Thanksgiving weekend in Tokyo

What a great weekend! Last night we celebrated Thanksgiving with some friends from school. Brad and Rachael kindly invited us to their home, and we shared a traditional Thanksgiving feast together, along with some good Italian wine :)

Today we woke up late, and decided that we needed a hearty breakfast - or brunch, as breakfast time was well and truly over. We headed up to Takadanobaba (on the Yamanote Line) to 'Ben's Café'. For 1000 yen/person we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, and toast - on the terrace - with fleecy blankets to keep us warm :) The coffee was also very good - we both needed espresso (in Ale's case a double espresso) to give our day a kickstart! If you ever visit us in Tokyo, we will definitely take you to Ben's Café for brunch, or even coffee and cake - the cakes were very tempting...

Whilst enjoying our brunch, we noticed another couple with a gorgeous puppy native to Japan - the Shiba. They let us hold 'ChaCha', and she settled into Ale's lap and curled up ready to go to sleep :) I am sure we will see ChaCha grow into an adult dog, as they dine there most Sundays, and we will be adding 'Ben's Cafe' to our list of favourite spots in Tokyo ;)

Todoroki Valley Park

A few weeks ago, on a pleasant Sunday afternoon, we went to Todoroki Valley Park in Setagaya-ku, which is about a 10 minute walk from our apartment. In a city of 25 million people, you can still find peace and quiet and trees and water - and so close to home :) Strolling along the dirt paths through the trees and by the river was so relaxing, and to find a temple in the midst of it all was simply wonderful. We felt a world-away from the hustle and bustle of Shibuya and Ginza... we certainly live in a very green part of the metropolis :)

Long weekend in Tokyo

Last weekend (end of October) we had a 4-day weekend in which we could explore Tokyo and surrounding areas.

On Thursday, we travelled to Yokohama by train (less than 30 minutes from Tokyo). We walked from Yokohama Station, all the way to China Town (one of the largest in the world). After we'd had enough of dim-sum, we strolled across to Motomachi (where the cool people drink coffee), and then down to the bay, across to the Red Brick Warehouses, and then to Minato Mirai, Yokohama's futuristic new city centre. After many hours of walking, we were happy to relax on the train ride back to Kaminoge.

On Friday, we went for a walk to the nearest hip neighbourhood, Jiyugaoka (about a 20 minute stroll from our place). On the way, we discovered Joshinji (Kuhonbutsu), a Jodo temple. The name Kuhonbutsu refers to the nine grades of Amida Buddhas in the Pure Land. This temple complex consists of three halls, each with three Amida statues. It was very peaceful to stroll through the grounds on a slightly overcast autumn day, with the leaves just beginning to change from green to yellow and orange...



On Saturday, we went on a big adventure to Odaiba. Odaiba is an area made up of man-made islands which were originally constructed over 100 years ago to protect Tokyo against attacks from the sea. In the 'bubble' era (the 80s), the islands were starting to be re-developed as a business district, but when the bubble burst, everything stopped. In the past 10 years, the area has been reborn yet again as a futuristic shopping and entertainment area, with a scattering of museums and businesses. We were fortunate to visit during a famous dance festival - 'Yosakoi Matsuri'. At least one hundred different groups of adults and kids performed dances to festival music while holding Japanese clappers. It really was great to see many people working together and having fun! We also enjoyed viewing the gorgeous Tokyo Bay, and the copy 'Statue of Liberty' - Tokyo also has its own Eiffel Tower... but there isn't a Leaning Tower of Pisa... yet!



On Sunday, we rested...