Rice and Ramen

 For all of its sprawl and historical significance, it's easy to forget that many of the buildings in present-day Tokyo simply didn't exist prior to the firebombings of 1945. But there is one neighborhood that was spared destruction-- Yanaka, an area of the city known for its artisans and literary aficionados. Yanaka is proper shitamachi (lit. "under city") where, during the Edo Period (1603-1868), the "lowbrow" merchants and artisans lived. So perhaps it's appropriate that one of Yanaka's main attractions is the so-called "Yanaka Ginza," a stretch of pedestrian-only street that has many mom-and-pop stores, mainly specializing in food. Entrance to Yanaka Ginza. Stumbled upon a wagashi (Japanese sweet) shop and had the best daifuku (mochi and red bean) I've ever had. A few blocks away from Yanaka Ginza is Yanaka Bochi (or Yanaka Reien) cemetery, a large (it has it's own police box!) public cemetery known for its spr...

Sometimes it feels like Tokyo has more fashionable areas than you can shake a stick at (side note: where does that idiom even come from??). The most well-known, at least from an international perspective, is likely  Harajuku , the "kawaii capital" of Japan. But did you know that there is, in fact, a "second Harajuku" in Tokyo? Several stops north of Ikebukuro on the Yamanote Line is  Sugamo , an area colloquially known as the "Harajuku for grannies." Sugamo is a shopping district where everything moves at a slower pace. The main street is lined with stores, many of them specializing in things that, well, old people would need or want: specialty Japanese ingredients, visors, canes, and special red underwear. (I'll come back to that in a moment.) One really interesting thing I noticed walking up the street was how accessible each of the shops was. All of them were wheelchair and walker-friendly: there were no steps and the aisles were wide and...

Disclaimer: for those of you who are squeamish, the latter half of this post might not be for you. Read to the end at your own risk. The first half is fine, I promise. Yoyogi Park has Bubble Guys. They probably don't call themselves "Bubble Guys," to be fair, but it's what they were. Yoyogi Park, a sprawling green space that abuts the trendy Harajuku neighborhood as well as Meiji Shrine, is known for attracting performers on the weekend: colorful casts of musicians, magicians, dancers, and other miscellaneous artists. After a relaxing cup of coffee from Little Nap Coffee Stand, I was simply wandering through the park when I literally ran into the bubbles: It was a little bit like something out of a fairy tale, or at least a kid's cartoon show. Maybe that one scene from Disney's "Cinderella," where she's scrubbing the floor amidst a sea of bubbles. Men with specially-crafted chains and what looked--and smelled!--like a ...

Even though January is (already!) almost over, it still feels like the year has just started for me. Maybe it's because I just started a brand-new job? That's right: just last week I started my new job at the Japan Times where I'm now working as an Assistant Editor in the Life and Culture section. I have a lot to learn, both in terms of editing (I've done a fair amount of freelance writing, but it's my first time on the other side of the publishing equation) and adjusting to a new work environment. Right now I'm doing a lot of fact-checking, copy editing, and working with the weekly arts openings: a perfect job for someone who spends nearly as much of her free time at museums as she does coffee shops. The office is relaxed, everyone is super nice, and I really do look forward to going to work each morning. Having the weekends off isn't a bad perk, either: it means I can see more art. This past weekend I visited two museums, the National Museum of Moder...

It snowed in Tokyo today, just when I had decided to wear leather shoes. True, the weather forecast had said "Snow 100%" when I checked it that morning, but I simply couldn't believe it: in the entire winter I'd spent in Tokyo six years ago not once had it even sort of maybe hinted at snow. But by 1pm it was snowing big, fat, damp flakes of snow that quickly piled up on the sidewalks and in the streets. I was told to go home early from my first day at my new job (what a day!), and since it took me nearly two hours to get back to my apartment that was certainly the right call. Hard to believe that only two days ago it was nearly 50 degrees (Fahrenheit, I'm still a US girl at heart, here, even if I now live in 24-hour time) and I was walking through a sunny Japanese garden. The Kyuyasuda garden is located in the Ryogoku area of Sumida-ku, in the Eastern half of Tokyo. It's an area famous for sumo, and the park is nestled against the grounds of the "...