With February already here, it’s time for me to reflect a little on January – a month that seemed to go on forever, and yet ironically one that also passed by so quickly. January is normally a time for resolutions and looking forward, but when all is said and done, these are not normal times. This time last year, COVID-19 was virtually an unknown entity. But now here we are, with over 100 million confirmed cases and 2 million dead.
There is no denying that the world has changed so much in such a short space of time. And yet, despite this uncertainty and upheaval, I take comfort in the fact that some things never change. The trees in the park… the clouds in the sky… blissfully unaware of what’s going on all around them.
For us, January was a quiet enough month in Tokyo – wandering neighbourhoods old and new, making the most of the sunny mornings, then hibernating at night. Nearly every day we were treated to skies painted a deep, intense blue. I hope you get a sense from these photos what quiet, suburban life in Tokyo can be like – and I hope you had a nice January too.
Justin / IKIMASHO xย
One of our plants was getting too big for its pot, and so it was time to give it a new home. The roots had totally moulded themselves into the pot making this job a bit of a nightmare. I’m glad to say the plant seems happy in its new home ๐
Starting off 2021 under clear blue skies…. 
And a rainbow of drinks in a vending machine. 
Neglected and forgotten, the building still stands tall, proud of who she is 
We took a trip to Yanaka! It had been a while since we were out in this part of the city. 
Old-style clothes… 
Old-style shopfronts… 
And an old-style vibe all round 
After delivering his letters, the postmen stops off for a refreshing drink 
The last of the leaves fall from the trees… 
While the next day, the first raindrops of January fall from the sky 
Spotlessly clean 
Dressed in matching yellows, and taking the Chuo line 
To Nakano, and it’s unique covered arcade 
Wandering the backstreets we see sumo wrestlers… 
Geometric buildings… 
And a tanuki racoon with balls. Literally. 
The squares of the cobbled streets stretch out before us 
While at home we are preoccupied with squares of a different kind. We have been enjoying chess – no doubt like many others after watching The Queen’s Gambit 
The sky, vending machines and traffic lights happy in their matching outfits 
Clear streets
And clear train platforms 
Every street an adventure 
With lots to see 
Stay safe, everyone! Thanks for always following
IKIMASHO! 
Lovely shimatachi vibes in this post. Makes us miss Tokyo even more. Thanks for sharing!
it’s so nice to see Tokyo by this day-to-day perspective ๐ thanks for sharing your experience there! stay safe and greetings from Portugal ๐ PedroL
Thanks for the great photos giving me an insight into Tokyo. We have covered arcades here in Cardiff which are attractive but not brightly coloured in the same way. I like the spotlessly clean underground and the station platforms.
Thank you for your photos of Tokyo life. We have covered arcades in Cardiff which are attractive but not brightly coloured in the same way. I like the spotlessly clean underground trains and stations.
How i miss Japan..we missed our trip last year 2020 because of the covid…i miss the clean street, riding the train,the food, the smell.of japan and the most
especially i miss my mom who worked there in Japan.
I love Japan! These pictures sure gives good feelings. I play an online mmorpg which is the best Japanese vibe I can have, it even has Tokyo map. Well, I don’t know Japanese language to think about visiting or moving there but in next life I wish I was born as a male Japanese in Japan as a samurai haha ๐ Please do check out my website for info on the virtual Japan!
Glad to see this type of content in blog form ๐