neat and tidy...

(cat street...harajuku)

simple luxury...

(cat street...harajuku)

kiosk...yamanote line platform...kanda station

toilet paper...

...with a difference!!
(tama art school end-of-year show)

roppongi hills

the cherry blossoms are nearly out in the garden in roppongi hills

and the buildings are amazing!!!

another celebration in japan

when a baby is 100 days old they have their first real meal...served on a special tray...with special celebration dishes

the special food (clockwise from 7 o`clock) is soup, pickled plum, simmered vegetables and celebration red rice

and this is the party girl sao-chan

being fed by her older brother and older sister
and held by her mum

if you thought that station was clean the other day...look at this train!!!

asakusa line train
nishi-magome station
(this photo is NOT touched up!!!)

tokyo urban landscapes...roppongi/azabu

taken from a flat on the 6th floor in roppongi 5-chome
looking over the shuto expressway loop line

these expressways over the city are amazing
especially at night!!!

tokyo metro...an example to us all!!!

azabu-juban is in the centre of tokyo

...a very busy station
...but you could eat your dinner off the platform
...like most other stations

i often wonder why tokyo can get it right???

i don`t know anything about baseball...

but apparently there was an important game today

...japan v south korea
...and japan won

this was at 11.30 am today
outside my local tv shop

shouldn`t they all have been working?!?

march and april in japan

april is a special time here...cherry blossoms arrive and bring a new beginning...the fiscal year, new business projects, new budgets, new graduates join companies, the school year starts, time to change apartments

therefore march is also special...it is time for preparation for the above...spending the rest of the budgets, concluding projects, graduation ceremonies, good-bye parties, buying new clothes/uniforms for new lives

souta (6) is ready for his elementary school...it is a state school so no uniform is required...but the rucksack is essential...traditionally grandparents give it to their grandchildren...it is an important part of school life here!!!

rio (3) is ready for her kindergarten school...they have to wear a uniform...it is a bit big at the moment but she will grow into it quickly...she is so excited to wear it!!!

nice sign

made of bent metal and attached to the tiled wall
lumine...2f...shinjuku

police boxes (koban)

japan is described as a safe country...i don`t know the statistics...but i do know that i do not feel any fear here...i can walk home at 2 a.m. with no problems...i can leave my bag at my table in starbux if i go to the loo...i can get in the lift with one person and not worry...all these things make us feel very easy here...guys walk around with their wallets sticking out of their back pockets...girls do not zip up their bags...for me it is a kind of heaven!!!

there are various theories on why the crime rate is low...is it buddhism..is it confucianism...is it because there is very little poverty...is it because the unemployment rate is low...a japanese guy once told me that he feels he is part of a big family and therefore cannot steal from his brother...who knows...but the result is very nice anyway!!!

community policing is an intrinsic part of the law and order system here in the form of police boxes (koban)...they are everywhere...very small offices fronting onto the streets usually staffed by one or two officers...this one is in tsurukawa, a suburb of tokyo...the police officers spend a lot of their time helping us find our way!!!

.......................................................................

kobans are not just in suburbs
this one is in the centre of tokyo in azabu-juban

can you see his bike?
it is his method of travelling around the community

i remember a few years ago when i lived in ebisu the local officer visited me as a new resident...our communication was limited of course...but it was a positive experience!!!

kiosk...ueno station

salarymen and traffic wardens...gotanda

kiosk...yamanote line platform...nippori station

notice how tidy, neat and organised it is
merchandise display at its best!!!

this is a cute...

...little restaurant near me

and they haven`t taken down their xmas lights!!!

the restaurant`s name?
ANGEL FAKE
yes...angel fake
not fake angel!!!

you have to...

...pay to park your bike!!!

unheard of in the uk!!!
( i think)
shibuya...under the pedestrian bridge over route 246

the cherry blossoms (sakura) are coming...

