This was a tour visit to Umezu's house in Kichijoji. He is the one of most famous cartoonist. The walls are painted in red and white horizontal-striped, Makoto-chan (character of his comics) is on the roof. It became a sightseeing spot in Kichijoji from the day it was built. The dress code of this day follow in his trademark. This house is full of a sense of fun and love for his character.

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! 

Sailosaibin is tucked away on Kannon Street, a 3-minute walk away from Sasazuka Station on the western side of Tokyo. The shop is situated next to a duck-filled Tamagawa waterway and the neighborhood park adjacent bears sedentary housecats. The scenery here is nostalgic and peaceful, nearly hidden next to bustling Sasazuka. It’s a space for us to indulge our loves — fashion for Yuki and books for Ian. The clothing is a mix of things we have designed and produced, as well as one-of-a-kind handmade pieces filled with other designers’ thoughts and sensibilities. Our accessories and zakka are distinctive and idiosyncratic — objet that evoke mystery and humor. We carry a range of new, used, and antiquarian books that relate to design, art, photography, and culture.

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

These are the Icicles of Misotsuchi in Oku-chichibu. They are built up very slowly by water dripping down. The best time to see these icicles is during the coldest part of the year, from about the middle of January to the middle of February. They're located in the in the Arakawa headwaters.