Friday, February 10, 2012

Kagurazaka and Iidabashi

      


The long slope between Kagurazaka and Iidabashi station is a treasure trove for back-alley explorers, and one can easily spend an entire afternoon winding about the area...which is exactly what I did!

There are several small art galleries near Kagurazaka station, and we peeked into the Ayumi Gallery, a cozy old house stuffed with watercolors and ink drawings of the artist's world travels. At some point I really want to take a few art classes, and become better at capturing the essence of a place on paper, rather than relying so much on my camera.

The area has a reputation for being very 'French", and admittedly there is indeed a disproportionate number of wine bars. However, it still has a bit of a shitamachi feel, and it is also one of the areas in Tokyo where geisha still reside and entertain. Hidden on the 2nd floor of a non-descript apartment building we found a second-hand kimono store, bustling with little old ladies searching for bargains. The hakama-clad owner was able to unearth a couple TL kimono for me... unfortunately the colours were far to sedate for my tastes.

Down another alley we came across Alpage, which seems to specialize in delicious-looking cheeses and warmed sake... while I resisted the temptation of throwing myself into the pots of fondue, this looks well-worth another visit. On the main road a dumpling store tempted me with vegetable and mozzarella 'man', a nice departure from the usual meat or anko versions!


Each alley and turn holds a new delight, requiring a great deal of walking, which makes one thirsty. After emerging near the British Council (which, by the way, is apparently known as the 'Burikan'... and leads to images of a council consisting entirely of burikko, oy), we came across the Canal Cafe, which used to be part of the Tokyo Sailing Club. While it was a little chilly, in the spring it must be amazing, with all the sakura in bloom. Wandering back up the slope for a second loop, we came across the most modern, stylish shrine you could imagine, a glorious construction of light wood and glass.


As the sun started falling, we dropped into Petit Paris, since no visit to Kagurazaka would complete without some French food, wine and conversation with the friendly owner, Nabil. The choice of wines was excellent, with a decently priced Maubec, and a glorious selection of cheeses... the way to my heart is obviously through fermented milk products, how terribly romantic ;P

9 comments:

  1. sounds like such a lovely area! i love all your exploration advenures <3

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  2. I used to live there! I loved it soooooo much! I hated having to race down the hill to get to the train on time in the morning, lol. But omg the backstreets are amazing!

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  3. Sarah Marie- cheers, you should check it out when you are back in town!
    Caroline- How wonderful, it must have been a great experience(^_^)

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  4. I love Kagurazaka. I went there originally trying to find places that were in Haikei, Chichiue-sama hahaha. But the place has such a nice, light feel.

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    1. Hi Sonna, I am not familiar with Haikei, Chichiuesama, is it a dorama?

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  5. Yes, Haikei Chichiuesama is a drama about an old Japanese restaurant in Kagurazaka. It's one of those "invite and reservations only" restaurants which makes it old fashioned and unpopular these days. It's mainly about the struggles of a young man (I think his name is Teppei) who works at that restaurant who doesn't know who his father is and writes letters to him in his head all day long.

    It's cute. The cinematography is wonderful -- that's what makes it.

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  6. you really know the better parts of japan than I do. I've never even stopped in those places...my bf went to school near there but he didn't say much about it -_- and I read "Sonnaaaa's" (lol) comment and I knew that area looked familiar!

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    1. Hi Monica :)
      I just really like exploring and travelling... however, having a job kinda puts a stop to my constant wandering, so at least on weekends I try to see a bit more of the city

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  7. Hi,
    Really great Posts! I've enjoyed reading through your blog because of the great style and energy, and of course amazing photographs. I have a blog on travel theme. If you're interested, we would love to have you on as a guest blogger.

    Please send me an e-mail at rachna@dtfares.com and I can give you more information. Looking forward to hearing from you.

    Thanks
    Rachna

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