...and tokyo is turning pink in readiness...if you can remember the fervour for the obama campaign then you can imagine the japanese fervour for cherry blossoms!!!

these pink lanterns herald the blossoms and have appeared in a very nice sakura spot in shibuya...now you can buy all manner of pink dishes in the shops...there are pink cakes...hotels with prime viewing spots have been booked months in advance and soon the nightly news will have the topic as the lead item!!!
sakura parties are great...we sit under the blossoms and drink, eat and be merry...some sing karaoke, some cook on picnic stoves, most drink sake!!!
my favourite viewing/party spot is nakameguro by the river...it is quite stunning...but you have to get there early to get a good pitch!!!

(not everyone can enjoy this season...
...for some it is the nightmare hay fever time...
...see poor man in mask)
...................................................................................................
this is last year in a regular street in gotanda

mid-day in the sunshine...

...near sanno park tower
tameike-sanno station

nice signage

tokyo mid-town
3rd floor

education is a big business here!!!

free education is available in public schools until the age of 16 but....private education is also available...private schools have a reputation for better teaching, better results and better uniforms!!!
the cost is not prohibitively expensive to japanese and an average salaryman (a white-collar worker) can afford private education for his offspring

............................................................................

this is an ad at a station in the suburbs
(futakatamagawa)
for a private school

and here are some girls on their way to being ambitious!!!

my workplace in shibuya

there are 7 rooms like this in my school in shibuya
we work mainly on a one-to-one basis with students

my youngest is 18 and oldest about 60

this small room is very cosy!!!

i haven`t got a car...

...but if i did

i`d have one of these
...it`s a nissan cubeso chunky!!!
...and i`ve never seen one in the uk

the korean wave

last month i talked a bit about my fave korean movie star lee byung hun and i also mentioned that korean films and dramas are so popular here in japan...this is a shop in korea town (shin-okubo) where we can buy all manner of goods devoted to the korean stars...clocks, umbrellas, photos, key rings, pens, stationery, passport cases, fans, towels, hankies, purses, etc

it is surprising to me that grown women are so into idolising stars..and i mean grown women...not teenagers...there are many middle-aged housewives who are fanatical about it all

the most famous drama is WINTER SONATA and it has an avid following...they go on tours of location spots in korea, wear glasses like the main man (yon-sama), buy copies of jewellery from the drama, wear scarves like him, go to his restaurant, shadow him in seoul...it has turned into quite a business

some say these dramas are so popular because of the lack of romance in a japanese marriage...i cannot comment as i am not in a japanese marriage!!!

please do not disturb

i love cats
but tokyo ones are not friendly
they always run away
this one lives round the corner

today i had lunch in...

...a manchester united cafe/bar!!!

can u imagine someone has opened a cafe
devoted to manchester united???
...we don`t even have that in the uk!!!
(i am pleased to say as i am an everton fan!!!)

going down the stairs

the interior
(the staff`s t-shirt says
we bring you the best moments)

the salad lunch set
preceded by soup
followed by tea/coffee and dessert

really good!!!

the cafe is in futakotamagawa
a very posh suburb...even funnier!!!

these made me smile too...

taking a walk around here today

i don`t know why they wear hats
but in many nursery schools they do

and more yesterday
different school and different hats!!!

zen moment of the day

courtesy of inter-fm

the superior man
is satisfied and composed

the mean man is always full of distress

this made me smile...

the nursery school was taking kids out for a ride

yesterday in gotanda

they were packed like little sardines in the trolley
good training for their future lives as commuters!!!

i mentioned kit-kats before...

...i came across this flavour today
jasmine tea
and very nice it was!!!

i mentioned masks before...

...if i were gonna wear one
i would definitely choose this style!!!

tokyo design centre...gotanda

gotanda is not an upmarket trendy area

in fact parts of it are a bit seedy
.................................
so i wonder why
it was chosen as the site
for the tokyo design centre
.......................................................................

it is an interesting exposed-concrete building
by an italian architect mario bellini

it houses a restaurant, coffee shop, offices,
bookshop and showrooms

plus a beautifully-landscaped garden

............................................................................

but it looks a bit out-of-place
amongst this mish-mash of buildings
and fronting onto a busy road

.........................................................................

but i am glad to have it in my area
and i like the horse!!!