The Bookstore RIVE GAUCHE

Bonjour les amis! (Did I get that right?)
I wanted to show you this little French bookshop that F and I stopped by on our afternoon in Kagurazaka. Isn’t the exterior lovely? Especially that red door.
Looks very French to me (possibly because I’ve never been there…but someday!).
The Institut français du Japon is a cultural center run by the government of France. It operates a French language school, as well as a library and restaurant within the compound. Promoting the French culture through art and literature, they provide various events such as lectures and films. (I might have to come back to see a French film, they apparently have English or Japanese subtitles.)
I’d never entered the grounds before but when F and I passed by a gorgeous wall of ivy, we stopped to ooh and aah over it. F is very into ivy, as am I. It was really something.
Then I turned around…and there it was. This quaint little bookstore filled with books and magazines, all in French!
Despite my lack of knowledge whatsoever about this language, I found the bookstore to be interesting. They had Japanese manga in French, including rare ones like Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (which is on my to-read list). I even found a corner with Kazuo Ishiguro novels!
It’s a tiny store but if you’re looking for something in French here in Tokyo, this is the bookstore for you. x

Impressive ivy wall, right? x

RIVE GAUCHE
15 Ichigaya Funagawara-machi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo JAPAN
東京都新宿区市谷船河原町15 アンスティチュ・フランセ東京内
TEL: 03 3267 1280
HOURS: Mon 12:00pm-1:30pm, 2:30pm-7:30pm
              Tue-Fri 10:30am-1:30pm, 2:30pm-7:30pm
              Sat 10:30am-6:00pm
              Sun 12:00pm-6:00pm (closed holidays)

The Afternoon in Kagurazaka

I have always liked the Kagurazaka neighborhood.
A couple weekends ago, my friend F and I went exploring! We wanted to check out the new bookstore, Kamome Books, which opened at the end of last year. It’s not just a bookstore with a great selection of books and magazines. It also has a cafe (with an open terrace in warmer weather!) and an art gallery in the back. 
This spot was previously also a bookstore, that suddenly closed in the spring of 2014. The owner of a manuscript proofreading company walked passed and realized the bookstore was closing. He decided then and there to do something about it so he opened Kamome Books for people to enjoy “off-line” time in this age where everyone seems to always be online. 
F and I browsed the whole bookstore before settling down for a latte. It was a really warm day and a great place to sit down and chat. With La Kagu right across the street, it’s also a really great place to people watch!

After coffee time, we walked down the street to Akagi Shrine.
It’s a very modern shrine designed by the ever famous architect, Kengo Kuma. I really like it, despite the huge condo right next to it on the property. I’m sure the beautiful shrine is what sold those condos because if it were an old run down shrine with a graveyard behind it, I don’t think I would buy a condo next to that. I mean, I don’t really believe in ghosts. But I am definitely scared of them (if they’re real…you never know!)
You can read more about the shrine here.
We also bumped into a crowd of people wearing kimonos at the shrine. Kagurazaka is one of those places where it’s not unusual to see people wearing them. Kimonos are not the most easiest thing to wear but I love wearing it. It makes the day special, in my opinion. This crowd seemed excited to be walking around Kagurazaka wearing kimonos, too.

We also passed by Mugimaru2, the quirkiest manju cafe.
I knew they had cats inside the cafe. I did not know they had fish outside. Am I the only one worried about this combination? Hopefully the cats are well fed.
My favorite here is the Yomogi Cheese manju (140 yen!).
F and I were too full for a manju…but you can never be too full for gelato! We stopped by Gelateria Theobroma, a tiny gelato shop that F discovered while we were exploring the backstreets of Kagurazaka. Her gelato radar is spot on!

One of the best things about Kagurazaka is that there are various shops located in areas that you would think is a residential area. So it’s a great place to just randomly roam because you never know what you will discover.
Like this pretty park with gorgeous wisteria!
It was in full bloom and you could smell the fragrance of the flowers instantly as you step into the park grounds. It’s a local park, nothing special. But a fun discovery just the same.

