Getting lost in the sound of the Japanese summer

Last weekend I took a stroll around Inokashira Koen, a park 10 minutes by train from my house. If I ever decide to move away from Shimokitazawa, it will be to here – in and around Kichijoji. Just west of Tokyo, this area is close enough to the central wards to be convenient but far enough away to have a sleepy, bohemian atmosphere. Then again, being only ten minutes away, I guess I can say I live around here any way.

At the risk of navel-gazing, I’m very glad I moved to this part of Tokyo when I arrived five years ago, largely in part to the advice of my friend Vivian. It has such a different feel to the east of the city, and I really do love it. The video below is of the little shopping street that leads down to the park. One thing I always notice, even after being here so long, is how pristine everything looks. Also check out the sound of the cicadas getting stronger and stronger and stronger on the approach to the park. These insects are deafening, but are the sound of the Japanese summer.

IKIMASHO!

Inokashira Park is a five-minute walk from Kichijoji Station on the Chuo Line and a one-minute walk from Inokashira Koen Station on the Keio Inokashira Line.

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