Tokyo Hydrangea Days, Café Breaks, and a Little Seoul Escape... Diary Entry #11

The rainy season is almost over, which means we are now officially bracing ourselves for the deadly heat of Japanese summer.

And yes, I know that sounds dramatic, but if you have ever experienced summer in Japan, you know I am not exaggerating that much.

As much as I love summer festivals, yukata, fireworks, kakigori, and all the cute seasonal things Japan does so well… the actual summer heat? Not looking forward to it. Not one bit. Every year the Japanese Summer humbles me within about five minutes of stepping outside. Humbles me and drenches me in sweat..

But before we get into survival mode, let’s talk about Spring and early Summer!

Or whatever happened to the last three months, because honestly, it was gone in a blink of an eye.

April - Sakura Rain, Cat Shrines, and Tiny Ladybugs

April still had some sakura blooming, although this year it felt quite rainy. But actually, sakura and rain together have their own kind of atmosphere.

There is something soft and melancholic about it. The trees are no longer in their perfect full-bloom stage, but not completely gone either. The petals start falling, slowly at first, and then sometimes all at once, floating through the air like pink snow.

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This is called sakura fubuki, which literally means “sakura snowstorm” or “cherry blossom blizzard.”

And when you stand there, surrounded by petals flying around you, it really does feel like the Japanese dream many came here imagining. Moments like this always remind me why I love this country so much.

On the weekend, I went out with my friend to visit a very special shrine in an area I do not usually go to: Shimokitazawa. What kind of shrine? A cat shrine, of course.

Shimokitazawa is known for vintage shops, cafés, small theaters, music, and that slightly artsy, laid-back atmosphere that feels completely different from places like Shibuya or Roppongi.

Before heading to the shrine, we wandered around the neighborhood and accidentally discovered a lovely street lined with sakura trees. These are always the best discoveries, aren’t they? The ones you do not plan, the ones that just appear randomly, that are not instagram spots, just a lovely place some people live. We enjoyed our walk through the street and eventually made our way to Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine.

The shrine grounds are spacious and green, with several smaller shrines inside. Not too polished, not too touristy, just quietly sitting there as part of local life. Of course, we thoroughly explored it.

And yes, there were some very cute details, including cat-related decorations =^-^=. We did not miss out on the cat omamori - protective charms and took a picture at their lovely photo spot.

After the shrine, we headed back toward the station and sat down at a café for crêpes and a proper chat. Because honestly, what is a weekend without dessert and friend therapy?

Afterwards, we visited a very interesting place where people can rent a small 30 x 30 cm box to display and sell their handmade goods. Earrings, pins, tiny accessories, small crafts… everything was arranged in these little boxes like miniature shops.

We ended up getting a matching ladybug set.

And here comes my unexpected culture shock of the day: I always thought ladybugs were universally considered cute. Like, come on, they are tiny, red, round, and have little dots. What is not cute about that?

But apparently, many Japanese people see them in the same category as other bugs.

Same with butterflies.

Butterflies!

To me, ladybugs and butterflies are in the “cute insect” category, very far away from the “please remove this immediately” category. But for some people here, a bug is a bug. Honestly, this was one of those small culture shocks I did not see coming.

Talking with a friend and seeing sakura made me happy, and even though work was quite busy, it helped me feel more positive again. The next day I visited a lovely café with a view of sakura trees outside, where I sat down to journal for a while. There is something about writing while looking at seasonal flowers that makes you feel like you have your life together.

..Even if you absolutely do not.

My own late-blooming sakura at home also finally showed its first flower of the year, which felt like a small victory.

But work continued to be busy. There were so many work-related events, and the days went by ridiculously fast.

Many people wonder what it is like working in Japan.

I used to work in a Japanese company, and now I work in a foreign-affiliated one. Of course, the atmosphere is different, but one thing stayed the same: it is hard work.

Long hours, functuning in your second or third language all the time, and a lot of being mindful of interpersonal relationships.

Another great stress relief method is karaoke. 

I went alone during the day and somehow had the luxury of getting a huge room all to myself. Karaoke is not really common in my country, so it is something I learned to enjoy after coming to Japan. But let’s be honest, I am not a singer.

So going alone works perfectly for me. I can sing whatever I want, as badly as I want, with zero witnesses. Honestly, ideal.

By the way, some karaoke places in Japan also offer “remote work” plans during the day, where you can rent a room and just work there. Which sounds a little funny at first, but actually makes sense. Private room, drinks, Wi-Fi, no one bothering you… not bad.

May - Golden Week, Tokyo Cafés, and a Photography Comeback

Then May rolled around, together with Golden Week.

Golden Week is one of the few longer holiday periods in Japan, when several public holidays line up together. The upside is that you get a break from work. The downside is that everyone else also gets a break from work, so everybody travels at the same time.

Which means everything gets more expensive and much more crowded.

