Vegetarian in Tokyo: Deva Deva (Kichijoji)

Even as a vegetarian, sometimes you just want to sink your teeth into something burger-like and protein-packed. In Japan veggie burgers and other TVP based faux-meat products are hard to find, so when the cravings get overwhelming I jump on the Inokashira line to Kichijoji, and head to Deva Deva.

 They cater both to vegans and vegetarians (a bonus, as I find myself becoming increasingly picky about animal products with age), and their fried 'chicken' burger is a work of art. Even Matcha-kun, who does still eat meat (although considerably less so, as my cunning plan to convert him seems to be working, whahaha!), is a big fan. Stick with the burgers, salads and desserts, as the pizzas are a bit more hit or miss.

Better Late Than Never

As a koyo freak, I was a little disappointed to be away from Tokyo for the peak of the season. But I was lucky enough, after much careful koyo-stalking, to get one golden afternoon with the leaves.

 

The first attempt was not entirely successful, when I coerced Matcha-kun into an overly early, rain drenched walk in Shinjukugyoen... very little colour, but a rather unique chance to have a 'kashikiri koen' (private park).

Kichijouji is slightly colder than the rest of Tokyo, so the leaves in Inokashirakoen change colour earlier than their more centrally located cousins.

 It was predicatably crowded, and many fine examples of 'girl-rowing-boat-while-boyfriend-looks-on-boredly' were on display. Still, it is so pleasant to lounge on a bench with a cup of hot tea, under a golden canopy, and watch the swan boats go by.

My apologies for this seasonally inappropriate post, but it is hard to repress a koyo obsession. Stay tuned for exciting adventures in Nagano!

Ladies Who Lunch: Kagurazaka and Kichijouji

Two of my lovely friends from Kobe came up to Tokyo for the last couple weekends, and as they are new to the city, I tried to tailor each lunch date to their personalities and interests. 

Pari-chan speaks fluent French and is always dressed to the nines with 6 inch heels, so I thought Kagurazaka would be a good choice. We both showed up in similar coral dresses and nude heels (great minds think alike!). After a quick wander, and a brief visit to the cheese shop, we had lunch at Creperie La Bretagne. The bretonne-style crepes are indeed very good and crispy, especially the type with onions, although the price is a little high... but then again, it is Kagurazaka, and the charming French-speaking waiters were extremely nice. 

Squirelled away in the streets behind the station is Clasi.co Shoten, a quirky second-hand bookstore. They have an interesting selection, with a lot of art and food tomes, and a small section where you can get one, two or three books for 500 yen!

Aki-chan, who calls me her older sister, is always fun and interested in odd things, so we went all the way to Kichijouji to have awesome vegetarian burgers as Deva Deva. The burgers were highly satisfying, with a whole series to choose from, and the pizza and curries also looked really good. They also have organic gingerale, which is perfect on a warm Tokyo day. We wandered through the streets looking at the cute purses, graffiti and plant stores, before heading for Inokashira Koen.

There is a little coffee shop in the middle of the park, which also offers fresh banana milkshakes, yum! Kichijouji is somewhere you can spend an entire day wandering, and it is just a couple kilometre walk to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.