Snow, Sakura, Strawberries and Small Joys in Between... Diary Entry #10
- Yanka
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
January - Resolutions, Pancakes, and Sakura (yes, in January)
I can’t believe the first quarter of the year is already almost over.
By now, most people have probably given up on their New Year’s resolutions… and yes, I’m definitely included in that group haha. I started the year with good intentions though. My main goals were simple: find more time outside of work to be creative, write more, take more photos (and actually post them), and take better care of what I eat.
So… how is it going?
Well, I still work a lot. And I’ve realized that I tend to find joy in my life through food.. especially desserts. Because sometimes, that little sweet rush is exactly what you need to keep going. And honestly, that’s exactly how my year started too.
With strawberry pancakes.
Not just any pancakes, but the famous fluffy Japanese ones. The kind that jiggle when they arrive at your table and look almost too cute to eat. I’m not even sure if these exist outside of Japan, but I’ve never had anything like them anywhere else. They’re soft, airy, and completely melt in your mouth. A perfect start to the year, if you ask me.
But I didn’t want January to just pass by in a blur of work and sweets. So I made a small decision that made a big difference - I took a day off and went to Atami.
Atami is one of the places where you can see some of the earliest blooming sakura in Japan, and it was exactly what I needed.
I spent the whole day walking around the city with no real plan. Just enjoying the soft pink blossoms, the view of the sea, the quiet atmosphere of a local shrine, and even a stop by Atami Castle. At one point, I found myself sitting with a cup of matcha, looking at a sacred tree, just breathing. It felt like a reset. Like I could finally slow down, gather my thoughts, and get ready for everything waiting ahead.
Of course, no trip is complete without dessert. One of the highlights of the day was a strawberry parfait with a view of the ocean. It was fresh, sweet, and somehow even better with that endless blue in front of me. But lets also keep it real - I did answer a few emails and urgent messages while enjoying these views.
Nevertheless, this was a great first trip of the year and I felt that Spring was slowly getting closer.
I ended the month with a small adventure a bit closer to Tokyo, in Musashi-Kosugi in Kanagawa. It’s an area that’s been getting really popular with young families, and my friend and I had a specific café in mind that we really wanted to visit.
But when we got there, it was completely full. Of course.. So we changed plans and just started walking. That’s when we found a tiny wagashi shop hidden on a quiet backstreet between buildings.
It was the kind of place you’d probably never notice unless you accidentally wandered into it. We tried a pumpkin dorayaki, and it was so good that it immediately activated our sweet tooth (again).
Naturally, we ended up going to another café just a few minutes away, where we each got a cake and a drink and ended up sitting there, chatting about anything and everything.
No rush, no plan, just a simple, cozy afternoon.
February – Snow Day, Small Joys, and Strawberry.. Everything
Remember how I said spring felt just around the corner? Well… February had other plans.
The second week surprised us with a snow day. Well, it was not a complete surprise, as Tokyo seems to get exactly one snow day every February. But still, it always feels a little magical when it happens.
And if you love photography, you know what that means:drop everything, grab your camera, and go outside. Luckily, it was the weekend, so I did exactly that. I headed out into the city and wandered through streets covered in this soft, quiet layer of white. Tokyo in the snow feels different, somewhat calmer, slower, almost like the city is taking a deep breath. Even the most familiar places suddenly look new. About the time my fingers started freezing I went back home to enjoy the warmth of my kotatsu.
To change things up, I also visited the Roppongi Museum, where they were holding a gachagacha exhibition. An entire exhibition dedicated to those little capsule toy machines you see everywhere in Japan. There were hundreds of machines, plus displays of some of the most iconic gachas over the years. This is where I discovered a tiny character called Onitsuke - a cute little devil who looks completely exhausted from work but is still somehow hanging in there… relatable.
I may or may not have ended up getting five of them. After that, we stopped by Tsurutontan, a famous udon restaurant known for its huge bowls. The udon here is a little bit more pricey than the usual one, but really delicious and definitely worth the experience.
And to finish the day properly.. a strawberry parfait.
Another highlight of the month was one of those much-needed catch-up days with a friend. This time, we went to Cafe Soul Tree in Futako-Tamagawa, a place that apparently became popular after being featured in a Japanese drama (I still don’t know which one, but I trust the hype). The interior is industrial but cozy, the kind of place where you instantly want to stay longer than planned.
And of course, there is the dessert. Their Wellington cheesecake, which they brûlée right in front of you! Watching it is satisfying, but tasting it? Even better.
Work got busy again (as it always does), but we did something really fun as part of a company bonding activity: art and wine. Yes, it is exactly as good as it sounds!
Our mission was to paint Mount Fuji. The instructor gave us some guidance, but everyone was free to interpret it in their own way with different colors, different styles, different moods. It was actually so interesting to see how everyone’s painting turned out completely different, like a small reflection of each person’s personality.
