I think everyone in Japan looks forward to sakura time. The news will have forecasts tracking when the blooms will appear in each area. We had our little hanami party at Ueno Kouen, Yoyogi Kouen, and Shinjuku Gyoen this year. Each park has such different atmospheres and their own character. But of the three parks [...]
Posts under ‘Places’
Sweets Forest
There’s a place in Jiyugaoka called Sweets Forest. It’s like a cute little food court decorated as forest with fake trees, but there are only dessert stalls. We tried this lovely concoction of strawberry ice cream similar to Cold Stone Creamery on top of a fresh mini waffle from Mixn Mixream. I wish I [...]
The International Library of Children’s Literature
Ueno Kouen The ILCL is a nice spot to take the kids on a rainy day or just to rest while in Ueno Park. The recently renovated library has a decent selection of books in English and some other languages. There’s also a reasonably priced cafe with outdoor seating, good for lunch or a snack.
The New Museum
We were walking along Prince Street towards Bowery when we saw this bright sign. At the time I didn’t realize The New Museum of Contemporary Arts opened on Bowery. The sleek silver building stands out quite a bit in this neighborhood. We didn’t get a chance to check out the exhibits inside but I couldn’t [...]
Tasty Sandwiches
Does anyone in Tokyo know where I can find a sandwich plate like this Mexican pulled pork sandwich and preferably costing only around 700 yen? This is from a cute little Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn called Pequena. I don’t find many sandwich places around me. I sometimes miss even an average deli where I can [...]
The American Museum of Natural History
If you can only go to one museum in New York, take the kids to the Museum of Natural History on Central Park West. This has always been a great place for kids to learn about the wonders of the world.
Melon Pan
Melon pan is a popular Japanese sweet bread with a crunchy sugary topping. It’s named so because it looks like a canteloupe melon, not because it is actually melon-flavored. Keiji loves melon pan. It’s usually made the size of his head but he can eat the whole thing. This small coffee shop in Asakusa in [...]
Jidoukan Closeup – Hamamatsucho
Hamamatsucho, Minato-ku This place is actually not a jidoukan because it’s a play space only for children ages 3 years old and under and their parents. It’s called Child and Family Support Center and it is very close to Daimon Station on the Oedo subway line or Hamamatsucho Station on JR Keihin Tohoku line. It’s [...]
The New O1O1
If you’re not from Japan and you see the bright red neon O1O1 sign, chances are you will call this store oi oi, or maybe even o one o one or zero one zero one. This is actually the logo of Marui department store and they’ve just opened up a new fancy branch in the [...]