2: pre-yakage quarantine FREE

1.22.22 - 1.31.22

Hikarigaoka, Tokyo - Ueno, Tokyo - Jinbochou, Tokyo

With this week comes freedom from our house quarantine ~yay~ This has translated to long runs (both in terms of exercise and groceries) as well as visiting familiar faces and unfamiliar places. So! Today I bring to you two areas that are especially near and dear: Hikarigaoka and Jinbochou.

Hikarigaoka 光が丘

Hikarigaoka is a neighborhood no one really knows because it's out in the middle of nowhere Tokyo--pushed to the western edge of the city. But that's what makes it so special. There's a sweet calm where you see mothers biking their wide-eyed preschooler in the front seat, an elderly couple walking hand in hand after a visit to Hikarigaoka park, a dogwalker on their way home from a stop at the local Union Bakery...the simplicity in Hikarigaoka's daily life is quite beautiful. A bit different from the buzzing hustle and organized chaos typically associated with Tokyo.

Fun fact: the Hikarigaoka park (the town treasure) used to be a WWII airforce base, but was transformed into the 7th largest Tokyo park! Fun fact round two: my young unicycle riding days started at the library, which is located in the park grounds. As I've been going on runs to savor the quarantine freedom, I'm reminded again and again how lucky I am to have been able to grow up here when visiting my grandparents in the summers.

Jinbouchou 神保町

Jinbouchou = book heaven. Which also = my heaven. This town, located a little east of the Imperial Grounds, is known as Tokyo's book town, as its streets are literally lined with any bookstore you can think of. Want an original copy of Gropius' Bauhaus Bucher? Want to be sunken in Russian literature world? Want to buy original Ukiyo-e woodblock prints? Well, one has over 200 bookstores for any of those goods...and most stores have carts outside with piles and piles of eye-catching books. In short, I found my place of calling. It's funny because my mother and I would say "it's getting dark...let's head to the station" but yet another storefront would draw us in, and an hour later we'd find ourselves reenacting that same scene.

Final Thoughts

These places are also very near and dear because I got to experience them with the coolest person--my mom. Though mother Harumi has a million and one things to do with family/business logistics, she's been so willing to have fun with me, from going on late convenience store outings to agreeing on a dingy looking coffee place I oo-ed and aa-ed at (but DANG the coffee here is pure and true...they grind and fire-roast the beans for each order.) And getting to spend as much time as I have with her here has me being so wowed by her. Why? Well to list a few reasons...

She is someone who lives out "sacrificial love" and is always one step ahead when thinking about taking care of those around her. She is someone not afraid to laugh at herself...and when I mean laugh, it's not tickled giggles but full-body laughter. She is someone who relishes learning new things and advocating for what she believes in with quiet, but inextinguishable fire. She is someone who will find a bakery, come home, find me, tell me to hurry and follow her, lead us via mad biking through streets to said bakery, ask for fresh red-bean bread since she knows its my favorite, find me a seat so she can watch me indulge in the steamy sweetness of a freshly baked bun, then ask me for a bite.

So yeah, she's a queen.

I can go on and on, but throughout these days, I've realized if I'm going to do one thing in life, I'm going to fully relish being her daughter. And this means I want to meet her with full gratitude, to help her as much as she helps me, and to follow her example in whatever I do. Essentially, she is a powerhouse and if you don't know my mother Harumi, you're missing out. I hope she doesn't read this because she's going to be so embarrassed and make me take it down...so make sure you grasp these words while they're still here!