Yanaka, Tokyo

I met my friend at Nippori station. Our purpose was to stroll around Yanaka near the station. Yanaka is one of the popular districts for strolling, mixed with old and new town atmospheres. There is a shopping street, Yanaka Ginza, with many shops selling unique products from food to goods.

  

I often saw cat and panda characters in front of shops, and some real cats as well.

Just popping in shops and browsing are very enjoyable:) Also you can enjoy finger food, for example you can buy Japanese sweets or rice crackers one by one, and eat while walking down the street. I think they are relatively cheap there.

When we popped in a tea shop, we were welcomed warmly with free green tea. They were so lovely because they were in the shape of a tea cup. If you pour tea, a shape of cherry blossom appeares! It tells of the arrival of spring and makes people feel happy.

A shopping street offers you a wooden bench saying 'take a break'.

We were busy with walking, browsing and chatting.

Suddenly we found a nice small restaurant for a lunch. We made an instantaneous decision this time with little forethought. It was a hit! Lunch set was yummy and also reasonable. It was like an intimate restaurant. If I lived around here, I would be a regular!

After that, we headed to 'Shitamachi Museum Annex' which was built in 1910 and until 1986 merchants actually lived there. Unfortunately it was temporarily closed this time, but we could see the entrance area. At the entrance, some items are displayed, which were actually used in a liquor shop through the Meiji (1868-1912) and Showa (1926-1989) periods.

We walked around and around. We realised that there are a lot of temples. Each temple is unique and has a clean and tidy garden. They were so beautiful.

We passed some people on the road, who had a map. Yanaka is liked by men and women of all ages.

We purchased bread, rice crackers and some items for dinner. After a long walk, we had a break. This cafe served some unique coffees. Different from Starbucks or other chain cafes, the master makes cups of coffee using fastidious coffee beans. Price was a bit expensive but we enjoyed nice coffee in a relaxed atmosphere.

Time does fly fast... In a front yard of a house, lovely plum flowers had only partially blossomed so far. Spring has come. The time has come for me to say goodbye to Japan...