Around Tokyo:
Jiyugaoka

Jiyugaoka was ranked number three of twenty-one best places to live in Tokyo in 2012 and all you need is to spend an afternoon there to understand why.

It will take a ten-minute train ride from Shibuya (Toyoko Line) station to arrive at this city of narrow winding streets lined up with quaint little shops. It is quite lucky to have a place to get “out of the city” so to speak that is almost just next-door.

A walk a bit off the train station south exit and you’ll find yourself in the middle of a central boulevard that gives off a park like vibe with sakura trees and benches filled with old people reading news papers or mothers with kids enjoying the cool winter weather aptly named as the Green street.

The place has been described as having that Sunday afternoon feel even on a Friday night. I can only attest that indeed it felt that way even on a Monday afternoon. We surveyed the streets and went in the many little shops while also looking out for the perfect place for lunch only to find our place back in the boulevard where Shutters and its famous ribs await.

We ventured to more streets after our lunch and found that the area is consistently enveloped by a certain peace and quiet only interrupted every no and then by some hustle and bustle but it’s never of the hard core city kind.

Before heading back to the city, we had some afternoon pastries and drinks at the Jiyugaoka Bakery. It sits on top of one of the buildings so you get to appreciate even more the city’s charm by simply watching buses and people go by while you take a sip of your latte and a bite off your cinnamon.