As rainy season came to an end, the hydrangeas popped and signalled the start of summer. 
The warmer weather meant evening strolls by night… 
And finding pockets of shade during the day. 
Of course, there was always time for gyoza – these ones from Gyoza no Fukuho in Shinjuku. 
Cooling down in the sea at Isshiki Kaigan in Hayama… 
And with a peanut butter ice lolly. Actually, the jury is still out on this one as it is in my freezer and I haven‘t eaten it yet! 
After taking the shinkansen up to Sendai we were greeted by these colourful tanabata decorations in the station 
Rice fields from the shinkansen window 
The sound of the summer – a cicada having a break in the sun. 
It was Mrs IKIMASHO’s birthday so I treated her to afternoon tea at the Park Hyatt. High-class food… 
And views! 
Another Tokyo view, this time from over in Toranomon 
We had some nice sushi… 
And a lovely lunch in Yoyogi Hachiman. How could you not fall in love with this presentation? 
A portable shrine, glowing at dusk, waiting to be carried during a local festival 
The shrine being carried across the road. I loved how they stopped the traffic, causing a bit of a traffic jam! 
The curves of the new Azabudai Hills complex, due to open next month. The new Mori building also standing in the distance, covered in cloud. 
Daily comings and goings on a Saturday morning over in Yoyogi Uehara, including some workers putting up a string of lanterns. 
Left or right, there’s always an adventure to be had 
We took a day trip out to Kamakura where we saw lots of trees… 
And lots of large joro spiders 
We followed this river valley back to the start of one of the trails. There was a nice dense view of forest, and we also saw a snake! 
Amazing falafel, hummus and pumpkin soup from Ta-im in Ebisu. I got a lamb dish and it was also superb. 
While we didn’t eat here (not a huge fan of tonkotsu ramen myself) this shopfront is a bit of a Shibuya icon and I always like to pass by it when I’m in the area. At night it gives off distinct Blade Runner vibes. 
Another day, another train 🙂 
Where we met some friends over in Ryogoku, famous for its sumo training stables 
Down the street from me I saw this guy washing his car. I thought it looked beautiful so I Googled it. It’s a Toyota 2000GT and apparently these things sell for 1 million USD! 
This street was filled with so many shapes to see… 
While this one was simply content to have a nice long soak in the rain 
Peaceful mornings filled with birdsong and stillness 
A nice little scene of a kimono shop watching the world go by 
We ventured out at night for the Oeshiki festival in Ikebukuro. We had never been to this one before, featuring groups of people carrying big lanterns called mando which are beautifully decorated. 
Down a side street, a little temple was illuminated created an atmospheric mood. 
Mando waiting to be carried. 
They paraded down the streets accompanied by people beating drums and playing traditional music. 
We had a nice summer and hope you had one too!
IKIMASHO! 
I loved each and every photo with commentary.
Stunning pictures and stunning places. Thanks for sharing these memories! ☀️