Tokyo is not exactly a beautiful city, hate to break it to you. It's dynamic and potentially fun as you’d imagine, full of new things for people who have never been to Japan, and lots of little gems hiding here and there, usually in the form of a shop or small business. It's gone through a lot, as most place, this past year, but it's still one of my favorite major cities in the world.
But it ain't pretty.
It's clean, yes. But it's grey. It's cramped. The houses are compact, and so are the roads, and there may be some nice looking buildings some places, in general, it's a lot of boxes in very chaotic patterns with very little greenery.
That's why I do my best to find little places to escape to.
I was so relieved to find that one of the parks near my house is way bigger than it looks on a map. During the daytime it's overcrowded, but at night it's perfect. We go there after dinner two or 3 times a week, and sometimes I go in the afternoon when it's especially sunny and people are hiding from the heat. I can more about quiet and greenery than I do about the heat.
No other pics of the park right now...
One of the biggest ways life in Tokyo has become less enjoyable this past year is the restaurants., So many started running limited service, shortening their hours, becoming take-out only, or in some cases, closing for good or taking long hiatuses. The choices are disappearing, and given the stress of work and the high cost of even vegetables and meat, it still makes more sense to eat out.
Even before the pandemic, the old local places that serve healthy lunches have been disappearing due to higher rent and the lack of younger people willing or able to start their own small shop. The chain stores had become more alcohol oriented which means fewer open during the day time. The menus have become simpler and less healthy due to the busy workaholics not prioritizing their health.
Today I felt blessed to find a restaurant in Akihabara that I had passed by many many times, but overlooked. It isn't local, but it sure did feel fancy for the cost. For just $10, just $2-3 more than the average cost of a meal outside, I can get a delicious and healthy set with balanced ingredients, a free coffee, and the sound of birds on a speaker and REAL running water.
I'm not usually a sucker for fancy places, but for the cost and given the location (a huge business and tourism center), and the fact that it was empty at 2 PM.....Check this place out!
The water was so loud, I love it
Pork and miso with cold soba, pickles, miso and egg custard hiding under a lid
There are lots of places like this in Tokyo, but most are outside of my current budget (about twice the price). They often require you to buy drinks and serve small portions. Most of them used to have cheaper and more filling lunch sets like this place, but I hardly see anywhere like that now, at least no where particularly good. I was so incredibly happy to find this today, because good food and nice atmosphere are two of the things that made me excited to come back to Japan.
I also make a point to walk down certain side roads that have unique old houses or small bamboo forests or places with older buildings. This kind of atmosphere brings me a sense of peace, and I love the contrast between city and country that doesn't become bland suburbia. These buildings are becoming incredibly rare, but I managed to find a few :
This is walking distance from my house. A dirt road in Tokyo!? There are two private houses and a tiny block large reservation on this road that is off limits. I still like to walk down this road just to forget I'm in the city for a minute and half. I hope the locals don't mind.
This one was a 20 minute walk from a nearby station. It won't be long before they tear it down, as no one lives there, but I'm glad it's still there.
I hope to move somewhere with more nature soon, but I want to find a place with a community that I can play with, and close enough to a city. First I need to get my business up and running which, due to health reasons, has taken way longer than I had hoped, but I am still working on it. I really hope that within a year, I can start exploring quieter areas and find a place to turn into a permanent base so that I can spend half the year as a digital nomad, running my business remotely whenever possible.
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