Jiyugaoka, one of nice and cozy areas in Tokyo, has been loved by people of all ages for many years. It is said that the name Jiyugaoka was named before the World War II and even today it has been still kept by the residents. Now, the town welcomes its visitors with a lot of fancy shops, boutiques, cafes and restaurants in addition to old-established shops. This time we could find not only wonderful spots but also encountered with some warm-hearted Jiyugaoka residents.
One chilly afternoon in late November, our half-day exploration began from the main exit (Shomen-guchi) of Jiyugaoka Station. There was a huge shopping street with variety of local shops, restaurants, bars and pubs on the right side. When we passed the bus station, we found a shop called ha-na, which has nice and unique household goods.
After looking at some lovely stuff at ha-na, we entered a small alley on the left side of the street. When we were feeling so hungry, we finally got to SODA café, providing delicious lunch at reasonable prices. The interior of the cozy cafe was also as nice as the meals.
There was another nice shop called COUNTRY SPICE at the opposite side of the café. We found a lot of American antiques and country collections. It may be great idea to visit this shop before Christmas and get some beautiful Christmas decorations.
1:45 P.M.Next, we were headed to People Tree, a Fair Trade and Ecology shop. There we saw clothes made of environmentally-friendly materials such as organic cottons and natural dyes. We also found two good stores on the way, called smart and BATH. At BATH you can find many colorful custom-made shoes.
By the way, if you turn right at the corner of the building of BATH, you will find a nice wine shop called Vinos Yamazaki and Hawaiian Nail Salon KOKO on your left.
There is also a great Irish pub on the second floor of a pink building on your right. You will also find a small cafe called Pousse Cafe on the other side of the pub, where you can bring your dog.
2:30 P.M.After we enjoyed shopping at People Tree, we found an old-established shop called Tozandou, where you can ask the owner to write words on whatever you want with waterborne paint. The peaceful and warm-hearted owner Mr. Yamada said that foreign customers often get one as a gift when they go back to their home countries.
3:00 P.M.Since we became a bit hungry after walking, we decided to take a rest at LADERACH, having some tasty Swiss chocolates. There is also a cool American bar next to the building, so if you go there in the evening, you should check it out, too!
Now we came back to the neighbourhood of Jiyugaoka station. We found a liquor shop called Yamaya, where you can buy original Shochu bottles. They offer a service with which you can put your own messages on the label of the liquors.
4:00 P.M.Walking along Jiyu-Dori we finally arrived at Namco's Jiyugaoka Sweets Forest, whose building was beautifully decorated with Christmas illuminations. When we stepped in the sweets forest, we felt like we were in an amusement park! This is one of the places you should visit during Christmas season!!