You can’t come to Kagurazaka without stopping by Le Bretagne to try their delicious galette, a traditional Bretagne crepe made from buckwheat flour.
They have many restaurants in Tokyo but this was the first one to open. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, which I think will be great once it gets warm. From the cobblestone path that leads to the restaurant, the lovely interior and friendly staff welcoming you in French…it takes you away from Japan, if only during your meal.
I had a great time catching up with F over dinner! It was delicious and we definitely left Kagurazaka full and happy 😀

Have you been to Kagurazaka? Do you have any recommendations?

KAMOME BOOKS (かもめブックス)
Daiichi Yarai Bldg, 123 Yarai-cho, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo JAPAN
東京都新宿区矢来町123 第一矢来ビル1階
TEL: 03 5228 5490
HOURS: Mon-Sat 10:00am-10:00pm, Sun 11:00am-8:00pm

AKAGI SHRINE (赤城神社)
1-10 Akagi-motomachi, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo JAPAN
東京都新宿区赤城元町1-10
TEL: 03 3260 5071

MUGIMARU2
5-20 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo JAPAN
東京都新宿区神楽坂5-20
TEL: 03 5228 6393
HOURS: 12:00pm-9:00pm (closed Wednesdays)

GELATORIA THEOBROMA
Borgo Oojime, 6-8 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo JAPAN
東京都新宿区神楽坂6-8 Borgo Oojime
TEL: 03 5206 5195
HOURS: 10:30am-7:30pm

NAKAMACHI PARK (中町公園)
5 Naka-cho, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo JAPAN
東京都新宿区中町5

LE BRETAGNE
4-2 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo JAPAN
東京都新宿区神楽坂4-2
TEL: 03 3235 3001
HOURS: Tue-Sat 11:30am-10:30pm, Sun 11:30am-10:00pm (closed Mondays)

The Yaezakura and Rooftops

And here I am again, back with more blossoms!
But don’t worry, these aren’t just any old sakura…they are yaezakura, the blossoms with many petals. You might remember some photos from last year from later in the season. 
This year, I happened to pass by this red entrance and see the burst of pink yaezakura blooms…and I ended up walking into the most beautiful yaezakura paradise ever!
I didn’t know there were so many different kinds of yaezakura, but this temple had several varieties of them, ranging from white-ish to pink/green-ish blossoms. (I know, such technical terms!)
They were absolutely gorgeous. As much as I love regular cherry blossoms, I may be leaning more towards these full blossoms now. What about you? x
Here are some photos: 

The Arrival of Spring and JFK

We’ve had a whole bunch of amazing spring weather lately!
Like I said before, everything is starting to grow, and I love it! A couple of weekends ago, I decided to enjoy the weather and did very spring things.
  1. Walked around the neighborhood in my new spring shoes, which I absolutely love. (Not one bit sexy but I don’t care, they are so comfortable!)
  2. Planted my herb garden. This year will be basil, mint, and if I can find it, french parsley. And if I can’t stop myself, rosemary and thyme, too.
  3. After going to see the “JFK: His Life and Legacy” exhibit at the National Archives of Japan (it was really interesting!), my friend M and I walked through the Imperial Palace East Garden. It was my first time there but it was so peaceful and quiet. The perfect place to stroll through before heading back to the chaos that is Tokyo. 

What are you up to on this fine spring day? x

NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF JAPAN (国立公文書館)
3-2 Kita-no-maru Koen, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo JAPAN
東京都千代田区北の丸公園3-2
TEL: 03 3214 0621
HOURS: 9:15am-5:00pm (Closed Sat, Sun & Holidays, unless otherwise stated)
Imperial Palace East Garden (皇居東御苑)
1-1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo JAPAN
東京都千代田区千代田1-1
TEL: 03 3213 1111
HOURS: 9:00am-4:00pm/5:00pm (Closed Mondays, Fridays, etc.)