And I’m pretty sure if we had a little more wine… we would have discovered even more “creative expression”
At one point, after a particularly busy period at work, I realized I needed a bit of iyashi (that comforting, healing feeling that’s hard to translate into English.)
So, naturally, I went to a cat café.
You do have to be careful with animal cafés in Japan, since not all of them are run in a way that feels right. But I found one in Shibuya with good reviews, and it turned out to be exactly what I needed. The staff were kind, the cats seemed relaxed and well cared for, and I spent some time just sitting there, reading a book, surrounded by soft, sleepy little creatures.
Honestly… therapy.
And of course, no week is complete without meeting a friend… and getting cake. Are you seeing a pattern here? This time, I had a strawberry crêpe, and my friend went for pistachio-strawberry. We chatted for a while, then went our separate ways, but my day wasn’t over yet.
I still had work to do, so I headed to my favorite co-working spot: Share Lounge in Shibuya.
It’s a bit on the pricier side for a drop-in, but it comes with unlimited drinks and snacks. And more importantly, an incredible view. You can sit there working while looking out over Shibuya Crossing from above. If you’ve ever imagined “the Tokyo life”… this might be it.
After about an hour and a half, I decided to switch locations and walked over to Sakura Stage, a newer complex in Shibuya. There’s a Starbucks there with seats facing huge glass windows overlooking the street, and at night, the nearby izakaya lights up in warm golden tones.
On days like this, I’m reminded of something simple: I live in Tokyo. Which me a few years ago could not even imagine.
March: Busy Days, Tokyo Nights, and a Quick Escape
March rolled around, and it was… work, work, work. As always.
So naturally, the weekends became my little escape again. This time, we decided to explore a new area of Tokyo - Nakano.
Nakano has such a different energy compared to places like Shibuya or Roppongi. It’s vibrant, a little chaotic, full of life, and packed with small izakayas and cozy cafés. It also happens to be home to the famous Nakano Broadway, a covered shopping street with a colorful roof that makes it perfect even on rainy days.
We started the day at a small Italian restaurant and then walked a bit and ended up at a café called Nostalgia Cafe. It was quiet, cozy, and not too crowded, exactly the kind of place you want to spend time in. I had a chocolate mousse with berry sauce, which was honestly so good, and we just sat there, chatting over coffee and team with lovely cafe jazz music playing in the background.
Later, we headed to a bar owned by our friend called Nekorob. It’s tucked away near the Araiyakushi station, on the second floor of a building at a corner. You have to climb a narrow staircase to get there, which somehow makes it feel like a hidden fort. The best part? It’s cat-themed. There are tiny details everywhere such as cat-shaped lights, pillows, little decorations. And you can try Slovak alcohol there, which felt like a small piece of home hidden in Tokyo.
Another night out this month was with my colleagues at an izakaya called Gonpachi in Roppongi. If you’ve seen Kill Bill, you might recognize it, it’s the place where that famous restaurant scene fighting scene was filmed. To be honest, it was quite touristy.
I’d say about 80% of the guests were foreign visitors. But still, it was fun, the drinks and foods were nice and we chatted the evening away.
Somewhere between all of this, I decided it was time for a small change and booked a hair appointment. I went for a haircut and a subtle baby balayage, and the whole experience ended up being much longer than expected - about four hours! But it didn’t feel long at all. The hairstylist had worked all over the world - Australia, France, England, Germany, Canada, the US - and we ended up chatting the whole time. And if you’ve ever been to a Japanese hair salon, you know it’s not just a haircut. It’s a full experience. The head massage, the shoulder massage… pure relaxation.
At one point, he touched my shoulders, paused, and said,“You should go on a vacation.” I laughed. I know.
And well… maybe I listened. Not quite a full vacation, but I did travel a little, this time a bit further than usual. I visited Singapore for the first time.
For some reason, I thought it was closer than it actually was. The 7-hour flight on a low-cost airline was not the most comfortable thing ever, but when we arrived in the morning, we managed to get early check-in, and rested a bit before heading out.
Singapore was hot and humid, very similar to Japan in the summer. And I really enjoyed it. The food, the city, the views… everything felt vibrant and international. In a way, it almost felt like being inside a giant airport. People from everywhere, different languages, cultures blending together, and endless food options.
And one more surprise - how Japanese it felt at times.There were so many familiar brands - Daiso, Donki, Japanese restaurants everywhere. Even the snacks I brought as omiyage for my Singapore teammates (Pocky, Jagarico, Kinoko no Yama) were already available there. Lesson learned: I need to be more creative next time!
It was just a short weekend trip before heading back to reality in Japan, but it felt like the perfect way to end the month.
Busy, a little chaotic, but full of small moments, new places, and a reminder that even when life gets hectic it’s always worth stepping out, even just for a little while.
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