The day after Mizuki got back from San Fransisco, we went for a walk around our neighborhood, Yutenji. Yutenji is just three stations on the Tokyu Toyoko Line from Shibuya (Shibuya is a town for young people and shopping, famous for its multiple crossing with thousands of people...you've probably seen it on a guide book or an image picture of Tokyo). Despite being only three stations away from such a busy part of Tokyo, it is a cute little town with a flavor of its own, with little local shops that have been here for many years still in business. In a supermarket-dominant society like Tokyo, it is difficult for small shops to compete, but here in Yutenji, we still have a butcher, a flower shop, a non-Starbucks local cafe, a general store, a house ware store, a pharmacy, a bakery, a liquor shop, etc. There is a very nostalgic feeling to this town, where people still know each other and say hello. On the other hand, it is also becoming a trendy spot for artsy people, and many new galleries, furniture shops, and restaurants are making its debut in Yutenji. It is definitely an interesting little town with so much to look forward to. I grew up in a more residential and established area of Tokyo, so it is all very new to me and I am beginning to like it here in Yutenji.
The name, Yutenji, is the name of a buddhist temple that represents this area. It is an old and grand temple that has been around since the 1700s.
Anyways, we had a nice long walk around Yutenji. We put Yuuki in the Baby Bjorn carrier so he can face the world. I usually put him in a carrier that faces my chest, so Yuuki loved his new view!
As we walked on Komazawa-dori, we passed by a gallery called Happa where they were having a photo exhibition by Ikuko Soda, with pictures from her latest trip to India. I heard they had free curry and chai but I guess we got there too late.
There was a little shop behind the gallery that had cute little things made by artists.
After walking a bit, we ended up in Nakameguro, the town next to ours. There was an antique shop we had been wanting to check out, and guess what we found!! A baby USC sweatshirt :) I've never seen a blue UCLA-colored USC sweatshirt before! How rare....but it was $100.....couldn't get it.
On our way home, Yuuki fell asleep....he seemed very happy to be able to spend time with his daddy.
