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TomuuInteresting little spot in an even more interesting part of Tokyo
Jiyugaoka must be one of the nicest neighbourhoods in Tokyo. This 'Little Venice' area is just a couple of minute's walk north of Jiyugaoka Station, going up a bit of a hill, it's on your left off of the road.
It's a very small area but is quite pretty, although coming here expecting the Grand Canal will only lead to disappointment. The collection of businesses here is a bit random - there's an expensive leather goods store (COCOMEISTER) and a pet store (Loasis) where I think you might be able to set and have a coffee with the pets in tow.
I think a lot of people come here for a quick look around and to have their photo taken in the "Venice in Tokyo'.
Worth a quick look if you're in the area but I don't think "Little Venice" stands up to repeat visits, besides which there's much more going on in Jiyugaoka.
CrazydeathLittle Venice in Tokyo
Price: 0 yen
In the center of the popular area Jiyugaoka in Meguro you can find a small magic place, which gives you the feeling to be in Venice. It is a little place with a small canal sorounded by houses in an italien design. You can also find a small condola there.
A cafe and a few small handcraftstores are inside the houses. It is very nice to walk around and enjoy the italien atmosphere.
If you are already in the Jiyugaoka area, don´t forget to make a visit at this small magic place.
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Little Venice in Tokyo
Meguro-kuIn the center of the popular area Jiyugaoka in Meguro you can find a small magic place, which gives you the feeling to be in Venice. It is a little place with a small canal sorounded by houses in an italien design. You can also find a small condola there. A cafe and a few small handcraftstores are inside the houses. It is very nice to walk around and enjoy the italien atmosphere.If you are already in the Jiyugaoka area, don´t forget to make a visit at this small magic place.
Not crowded, love this place.
Meguro-kuThe Toritsu Daigaku branch of Anytime Fitness, is about a 7-minute walk from Toritsu-Daigaku Station. It’s about twice the size of the Ginza branch, but in the free weight area, there is only one bench press, and one Smith Machine rack. However, without being specific about the time or the day, I’ve never seen it busy here. Also, the branch over at Komazawa Daigaku (University) is not so for away, which I suppose helps to spread people out. The Jiyugaoka branch of Central Fitness is also nearby, which I expect gets more crowded.
Photo wedding with Salon de Parure
Setagaya-kuI was sceptical about a 'photo wedding', I mean, it's not really as wedding, is it? That said, if you want to avoid all the fuss and/or expensive of a regular wedding event, there are lots of photo wedding options to choose from in Japan. After a lot of searches and research, we got our options down to two or three 'studios' that could do this. After having a sit down with all of them, we settled on Salon de Parure. Why? Because the staff were friendly and accommodating, their 'office' is attached to a really nice coffee shop in a really nice part of Tokyo (Futagotamagawa), the pace of their operation seemed relaxed, and the partner was happy with the selection of white dresses.The photo wedding worked in three stages; an initial sit down where were thrashed out the kind of thing we wanted with what was actually available, another meeting to pick out clothes and accessories, and then, finally, the shoot.The dress selection and fitting took around 1- 2 hrs. The shoot was an afternoon. Salon de Parure had a couple of nice 'studios' or 'sets' to choose from. They seem to specialize in a kind of homely, natural, organic vibe. On the day of the shoot, we had a coordinator, photography, and hair & makeup lady. All were super friendly, really professional, and made the afternoon a lot of fun. As I said, I was sceptical at first, but have to say I really enjoyed the afternoon.When it's all done, they send you a disk with the photos, from there you pick out the ones you'd like to have put in a photo album (if you selected this option). They then put it all together, and send it to you some weeks later (I can't remember exactly how long it took).Overall, this place is highly recommended for a 'photo wedding'. Not sure of their ability to handle English, but I dare say your partner is Japanese, so it shouldn't be a problem.These things don't come cheap, however.
Great PIZZA restaurant
Meguro-kuAround 5 minutes walk from Nakameguro Station; Tokyo’s best pizza place. There are only two pizza items on the menu here, margarita or mariana. The pastas and salads are also delicious. The restaurant’s winding staircase is completely un-Japanese, and really interesting. One of those restaurants where you could go time and time again.
Cat Café Neko Shiki (猫式)
Takatsu-kuBecause I lived around Mizonokuchi for a while I visited the cat café Neko Shiki several times. It's a nice room with around 20 cats, only 6 minutes walk away from Mizonokuchi station / Musashi-Mizonokuchi station. I always experienced a nice athmosphere at the cat café and enjoyed my time there. Since it's not so well know, not too many people go there. Most are cat-ladies who enjoys their time there. There are some toys to play with the cats and they have possibilities to climb around and hide if they don't want to be with costumers anymore. You also can find manga and cat magazines inside the room. At the entry is a shop space with cat-related articles. The price changes with time you spend there. Minimum is 30 minutes for ¥ 500, however you are required to order one drink. If you decide to stay one hour, you need to pay ¥ 1000 which already includes a drink. It's a better deal. You can extend the time up to three hours. For ¥ 300 it's possible to feed the cats. The cat café is open from Tuesday to Sunday (12:00 to 20:00). It's closed on Mondays or the following day if Monday is national holiday. Find more information on their website→ http://www.neko-shiki.net/cafe.html
