Two Sundays in Kichijoji

One of our favorite new places to hang out is Kichijoji. Special thanks to Tazuko and Keiichi for inviting us out to lunch with them in this happening neighborhood. Here we all our outside the Village Vanguard Diner.  Tazuko and Keiichi were craving burgers so they chose the place.  You would think from the signage visible in the photo that we were in the States.  

Elsewhere in Kichijoji this is not the case.  While we saw a couple of expats here and there, it is primarily Japanese and has a youngish, mellow, everyday sort of vibe.  There is a nice big park with a small lake and swan boats and row boats to rent.  There are also random entertainers along the path doing magic tricks, playing instruments or doing any sort of amateur acts.  There is also a zoo attached that we explored during our second visit to the area.  As far as zoos go, it was pretty basic and on the old side but we had a good time just the same. Although the elephant didn't look too healthy.

For our second visit, we explored the zoo and stumbled upon a great place for brunch.  Here is a photo of Rich and Max enjoying their pancakes and french toast (respectively) with blueberry sauce.  And of Max drinking milk and water at the same time.  Notice the yellow mini car below his arm.  This is a new favorite.  

Unfortunately a lot of blueberry sauce ended up on Max's shirt and then on my shoulder in a blueberry embrace.  But I can attest to the power of the Spray 'n Wash stain stick.  It works.

After brunch, Rich took Max home and I got to wander and shop. There are lots of interesting side streets with funky shops as well as larger established department stores. I also found a maze of dark, narrow alleys with tiny shops and miniscule restaurants - just a couple of seats - with mysterious odors emanating from them.

I bought a few random items.  Cute socks, a funky shirt for Max, some houseware stuff.  But by 3:00 I was experiencing sensory overload from the masses of people and shop after shop after shop.  So I headed back to the station to begin the long trek home. That's the main downside. It's about an hour door to door from our house to Kichijoji. And the worst part of that hour is the time spent transferring and navigating through Shinjuku Station and the triathalon of stairs, escalators and tunnels you need to conquer just to get to the right subway.

Still, I'm sure we'll be back.