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 ...

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 – ...

2022 golden week trip to hagi, yamaguchi: part 2

myojin pond

We’re back and straight into day three where we found ourselves getting the bus to Myojin Pond and Kasayama.

Itsukushima Shrine at myojin pond
view from kasayama

We walked to the top which is very doable – it’s just a road and this was the view. There was a coffee shop at the top which we went to, but I’d pass if we were to go again. We sat on beanbag seats which I struggled to get up from and staggered about whilst being watched by a group who were pretend staring out the window, pretending not to watch, but they were watching! I could feel their side ...

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 ...

botanical garden and pumpkins


It’s nearly Halloween and I love Halloween. That makes it the perfect time of year for me. Although, this year I must say, I haven’t been really feeling so excited for it. I’ve actually been feeling more excited for Christmas. Nevertheless, we went to Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome or 夢の島熱帯植物館 in Japanese, last weekend. I wanted to go last year but kept thinking it would always be packed with people wanting to photograph the pumpkins. I couldn’t have been more wrong, it was practically empty.

It was ¥500 to get in for a couple which I was ecstatic about.

Inside ...