JULY 2020
July 25 Toranomon Hills
With coronavirus cases rising in Tokyo and other major cities, the government excluded travel to and from Tokyo in its “Go To Travel campaign”.
Therefore, Tokyo citizens stay home or trip to a nearby place during this long weekend. Ｉwent to Toranomon Hills, new business center in Tokyo to find something new. I found new sushi shop there. See Il Fri Jio at Toranomon Yokocho
Classics The Small Luxury
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July 21 Tennozu Isle
My friend Yuki and I went to Tennozu Isle to visit Archi-Depot, PIGMENT and Terada Art Complex. If you’re interested in art, this is the place to visit.
Tennozu Isle has been known as an art island with a lot of street art pieces throughout the district. Bond Street located on Tennozu Isle is a cultural hub, lined with cafes, shops and galleries. You’ll see the street decorated with large colorful murals.
🚆Tennozu-Isle Station/Tokyo Monorail/Rinkai Line
Archi-Depot Museum is devoted to architectural models. It has two exhibition halls. The theme of Exhibition A is “Classic Hotels” (until August 23, 2020). Exhibition B displays architectural models. Reservation required. Admission fee JPY3,100 is a little expensive.
PIGMENT is a comprehensive facility for creativity which consists of a laboratory, an academy, a museum and an art supplies store. The store building is designed by renowned architect, Kengo Kuma and Associates. The store is an instagram-worth spot with visually arresting art supplies. T.Y. Harbor
We had lunch at T.Y. Harbor, waterfront restaurant, which specializes in craft beer and contemporary American cuisine but there are plenty of other options. We had Buddha salad with bread. It was tasty and healthy.
Terada Art Complex
In the afternoon, we visited Terada Art Complex, a warehouse with galleries, displaying the works of some outstanding artists, including Noritaka Tatehana, Junko Oki and Ataru Sato.
Tatehana’s “Heelless Shoes” is his representative work. Junko Oki is one of my favorite artists who “engraves innate stories of life into her works”. She rejects the tradition of embroidery and “the instinctive approach of her works awakens a visceral awareness in her viewers.”
Other works such as “A Drunk Pandemic” and “May, 2020, Tokyo” dealing with current topics are also interesting. It is worth a visit!
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July 18
Miyashita Park, Shibuya
Opening of retail & service shops at Miyashita Park on Tuesday, July 28, "sequence MIYASHITA PARK" hotel on Saturday, August 1st, and RAYARD MIYASHITA PARK, restaurants & food shops on Tuesday, 4th August, 2020.
Miyashita Park is the new type of facility combining a park, retail property and a hotel. Approximately 90 unique stores to open in a Recreational Park and Town Area. Retail shops will satisfy diverse values including luxury brands and street brands and more. This will be a new landmark in Shibuya.
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Tokyo Kaleidoscope, Tokyu Plaza Harajuku
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There was a soggy start to July because rainy season continues and we don't have good news lately.
New coronavirus cases are increasing day by day in Tokyo and other major cities in Japan. Massive floods devastated Kyushu and Central Japan region.
We wish to express our deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones in the disasters by heavy rain and flood, and also to offer our heartfelt sympathy to the people affected in Kyushu and Central Japan region.
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July 8 RINKAEN
RINKAEN is a lovely Japanese restaurant situated just outside Sankei-en Garden in Yokohama. Dining at Rinkaen is a special experience because of the house, garden and cuisine. The old farmhouse restaurant dates back to the Ashikaga Period, some 600 years ago. It was the residence of a Shinto priest and was brought to this spot from the Izu Peninsula in 1930.
It looks like a prosperous farmhouse with rough-hewn pillars, traditional furnace and other kitchen implements and the stately interior creates a mature impression.
The current owner’s grand, grandfather who created Sankeien Garden was a connoisseur of good food (gourmet). His daughter, Mrs. Hara, started a restaurant in 1962 and have been awarded Michelin stars for consecutive five years. However, the owner decided to close down the restaurant at the end of July 2020.
Taking this opportunity, my friend and a singer, Rei Marimura will perform live on July 26, but we couldn’t get a ticket. Instead, she kindly arranged lunch for six of us and we had a memorable special lunch at Rinkaen.
The cuisine is country-style kaiseki course. Each cuisine was served on a low table called ozen. Everything was so delicious, but their trademark, Sankeien noodles were really tasty. Noodles are topped with sliced ham, egg-omelet, shiitake mushroom and cooked spinach. We certainly enjoyed the hearty cooking and the delicate presentation.