So this year, I decided to spend Golden Week in Tokyo.

And honestly? Tokyo during Golden Week can actually be quite nice. Many people who live in Tokyo go back to their hometowns or travel somewhere else, so certain parts of the city feel a little calmer than usual.

I visited a few cafés and restaurants, wandered around, and enjoyed not having a strict plan.

One of the highlights was visiting the new Azabudai Hills complex and enjoying a “sky parfait” with a view of Tokyo Tower.

A parfait with a view.

Very necessary. Very Tokyo. Very worth it.

There is something about sitting high above the city, eating something sweet, and looking at Tokyo Tower that makes you feel like you are living inside a travel magazine for a second.

Other than that, I went to an arcade to try my hand at crane games for the first time in a while.

And surprisingly I still got it. You know how some people handle stress by going shopping? This is similar, but maybe even better. It's not shopping.. its victory! Or at least thats what I tell myself.

There was one more thing I did in May that made me really happy: I reignited my passion for photography.

I went through some of my old photo archives and printed out around 300 photos. I also started organizing some of them into albums, which felt strangely satisfying.

In the digital age, we take so many photos, but so few of them become something we can actually hold in our hands. Printing them made me remember moments I had almost forgotten. Trips, adventures, Tokyo streets, flowers, tiny details from everyday life.

I also participated in a few photo competitions. Unfortunately, I did not win any of them.

But I actually enjoyed the process a lot. Choosing photos, thinking about why I like them, seeing them as something more than just files sitting on my computer… it made me want to take photography more seriously again.

So my new mission is simple: have a camera in my hand more often.

Whether I am photographing the city, my friends, small trips, or even in-house work events, I want to return to that feeling of observing the world more carefully.

Photography makes me pay attention. And I think I need more of that.

June - Ajisai, Festivals, Free Beer, and Korea

By the end of May, a new flower had started blooming.

This time, a blue one - Ajisai, or hydrangea.

Honestly, I LOVE this season and I love this flower.

Ajisai bloom in rich, full bushes, and you can find them in shades of blue, purple, pink, and white. They are the kind of flower that somehow looks even better in the rain, which is probably one of the reasons they are so strongly connected with the Japanese rainy season.

They make gloomy weather feel romantic.

Hydrangeas are also interesting because their colors can change depending on the soil. More acidic soil tends to produce blue flowers, while more alkaline soil can make them pink. I find this so fascinating. The same flower, but different colors depending on where it grows.

June is when when the first summer festivals start popping up near shrines. You suddenly see lanterns, food stalls, people gathering in the evening, and the whole neighborhood feels a little more alive.

One shrine I visited not only had a festival, but also offered free beer to visitors.

Usually, if a shrine offers a drink, I would expect amazake or maybe tea.

But beer? This was my first time seeing it, and honestly, I think this shrine is amazing.

I also did a few photoshoots for my friends with ajisai, and I already cannot wait for next year. There is something so soft and dreamy about taking portraits surrounded by hydrangeas. The colors, the rain, everything feels so poetic.

By the end of June, I went on yet another short trip in Asia.

This time to Korea!

It was my first time visiting Korea, even though I used to really love K-pop and K-dramas when I was a university student. For some reason, I was never that strongly inclined to go, even though it is only about two hours from Tokyo.

To be completely honest, before the trip I even thought, “Hmm, maybe I would rather go on an onsen trip somewhere in Japan.”

But then I went.

And it was so nice.

I tried to learn some basic Korean before going, which helped absolutely nothing.

Okay, maybe not nothing. It helped me feel like I was making an effort, which counts emotionally, if not practically. Surprisingly, in many places we could get by with Japanese. Maybe even more than English in some situations. I did not expect that.

The streets were clean, the food was AMAZING, the cafés were lovely, and everything felt quite affordable.

I especially loved the stylish cafés. And the best part? You did not always have to wait in a huge line to get in. One thing I noticed in Seoul was that even though there were still many tourists, it felt much less crowded than Tokyo.

The most crowded place we visited was the night market, but honestly, it was worth it because the food was absolutely delicious.

I also really enjoyed wearing traditional Korean clothes. If you wear hanbok, you can actually enter some traditional palaces for free, which is such a nice idea. Walking around the palace in traditional clothes felt touristy, yes, but in the best possible way.

Sometimes it is okay to be a tourist.

And I discovered my new favorite drink: hazelnut coffee.

Why did no one tell me about this before??? It was so delicious, with or without banana milk. Having something for the first time made me feel quite excited about.. well life in general. Like there is still so much more to discover.

And just like that, spring went by. The rainy season came and went and now, knocking on the door, is the dreaded Japanese summer.

So let’s try to keep cool with kakigori, enjoy summer festivals, avoid melting outside or freezing in the too-air-conditioned trains, and most importantly stay hydrated. See you soon!