The Super Everyday Ordinary Exhibit by Grace Lee

I was lucky enough to stop by the happiest little gallery in all the land!
After our afternoon sakura hunt through Yoyogi, my friend F and I headed over to L’illustre Galerie LE MONDE, a small gallery in Harajuku that specializes in illustrations. F just happened to be friends with Grace Lee, who’s exhibit Super Everyday Ordinary was ending that day. And I am so happy we made it there in time to see everything!
Grace was the most charming person ever and she showed us around the gallery. This gallery was actually a photo-friendly place, so I started snapping away! Her drawings are so quirky but also wonderfully relatable, just like her. And I mean that in the best way possible, she is a gem!
F and I almost fell over from delight when we spotted an illustration of a striped tshirt, just like the one we were wearing! So of course we had to take a photo with it! ;D 
By the time we were done browsing through everything and chatting with Grace, it was time for the gallery to close. And because we were there and didn’t have any plans, F and I stayed behind to help Grace and the gallery owner Yoshi (who is an illustrator himself) clear the gallery.
As I’m not an artist, I wouldn’t know how it feels to take down your art at an gallery…but I can imagine it would be bittersweet. Everything was so perfectly placed that it was hard even for me to take down the artwork. How I wanted it to stay just as it was!
After everything was done, we all went out to eat delicious Thai food down the street to celebrate a successful exhibit. The great thing about having a Thai friend is that they know where the good Thai restaurants around town are! F even spoke to the staff to ask for “regular” spiciness. Yum yum!
Both Grace and F are artists and it’s always really interesting, not to mention inspiring, to learn how they bring to life their creativeness. Kudos to these girls for going doing what they love! xx
Here are some photos:

(photo by Grace Lee)
(Left photo by Fai)
L’ILLUSTRE GALERIE LE MONDE
201 Dormi Harajuku, 6-35-5 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
東京都渋谷区神宮前6-32-5 ドルミ原宿201
TEL: 03 6433 5699
HOURS: 12:00pm-8:00pm (Closed Mondays)
KAFFIR LIME (カフィアライム)
2nd Floor, 6-1-5 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
東京都渋谷区神宮前6-1-5 2F
TEL: 03 3400 2918
HOURS: 11:30am-3:00pm, 5:30pm-11:00pm

The May Link Love

Someone stop the clock! Can you believe it’s May already?

Golden Week is already upon us and I have been so busy with life in general that I have absolutely no plans this year. Well, actually I guess I do…to not do anything!

Right now I feel like I could sleep for a week!

We had some glorious spring days in April and I’m hoping that trend will continue. The trees outside are so wonderfully green these days, it just makes me happy to my toes! I want to soak in all the fresh leaves while I can.

I remember one time up on the observatory deck of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, there were two visitors standing right by me. They were looking out across Tokyo and having a conversation like this:

                  boy:  Look at how all the buildings are jammed together.
                  girl:  I know, I feel sorry for the kids who have to grow up here.
                  boy:  Yeah, without any trees.
                  girl:  I could never live here.

I was totally eavesdropping, I know. But I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. I almost butt into their conversation to say, “Um guys, it’s JANUARY! Of course there is no green anywhere…it’s WINTER!” But I didn’t. If they could see Tokyo now, right?

I hope you’re all enjoying the great weather outside! x

——————————————————-Link Love——————————————————-

– When your punctuation says it all.

– Why we travel in 1932.

– What’s the meaning behind airport IATA codes?

– Could not agree more 😀 (and reading the above, need to work on it pronto!)

– Ever been bored at an airport?

– Formula of the Day: oil paint + watercolor > oil spill + ocean water

– Soba takeout, anyone?

The Best Kept Sakura Secret in Yoyogi

Did you think I was done with this years sakura season?
Not so fast! I couldn’t move on without posting about the weekend I discovered rows and rows of cherry blossoms in Yoyogi. And the best part? There were absolutely no crowds. This place may be the best kept secret in Yoyogi…or even Tokyo!
My friend F and I decided to go hunt for cherry blossoms in Yoyogi so we first stopped by Yoyogi Village to get fuel for the afternoon. Then, with coffee in one hand and a bagel in the other, we were off!
Strolling along the road, we discovered a row of cherry blossoms. It was in a restricted area and while we were trying to figure out how to sneak in…we saw that the facility had even more cherry blossoms than we realized.
The National Olympic Memorial Youth Center was bursting with blooms. I don’t know about F but I am still patting myself on the back for inadvertently stopping by this facility. There were a few people walking around admiring the sakura like we were, but mostly the streets inside the grounds were deserted. 
We found a bench under the row of trees and relaxed for a bit. It wasn’t the most sunniest of days but it didn’t seem to matter. Everything was beautiful and I had a great time chatting away with F on that bench.
And our timing was perfect. Once we were on our way to another coffee shop, it actually started to rain. So glad we were able to enjoy the gorgeous blooms while we could! x
Here are some photos:
(photo taken by F)

