sakura galore 2024 edition

It’s been a bit cloudy and miserable this spring and the cherry blossoms have been really late. I feel sorry for people that booked to come on holiday around them because a lot probably missed them.

I started at Midtown in Roppongi or Tokyo Midtown as it’s known because that’s what it’s called. There are a lot of Midtowns about now though. It’s the garden just outside and it was very pleasant. Lot’s of people with dogs in prams. I think if Japan were to ban dogs being pets, the birth rate would bounce back.

I did quite a lot ...

mooching in Monzennakacho

All I seem to do is eat. We went to see the early blooming cherry blossom in Monzennakacho and had an ice cream despite me saying before we left the house that I wasn’t eating anything sweet anymore. Something that I tend to claim quite frequently. We did share, so not so bad.

Then we went for coffee at BAKU Coffee Roasters – I had an iced latte, husband had drip coffee. I wish they could put cold coffees in normal cups/glasses instead of plastic. Coffee was espresso based – nice and strong with not much sourness which I don’t ...

2023 memories

I’m late to the party but here’s the year.

january
I was in Manchester

february
Trip to Hagi – Izumo – Matsue – Sakaiminato – Kurashiki – Takamatsu.

march
Cherry blossoms and a nighttime cruise.

april
Nezu and azaleas and uni friends.

may
Yokohama to see Scott Murphy.

june
Some family were in Tokyo and a trip to Chichibu

july
Hiroshima to see…Rivers Cuomo and Scott Murphy – I think the highlight of my year.

august
=W=eezer in Odaiba and fireworks

september
Back to Manchester.

october
Friend’s wedding and chomping my way around Manchester.

november
More food, this time ...

march + april memories and may wish list 2023

march + april memories

Cherry blossom season was a bit up and down this year weather-wise. One day it would be lovely, bright, warm sunshine and the next it would be cold and rainy.

Each year, I try to go to one new place to see sakura and this year I managed a couple – locally, Tsukishima and Monzennakacho. We went on a night river cruise from Monzennakacho which was special.

My husband’s friend was in Tokyo during March/April and we went for monjayaki at Tsukishima. I’d never had it before and I didn’t think I’d care for it – ...

first weekend in april 2022

Saturday was cleaning day. I have never lived anywhere like Tokyo when it comes to dust piling up so quickly.

The weather was absolutely awful on Sunday – the day we had planned to go on a last cherry blossom walk, so that got cancelled and we just stayed in instead. It’s a good job we’d been out early in the week when the weather was fine.

Tomioka Hachiman Shrine in 門前仲町・Monzen-nakacho. My friend was telling me someone got stabbed to death here and it looks like they did.

We had a little hanami party here whilst my husband ...