Night Time Ikebukuro in March

After my long stroll through the sakura, I made it back to my hotel room where I enjoyed a treat.

A green tea parfait. On top was mochi, adzuki bean koshi-an, green tea and sakura whip. Along with a salt preserved sakura flower.

Underneath was sakura and green tea mousse and green tea jelly. 

I wasn't done for the day though. I wanted to try to shop a little. So I headed out. One thing I was trying to do is get photos of some of the Chinese shops and restaurants in Ikebukuro. Since these places are what makes up the local Chinatown in Ikebukuro.

Once again I was circling around the busier areas. This time I went south of Ikebukuro Station over to the east side. Going by streets with many restaurants and bars open, there were still a number of people out. Something that doesn't get mentioned about Tokyo is that a lot of people live in places with tiny or no kitchens. Eating out isn't just for pleasure, but for many it's needed. It's also why people go to markets and combini almost every day. It's difficult to store a lot of food for many people in Tokyo.

It was March 25th and Sunshine Dori still had a lot of people there. Even more over on Sunshine 60 Dori. I had taken side streets to get to Uniqlo. I figured there would be less people in that store than the one in Tobu Ikebukuro Station. I was right. This Uniqlo attracts tourists and there were very few still in the area. I like to go to the Sunshine 60 store when I want to see what they have available. I was able to get a couple of tops, a jacket, casual pants and one other item. I find the clean lines and styles there fit more with what I like compared to what I find at US stores. And of course I also can find them in the colors that I like. So I couldn't leave Japan without stopping in for a few fashion items.

Heading back to my hotel I found...sakura.

While there were a few people out, the images of the shut down entertainment theaters like the Toshima Civic Center were sobering.

A lot of entertainment performers and the people that support them had been out of work for almost a month and with no idea when it will be okay to have live performances. I really hope that Japan will find a way to support them.

While not quite the image of Rikugien's lighted sakura, it was still nice to have a little night time sakura viewing.

I know a couple friends are into Bungou Stray Dogs so I had to take a photo of the poster for the live stage show. I was curious how well they could show the various super powers. Unfortunately, no way to see the show in person.

A night time view of the west side of Ikebukuro that many don't see.

Ikebukuro Chop was still open that night. I hope the live houses will be able to return. They are the backbone of Japan's music scene, where many bands start out, and many continue to be able to perform.

And back to my hotel for my conbini dinner. Cold soba noodles. Not bad. Every time I am reminded that I want to go find really traditional soba restaurants, the good places throughout Japan. One day, I hope I can.

As for that other item I found at Uniqlo, it was this. Not the usual Uniqlo fashion but I really was happy. This fashion was displayed as being worn over other clothing, which is exactly what I have been looking for.

It's actually a nice sheer dark blue negligee that came with a slip short nightgown. Definitely something I will wear.

Milky Way on a Rainy Day

This day was full of rain. So I stayed in Ikebukuro. First stop was Closet Child. I was able to get a decent photo of where the store is, in case anyone is wondering. They still have a lot of clothing but their music section is getting smaller. Closet Child's address is 1-20-50, Higashi-ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, 170-0013.

I went to UNIQLO and maybe another store this day. There are a couple UNIQLO stores in the area. The store on Sunshine 60 dori is laid out so it's easy to see the different items for sale. The store in Tobu Department Store has more stock. While most tourist go there for their collaboration shirts, I have found nice solid color tops and sweaters.

Following that I decided lunch needed to happen. And there was a place I had noticed on prior trips. Milky Way.

Their displays of drinks and parfaits with stars is adorable. Star themed stuff? Yes, I like it.

Upstairs they had an even bigger food display. It's not all parfaits there. 

True to the Milky Way theme, the cafe is decorated in blue and white with stars. 

  The parfaits also echo the star theme. 13 constellations that don't exactly correspond with astrology since they added Ophiuchus, which isn't a traditional astrological sign. I do wonder also about "Please only find your star". I say, order whatever parfait you want. The parfaits are popular. Most of the people there were enjoying them.

I however, wanted lunch. So I ordered the chicken herb pita. 

This was a really tasty sandwich and not too filling. I enjoyed the little french fries also.

For a drink, I picked the "Blue Hawaii flavor" frozen drink. It did taste like a Blue Hawaii, of course without the alcohol. (If they used Blue Curaçao, there would be some alcohol. It is a liqueur. I don't know what regulations are in Japan about using it without stating that.) I liked the star shaped glass. I don't know how easy they are to clean, but they are actually easier to hold than a round glass. And the star shape is pretty.

That was a nice visit to the Milky Way. Even though it was crowded, their servers were very good. The address for the Milky Way Parfait Terrace Cafe is 2F Fujiki Building, 1-12-8 Higashi-ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0013. And their website is http://milkyway-cafe.sakura.ne.jp/

I wish I could remember the store these wonderful large porcelain deer were on display. Usually I take a photo of the sign of the store.

It was another childhood memory. I had these deer in a much smaller size back then. It's interesting to see them life size.

One last place I stopped at before getting out of the rain. Takase Bakery. I couldn't resist getting a few things.

This little pizza bread with cheese and onions was delicious. 

I was happy that they had scones! Really good scones, fluffy and not grainy. Takase Bakery started in 1930. They have a couple locations. The one I stopped at has a dining area upstairs but I did not check that out. The bakery shop was a little run down, but the people working there were quickly refilling the cases because there were many customers. It was obvious that people love this bakery. I think the location I stopped at is at 1-1-4, Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, 170-0013. Takase's website is https://takase-yogashi.com/

Ikebukuro Night

I was determined to see more of Ikebukuro this trip. I headed out even though it was still hot and humid at night. I didn't want to sit in the hotel room. There was more bad news in that a 6.7 earthquake happened in Hokkaido. Very sad and it made me want to be out seeing people living their lives. 

I headed over to Sunshine 60 Street. A very popular shopping area on a street that is mostly closed off to traffic. And there were a lot of people out enjoying the night. This definitely is an area focused on youth culture with various types of amusements.

One place I noticed was Milky Way. 

Not because of the Rabbit but because of these star filled parfaits. 

And lemon drinks. Lemons were definitely happening almost everywhere I went this trip. I will have more about that later. 

I wish I had checked the place out. Something to add to the list for a future trip. 

I ended up at Tokyu Hands. It's a place I've wanted to go to for years but knew I would be tempted by many things there. I was but limited myself to a Rement to add to my miniature collection. And I bought a silk rose. Strangely, most of the roses in their craft section were blue. I figures why not, it would make an appropriate souvenir for this trip.

Near Sunshine 60 Street were these alleyways filled with restaurants. I just had to take a look. 

If my photos look a little fuzzy, it's because of the humidity. 

I headed back to Ikebukuro Station to walk through it to the street my hotel was on. 

And on my way I discovered the Ikebukuro stone owls. The original big owl was placed there in 1987 and the smaller ones in 2006. The statue is called Ike-fukuro, fukuro being the word for owl.