel, which was served much like this:
It wasn't overly fishy and had a flaky texture like fish. Moreover, it seemed to be grilled with some kind of sauce on it that enhanced the overall flavor.
Satiated with eel we cycled back home in the dark, bike lights flickering and with less maneuvering among pedestrians, and after picking up some items at the local liquor store enjoyed an evening of drinks before bed.
(continue to next post: kichijoji, day two)
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