Calm and quiet place to drink tea and enjoy a nice conversation.

located in one of my favorite neighborhoods in tokyo close to Yoyogi park, nephew is a hidden gem in the residential area ( you can find yourself lost in navigating by GPS on your first visit:-). with a compact space, it feels like walking into the back kitchen of your friend's restaurant for a chat and a bite of what he's cooking. nephew is a happy place to go for a morning refreshment, a cafe date in the afternoon and a cozy night with food and wines. love the vibes and the high energy of the team!

Citylight Book at Yoyogi-uehara is the type of independent bookstore where I would wish to hang every week. It opens in the afternoon and runs through late night as a bookstore, as well as a meet-up place, a bar for book lovers. Founded by Kaminaga-san, a veteran who had worked with publishing industry for many years before creating his own version of bookstore, this is a cool place to browse for new titles of books and magazines of a wide range of genres/topics. The second floor works as a nice study room too. CABO, the mix place where the bookstore is located also offers other original selection of snack bar and fine dining. You can easily drift in and out, encountering interesting souls in the hood. I had a book launch and talk event here in May, 2024. It's been such a wonderful experience, good crowd and good vibes only! 

Staying with DDD, a renovated boutique hotel introduced me to the Nihonbashi area where there is full of beautiful contrast between historic and modern cultures. Really enjoy the convenience of the location. The room is electrically designed that is so warm and cozy. The in-house gallery and cafe are also worth checking! 

Super tasteful place, best wine selection (all natural off course, french cuisine with a Japanese light approach and suuuper nice staff.