Tokyo Heart

A Jindaiji Sunday

A sunny August Sunday.

10 km bike ride to Jindaiji temple & botanical garden park (the temple was founded in 733 - second oldest in Tokyo after Asakusa's famous Onarimon).

Lunch under a canopy of trees in a soba restaurant that is "hidden" behind the cemetary. Okay, not very well hidden since there is a sign (in Japanese only) pointing to it.  Cold soba dipped in a light soy sauce broth with a side of lightly battered tempura and a plate of oden (normally a winter dish, but good most any time of the year). A cold Kirin Lager for me and bottle of Jindaiji Beer for Madam Wife to chase it down (well earned beers after the bike ride!).

Smoke wafting from the firepit on the trail just above the soba restaurant helped keep the mosquitos at bay - only had to shoo 3 of them away. I refuse to share my lunch - and my blood - with these little bug(gers).

The cicadas serenaded us throughout lunch - the cicada's "song" is the true sound of summer in Japan. The cicadas in Tokyo this year are said to be "kuma-semi" - or "bear cicada" - the largest of the species in Japan. I've seen a couple of them lying on our balcony - they fell out of the trees that front our property - yep, they're big this year!

Took a bit longer route home through Mitaka and Inokashira Park and a stop-by in Hamadayama to sample a couple of Baskin-Robins 31's flavors - also well deserved after the 10+ km bike ride back (at least, well deserved in MY humble opinion!). Oh well, there goes the calories lost in the bike ride.....

Not a bad way to spend a few hours on a sunny Sunday in August in Tokyo.

One more reason why we live in Japan

Down to the garage, into the car, and off to the movie we went. Or so we thought. Turned the key. Nothing. Uh-oh. I knew that battery had been sounding a bit weak the last few days! A quick phone call to the and a promise to come to our place and install a new battery while we caught the train to Roppongi and the theater dealer - see the advantage to having your car serviced by the dealer every few months? And to having a condo concierge so we could leave the key. Home from the show and, yep! new battery installed. Wonder if we could get that same sort of service if we lived in the USA? Sure, there's AAA, but you've got to wait for them to show up, just like you would JAF in Japan.

Oh, the movie? The Tree of Life. My rating - 2 out of 5 stars, but I reckon Madam Wife rates it higher.