Starting in Shibuya

I think it was November 29th. I headed to Shibuya to figure out where two new music venues were. This may have been the first time I noticed the concrete encased Shibuya River. It's possible that the name of one of the new venues comes from this urban waterway.

From Shibuya I took a train one stop to Aoyama. I was focused on reaching a certain place. I turned a corner and surprised myself. It was the building where the Aoyama Moi-même-Moitié store was. Unplanned visit.

While there are a lot of high end architectural buildings and shops in Aoyama, there are still a lot of older buildings and interesting shops if you walk through the narrow streets. It's always interesting to see design details like the stained glass in the back of this store.

But what I wanted to see was something I had glimpsed on my last visit to Tokyo.

Aoyama's St. Grace Cathedral.

Granted it's not that old, and it's actually a wedding venue not an actual church, but it still has that great Gothic architecture.

Sadly it was not easy to take photos because of all the power lines and there was a couple getting their wedding photos taken, but the place still looked amazing against that vivid blue sky. I love seeing all the details.

My next stop would be for lunch. Still walking along those narrow streets. Another wedding venue. This is the Chapelle des Anges.

Which was right by where I was having lunch.

Everything Salad and their website is here http://www.everythingsalad.jp/. I really like when places have websites and social media. Because I can figure out what I want to eat before arriving. Since not every place has an English menu or people who can speak English. It's helpful even when a person can speak a little Japanese.

I had the fresh salad set for lunch. Those avocado slices got me. The soup was minestrone and it was delicious! They are on Instagram which is where I figured out what I wanted to eat before going https://www.instagram.com/everythingsalad/. And their address is 3 Chome-14-26, Minamiaoyama, Minato City. This was a really great fresh salad. Tokyo, your salad game has definitely improved.

I decided to see one last thing before going back to my hotel. Still walking through those narrow Aoyama streets. A feeling of timelessness with this restaurant. It's lovely with all the wood and green trees and plants. It's Aoyama Torimikura, an izakaya.

Back out on the main streets. Aoyama Dori to be exact. This clock with the astrology figures caught my attention.

I reached my destination. Meiji Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue, with the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery in the distance. I will spare you the image of the hundreds of people on the street and just share a couple photos of the golden ginkgo trees.

Back at my hotel after those really long walks. I was able to see a little bit of sunset with silhouetted mountains. It must have been quite a view before all the concrete buildings were constructed.