From Tokyo with Love: December 2020

As December – and 2020 as a whole – slowly finishes up, I thought I would share some photos from this month in Tokyo. While December traditionally conjures up images of cold wintery days, that usually isn’t the case here – with the final month of the year actually being the peak of autumn. As such, we were treated to our usual array of reds and yellows, along with clear blue skies in the suburbs nearly every day. On a personal level, I always find it interesting to look back at photos from the past month to see if there is any sort of unconscious theme running through them. I guess December’s collection is pretty rich, with lots of deep burgundy hues.

Of course, Christmas was always going to be a bit different this year. There was no way on earth I was even going to attempt travelling to Northern Ireland, and so it was a quiet affair at home, keeping in touch with our parents on the phone, much like we do every week anyway. I also took solace in the rather somber fact that even if we did live closer to Europe, I wouldn’t have been able to spend much time with my parents anyway due to COVID restrictions. The world right now is an unusual place, and it can be difficult at times to see the sun through the clouds. I myself am guilty of letting it get to me, but I am trying to stay grounded and just enjoy what I have. It reminds me of of a haiku by Basho:

Misty rain;
Today is a happy day,
Although Mt. Fuji is unseen.

And so, despite the current world situation being misty and unclear, I hope you are still having a happy day.

Justin / IKIMASHO x

Autumn in December
Reds, yellows and blues
Sunrise in the temple grounds
Everything is still
There were clear days…
And rainy days
Whatever the weather, the food was always good. This rich paitan ramen had a thick and creamy chicken broth.
Japanese hamburg steak with garlic butter. The position of the rice and miso soup made me think of Micky Mouse.
A Chinese lunch set. If there’s one food I crave now and again, it’s a trashy Chinese takeaway from my hometown in Northern Ireland. This subuta sweet and sour pork hit the spot, but Chinese food in Japan doesn’t have the same comfort factor as it does in places like Ireland, UK and America.
Did you know Mrs IKIMASHO is a very crafty person? She made lots of Christmas decorations this year.
Including this pom-pom wreath for the front door! Feel free to tell her it’s great 🙂
Oh, this was a nice moment! I was walking about Hakuraku just outside Yokohama when this little shop owner struck up a conversation with me, asking where I was from etc. He was excited to bring me inside and show me his shop where he made tatami mats. He’s 85 and still works every day!
He wanted a pic of us with his own camera, then we snapped one of our own. He gave me a present – a pretty large and random tatami square! I’m not sure what I’m gonna do with it, but I reckon it’d be handy to place in the center of the dining table if we ever need to put a hotpot down on it.
It’s been looking autumnal in the streets…
Yet rather tropical in our apartment
To celebrate the start of winter break, Mrs IKIMASHO treated me to a really nice lunch. The atmosphere was quiet and relaxed, with the staff skillfully preparing things in front of us.
I won’t show all the food, but it was a sushi and tempura course, which started off with this beautiful basket. On the left was chawanmushi, a savory egg custard with crab. Then at the top some lovely sashimi.
Just like the tempura, each piece of sushi was delicately prepared and brought out one at a time. Seriously look at this piece of toro tuna. It was like a piece of art. Best sushi I have ever had.
Akami tuna with a little sliver of kombu kelp – bursting with umami flavour.
The deep red and pink tones continued during an evening out at Minatomirai in Yokohama. We went on the rollercoaster which was probably tame by everyone else’s standards but had my stomach in my mouth!
During a winter clean-up in the house, I rediscovered these photos that I salvaged from Mrs IKIMASHO’s grandparent’s house up in Aomori. On the photo on the left, her grandfather was 29 and her grandmother was 24. On the right, he’s hanging out with some friends. I have a stash of these old photos and find them really interesting.
I cooked Christmas lunch! (Gravy not pictured!)
And this was our dinner later on in the day
Despite the unique circumstances of 2020, I hope you all had a nice Christmas.