The last month of 2021 was a busy one for us here in Tokyo – finishing up our work before the Christmas break. In contrast to that, it’s been so nice to have some time to relax and unwind during the holidays. I’ll do a little round-up of the year soon, but in the meantime enjoy these pics from sunny Tokyo – virtually every day has been filled with beautiful, bright blue skies.
December is the peak of the Autumn colours in Tokyo, and we got to enjoy lots of red. 
The temple on fire with colour 
7am and already lots of people about 
Just a few days ago at another temple in Yanaka, east Tokyo 
Wandering aimlessly, somewhere in Shinagawa ward. 
A higgledy-piggledy Chinese restaurant sitting on a street corner 
Lots of bonsai plants sitting outside a house in the sun 
Nice vibes in Yanaka – the florist spilling out onto the street 
And old-school mom-and-pop shop in Shimokitazawa, my old hood. 
Soup curry! Deep fried chicken and lots of vegetables sitting in a steaming hot curry soup. I got the original base… 
While Mrs. IKIMASHO went for the mild coconut 
Little daruma dolls masked up in the restaurant window 
While different dolls in our house get ready for Christmas 
Watching Home Alone with pizza on Christmas Eve 
Followed by turkey dinner on Christmas Day 
A poster at the train station advertising Gari Gari Kun, Japan’s most famous ice lolly. Loved the cuteness! 
Blue skies on every hill… 
Every corner… 
And every alleyway. 
Enjoying some downtime in a coffee shop with a new book 
A quiet Japanese lunch 
We took a short trip out to Odaiba, a man-made island in Tokyo Bay 
I made friends with an Android at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation 
And enjoyed looking at old cars in the History Garage – a place where historic cars from all over the world are gathered together. 
Colours on the streets… 
And New Year decorations hanging on each door in the suburbs 
Wishing you all a wonderful 2022 
And a peaceful year ahead
IKIMASHO! 
Thank you for your posts, I enjoy looking at each and every photo.
While being a short-term visitor on many occasions I do like to wander the back streets of Tokyo and elsewhere.
And Shimokitazawa: I randomly turned up there on the last afternoon of my last trip, and fell into the local shrine festival. It was great!
Thanks so much for reading and following – so glad you got to experience a matsuri in Shimo as well 🙂 Have a great year ahead and maybe you can visit Japan again soon!