The Citrus From Ehime

Did your mama ever tell you not to play with your food?
Well sometimes the temptation is too great. Especially when your parents send you a package full of citrus. And believe me you, I was already devouring one mikan after the other while having fun with these citrus slices!
You may already know that Ehime is the top prefecture to produce citrus fruits in Japan. My parents (who live there) have several types of orange trees and lemon trees in their back yard, as do many others. 
I love the 100% orange juice made by Ehime Beverage, Pom Juice (ポンジュース). That is my go-to orange juice. Do you know the story behind the name Pom?
The company wanted the orange juice to become “Nippon-ichi,” meaning number one in Japan. So they took the Pon from Nippon-ichi, which later changed to Pom (something to do wih the word Pomelo), in hopes that the juice would become a hit. It certainly did for me!
Anyways, sometimes it’s fun to play with different citrus fruit while you’re eating them. They look so pretty. So much so that I even made a video of the oranges dancing away!
Also, I feel I should add that they tasted great, too! x
Here are some photos:

The Afternoon at the Tange By Tange Exhibit　

I finally made it to Tange By Tange 1949-1959 exhibit, right before it ended!
Most exhibits I hear about, I end up not going to. It always slips my mind and then it’s over by the time I remember. But I was really drawn to this one on the legendary Japanese architect, Kenzo Tange.
It may be because I think his design of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is brilliant. Or just that I know many of his works, like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Though really, most likely because his smile reminds me of a long-ago grade school boyfriend, if you must know. (I know, you didn’t ask..but I decided to over share. Ha.)
Gallery Ma is operated by ToTo Ltd. (the company famous for making those Japanese toilets, bless them). The gallery opened in 1985 as part of the company’s social contribution program, and specializes in architecture and design. This was my first time here but as tiny as it was, the use of both indoor and outdoor space was wonderfully unique.
Displayed were rows of contact sheets of 35-millimeter film images that Tange himself had taken, mostly of his own projects. And as much as I’ve always been into his work and history, I learned a few new things regarding Kenzo Tange.
Such as…
  1. The biggest surprise for me was that Tange had grown up in Imabari City, which is where my parents currently live! I had no idea. This explains why he has so many projects there, such as the Imabari City Hall and Imabari City Assembly. A lot of concrete. I’m going to have to go see for myself next time I go back to my parents place.
  2. It’s a known fact that Tange designed the current Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku, but I actually did not know that he also designed the previous Government Building, too. It was located near Yurakucho Station, where the Tokyo International Forum now stands.
  3. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is my favorite designs by Tange. But I learned that it was his debut project! Wow. Not only that, he designed the entire Peace Park. No wonder I’ve always loved that entire area. He specifically designed the building elevated on pillars so that you could see the Atomic Bomb Dome from the museum. (Side note: Tange went to high school in Hiroshima so he had strong ties to Hiroshima even before he became an architect)

All in all, a very educational and informative exhibit on Tange’s earlier projects. And did I mention it was free? This gallery is definitely on my radar now. If you like architecture or design, this is definitely a great place to visit. You can see a list of their upcoming exhibitions here.
 On my way back home, I called my dad to ask if he knew that Kanzo Tange was from Imabari. He didn’t know either.
Here are some photos:

TOTO GALLERY MA
TOTO Nogizaka Building 3F, 1-24-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo JAPAN
東京都港区南青山1-24-3 TOTO乃木坂ビル 3階
TEL: +81 3 3402 1010
HOURS: 11:00am-6:00pm (Closed Mondays and Holidays)

The Cherry Blossom Walk to Work

My walk to work is the best!
Especially when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. I walk along Kanda River (神田川), which is for the most part aligned with cherry trees. The view is incredible.
It’s a popular spot to enjoy the cherry blossoms but in the morning hours, when everyone is fast walking towards the train station, I get to have these trees to myself (with the occasional dog walker or runner passing by).
Nothing beats cherry blossoms under a blue sky. But my favorite view is actually under the rows of branches leaning toward the river. It feels like a tunnel of cherry blossoms and despite seeing this view every year, it still manages to take my breath away. So beautiful.
It’s no surprise then, that I had to make a mad dash for the office every time. So hard to not take a photo every three steps I take. (Although nothing new.) Oh the joys of walking to work! 😀
Here are some photos: