Discoveries in Shinjuku!

Upon arriving at the beautiful Shinjuku Gyoen, planing to spend a sunny afternoon beneath the delictae blossoms, we found it closing for the day. Boo. So we strolled through the crazy neon streets of Shinjuku in search of strangeness and excitment.......this is what we found.
One photo is of the light coming through Oliver's beautiful Japanese screens in his room. Lovely!

Feasting under the trees.....

There are soooooo many tasty things to eat at the park........here are some examples of the local specialities available. Yakisoba, fried squid, Jpanaese pancakes, corn on the cob, grilled rice balls..........mmmmmmmmmmmm.........the list goes on! As you can see both the locals, bleary eyed salarymen, and the gaijin are happy to sample these selections.
You have to eat your way through Tokyo, bite by tasty bite!

Sakura snacks........

This is snack alley! Everyone is grilling something during Hanami! The last photo is of a tasty teddy bear factory! This little lovies are filled with cream or pureed anko beans, sweet and delicious. The they are sealed up and baked to tasty teddy perfection. Above are the variety of snacks you can encounter during Sakura season.

Sakura season.....

The time has come to celebrate spring in Japan....the sakure are blooming! Cherry blossoms here are a BIG deal! Everyone pours outside and fills up the parks, and for a week or so there isn't a square inch of dirty, concrete or otherwise to stand!Everone, the young, old, kids, parents, boisterous teenagers and extremely intoxicated salarymen stumble their way along the cherry tree lined walkways in all of Tokyo parks, remarking on the beauty of the new season, and gleefully cracking open anither Asahi!
Rejoice!
Needless to day, it is getting warmer in Japan, and the daylight hours are growing! Spring is one of the best times to visit the country as everyone is in high spririts, the weather is balmy and the beer flows plentifully! These photos are from our first visit to one of the many parks for a Hanami party. (roughly translates to "blossom admiring party")We meet some Japanese friends, and theier crew for some tasty snacks and drinks under the just budding blossoms.
One thing you may want to take note of.....two essentialls of Japanese daily life:
1. tiny dogs in jackets
2. Suntory whiskey
Enjoy and be genki!

Shinjuku and such....

Here are some shots I took from the Shinjuku area. A very busy place, full of neon and night life after dark! The coke shrine is quintessential Japan!
The other evening I decided to venture over to Shibuya for some late night house music. I hopped on the hot wheels and peddled my way into town. The club was called La Fabrique, and the music was pretty good. Packed with an eclectic mix of people and a bubble machine, everything was as it should be. I stayed until the wee hours of the morning and then had to make the long trek home a la bicyclette! you can see how stoked I am about it. It was a pleasant sunrise cruise home.

Late Night Adventures....

My roomies from the old house were having a going away party for a friend, and we all went out to a yummy Izakaya (Japanese pub, with small sharing plates of tasty grub!). Here you see a delicious steaming pot of gyozas, just waiting to be snapped up by hungry Tokyoites! Then it was off for my first true Karaoke experience. There were cheers, there were tears, but most of all, there was madness!

Here you see Leslie's natural habitat, her small sanctuary from the madness of Tokyo. Her work, play and rest all take place here, one floor above the streets of Japan, in a quiet and spacious house! You can also see one of her favourite snacks, of which there are many!

Check out the pad!

These are some photos from my new house! I just moved in a week ago to a permanent place three stops from Shibuya, the city center. Where I live is called Komazawa Daigaku (that's the station name), and it is a upscale neighbourhood, with a residential feel. Just one stop away on the subway line is a good shopping area and lots of tasty little izakaya and noodle joints! Now that I've got my hot wheels, I can bike back to Shimotkitazawa or to Nigel's place in about 20 minutes or so. My house is the one across from the silver van, my window is in the center on the top floor!