Izu-Oshima is a small island which takes about two and a half hours by speedboat from the center of Tokyo. It is 120km away, but still is "Tokyo". The island welcomes you with a distinctive landscape, having Mt.Mihara, a sacred volacano at the center. Travelers will fully realize how small they are facing the majestic landscape of Izu-Oshima.

My friend, Yamada’s house. He is an editor for some big magazine company and he has so many mangas and also has a wii and an xbox360, which is a total paradise for me.

A little island/beach community in Kanagawa, which is about an hour away from downtown of Tokyo by train. The beach there is really dirty but I love the place. I used to work at the radio station by Enoshima as an assistant DJ. After the recording, I hopped on the train to go see the beach pretty often.

If you are into "Midnight Diner"-esque night experience but not into a crowded Shinjuku scale, then this is a good alternative. Smaller and much more laid back.

Another good found in the Nihonbashi area where I usually stay in Tokyo. The sourdough based toast simply stole my heart and inspired me how to enjoy sourdough as a healthier base of nutritious and simple breakfast. It was impressive how popular he bakery place is - long line started soon after the opening time in the morning. Apparently they are one of the local favorites who is well known to the foreign visitors too like me:-) Fortunately they manage it properly to maintain a quality experience. Located right beside a community playground, Parklet also has a lovely grocery inside where you can find their selection of artisanal food and drinks. Will come back next trip!