Return to the Sakura of Hirai

March 25th found me headed through Ikebukuro Station.

Where even the plush animals were wearing face masks.

I had been thinking about where to see sakura in an uncrowded place. First however, there was lunch in a familiar place. 

Comfort food time. MOS Burger shrimp sandwich. That lemony tenderness was just as good as I remembered it.

And the onion rings! I will keep saying that MOS Burger makes really good onion rings. Crisp outside, warm and delicious onion inside. 

So where was I? On a sidewalk distracted by this fun skeleton signage.

I was back in 平井, Hirai.

Where I was last year. Headed to 旧中川, the Kyunaka River. 

With it's wonderful view of Tokyo Skytree tower.

While there were less people there than in some other sakura viewing locations, there were groups and families there.

Still, the views of sakura were wonderful.

And there was enough space to safely enjoy the beautiful trees.

So the rest of this post will be just photos of the lovely views of sakura.

Suitengu Shinto Shrine

The other reason for my long walk through Ikebukuro that day was to avoid Sunshine 60 Dori because I wanted to go to Tomad's. Because people were still creating crowds there. I will have photos in a later post. After Tomad's I stopped for something to eat. This view, I've also posted from here before.

Because it's MOS Burger. A little comfort food for the times.

First time in MOS Burger where the person taking my order didn't understand anything I said or what I was pointing at on their menu. I think by this time many in Japan thought all the tourists fled the country. Although I was trying to speak Japanese and pointing at their picture menu...still the onion rings were good.

I ended up with their teriyaki tempura shrimp on a rice bun. It was different, and good.

One other place to share from this long walk. It is also in Ikebukuro, near the train station.

It is Suitengu Shinto Shrine, 池袋水天宮.

It is a small shrine without much around it, except for lovely trees and these interesting four Jizo statues.

Suitengu Shinto Shrine is surrounded by mostly concrete at the Ekimae Park, 池袋駅前公園, next to the train tracks. The shrine isn't old, having been built in 1933.

The other noticeable thing at the small park is the sakura trees. While most people just walk through the space on their way to or from the station, a few were looking up and enjoying the beautiful trees.

It's not a very big park and there isn't much else there except for concrete and people smoking or meeting up. But it was nice at this time in March.

Au Revoir

It was time to say goodbye to Balloon-kun. Actually, I untied the balloon and deflated it so I could take it as a souvenir.

I had a little time so I went out for a walk. I hadn't visited MOS Burger this trip so I stopped in. Time for tea.

This time I tried their veggie patty burger. Not bad.

But the real reason I stopped in was the onion rings. Oishii~!

Outside the weather did what it always does on my last day. Look beautiful.

I had time for more caffeine at my hotel. Free dark roast blend coffee anyone?

I didn't take photos on the train ride to Narita because I've done that before. I wasn't hungry so I just bought a few small things to eat at the 7-11 there. I should have bought more since the flight ran out of all selections for meals except one, long before they reached the back of the plane. And it was something that was really unappetizing to me. So I was left eating a hard roll and cheese, which I also didn't really want. If I ever fly Delta again, I'm bringing something more filling and edible. The panda cookies were good. The little pouch is something a friend gave me a while back, and I keep things in there for the flight, like a pen, ear plugs and lip balm. It's really helpful.

One last photo, of the carpet at Narita Airport. Since I have ones from the other side of the ocean. It's just a green textured carpet. I wonder if the design is to look like tatami mats?

A Day When Nothing Extraordinary Happened

There was a day when the weather was very hot and humid. Not feeling 100% I decided to just stay in Ikebukuro and do a little shopping.

Pretty much this post is just to document I did go to MOS Burger near Sunshine Dori and ate a shrimp burger and their delicious onion rings with an ice tea.

Ikebukuro proof is the owls.

While not all bought on this day, I did stop in at Tomads which had the Herb time bath salts. The lavender and eucalyptus one is really nice. The others I bought at Tokyu Hands in Ikebukuro.

The other good place to shop this trip was Uniqlo because they had nice long t-shirts and t-shirt dresses in solid colors.

Since this post is so short, I'll share a few food items. Of course I visited Midori Sushi in Ikebukuro Station.

Really good chirashi. Midori Sushi has delicious ikura.

Caesar salad from 7-Eleven! Yes I was surprised that they have expanded their salad selection. Probably the nicest caesar salad I've had in Japan with romaine lettuce and I could taste garlic in the dressing.

Something I received when I was shopping at SEIBU's food hall. I had to wait till I got home to try this dip style Nescafé coffee. Now I want more. Why can't we buy it here?

I'm not sure what day I received my Moi-même-Moitié order. There is a bit of a story to this. Part of this order was for items I bought back in April. But the US Post Office failed to deliver them to me, instead sending them back to Japan. There was no reason for them doing that, my address was correct. They still have not responded to my request to be reimbursed for the shipping.

By the time the items made it back to Japan, I had made a second order of the yukata and accessories. So Wunderwelt and Moi-même-Moitié were really great in combining both orders and sending me everything to my hotel in Tokyo. I am very grateful they did this.

As for the yukata, obi, lace tabi socks and obi bands? They are all very pretty. The tabi socks are very soft and I'm so happy to have the candelstick lace bands.

My first order was to replace my lost Jewelry Roses print fan. Sadly they no longer have these, so I went with the Cross fan.

One other item I received with my yukata order was the Pass Case with Strap. This was so helpful! Unless a person has actually been in Ikebukuro Station, you don't know how chaotic it is. Having my train pass right there and not having to worry about dropping it was a big help.

Like my last trip, there was an evening run to Closet Child in Harajuku. This little Moi-même-Moitié gargoyle had been there for some time so I decided to give it a new home. It was also my dinner companion one evening during my trip.

The real reason for the run was this. A vintage Moi-même-Moitié Coffin Blue Ring. Something I had wanted for a long time but was unsure because I wanted one that would fit my finger. So it was really nice to be able to try it on before buying. And yes, it does fit perfectly.