My husband and I went to Machida squirrel park during the three holiday.

It took for about 1.5 hours from my nearest station, Asagaya to there. At first we went to Machida station, and transfered to a bus.

It was my first time to go to Machida, and I felt very excited.

I checked a lot of information about not only that park but also the surrounding area, and good restaurants in Machida on the Internet.

The information about restaurants is always very important for us.

I usually use “Tabe log” to search for restaurants. Tabe means to eat, and log means a list of restaurants.

I found some restaurants which looked delicious near Machida station, and I talked to my husband about lunch so we decided the restaurant which we would go to.

After 20 minutes, we got off the bus in front of the park.

Wow, I really like such a local atmosphere.

To tell the truth, my husband’s colleague recommended him to go there, and he also recommended that it’s better to go in the morning, because in the afternoon, the squirrels are not active.

The main place of the park is a square in which the Taiwanese squirrels run wild.

To my surprise, we could give them feed which we bought for only 100 yen.

They were very very cute!

But to tell the truth, they were too active. When I made eye contact with the squirrels, they jumped and climbed on me.

They were used to human beings, however their nails were too long, and my skin was scratched by them.

It was very difficult to take nice photos of them, because they were moving too fast.

It’s only his tail.

There was also a big tortoise there, and families, especially children seemed glad.

We bought some cute magnets for our souvenirs.

After Machida squirrel park, we moved to Yakushi-ike park, which is next to Machida squirrel park.

The atmosphere was very nice, so we felt relaxed.

Unfortunately, on that day, we couldn’t see many flowers , but I found nice some photos on flicker.

On one member’s pages, you can see a lot of beautiful photos of Yakushi ike park.

In the morning, we finished walking around the park, and we went back to Machida station by bus.

We chose a Cambodian restaurant, which was called Angkor Thom, for our lunch, and quickly we noticed that our selection was good.

All dishes were very very delicious, and I was impressed by some articles about the history of that restaurant and the owner’s profile, which I read while I was waiting for the food.

She originally came to Japan to study at the expense of the Cambodia Government.

However unfortunately, the war started soon after in Cambodia, and she couldn’t contact her family in Cambodia.

With some help, she could contact some of them, but the brutality of the war shocked her.

She was determined to become a bridge between her home country and Japan.

The food was not only delicious but also reasonably price! If I have a chance to go to Machida again, I want to go that restaurant again, and order another lunch set.

After lunch, we walked around the central area near Machida station.

My husband and I talked about how that area had a mixed atmosphere, somewhere between Shibuya and Shinjuku.

Machida is one of the bigger local cities near the metropolis of Tokyo. It seems to be very convenient for shopping and living. It was very lively in that city.

After window shopping, we went to a very famous stand which is called Syouyou-senchin-manju-ya to buy soup dumplings.

My husband and I were already full, but did our best to eat them!

They were too delicious!!! I highly recommend you to try them.

At first, you need to break the skin of the soup dumplings, and second, drink the hot and delicious soup. Finally, eat the dumplings.

It was our first time to eat such delicious soup dumplings. I think I will never forget the taste.

After eating them, we walked around that area again.

Beside the narrow alley which is called “Machida Nakamise Shotengai“, there are some interesting restaurants and shops. I really like such a town in which the old and new atmosphere is mixed.

Please see this website for more photos of the area near Machida station.

I recommend you to go to Machida, which can be reached by the Odakyu-line from Shinjuku within about 40 minutes by rapid train.

Shakujiii park is one of the largest and most famous parks in Tokyo which I had wanted  to go to for a long time.

One sunny day, my husband and I decided to go there by bicycle.

Shakujii park is a public park in Nerima-ku, and which contains 2 ponds; Shakujii-pond and Sanpoji-pond.

The fountain in Sanpoji-pond is one of the top 3 in the Musashino area.

Especially, Sanpoji-pond is designated as a natural treasure.

From my house to Shakuhii park, it takes about 30 minutes; it was not so far.

When we reached the park, we was very surprised to see many families there, because at that time, our knowledge about Shakujii park was not so extensive.

I remembered my childhood. I used to go fishing in rivers and ponds, and used to catch crayfish with my childhood friends, most of them being boys.

We walked through a place where many families were enjoying fishing,  and came to an interesting rest shop, which was named Oyasumidokoro in Japanese.

I felt nostalgic when I saw that shop, because that shop’s style was from Showa era.

At that shop, we ordered 2 cups of sweet cold sake, which is named Amazake. It was very delicious. I really like such style cafes.

Some local customers were enjoying having a conversation in that shop.They were of various different generations which was interested for me.

and it was interesting for me.

After drinking Amazake, we walked around Sanpoji-pond.

Beside the pond, there was a small shrine.

Shakujii park is made up of 2 areas, and the atmosphere of other area, which is on the opposite side of the road, was different.

That area seemed to be not so special except for the swan boats.

After about 2 hours walking, we felt hungry, and talked about dinner.

My husband wanted to go to the delicious Chinese restaurant which is near my house, however I insisted to eat at the nostalgic shop again.

I remembered that the menu at that shop was interesting.

This dish name is Miso-dengaku, but at that shop, it was called Miso-oden.

This dish name is Oden. It was very tasty, and I felt it had a Kansai style taste.

I

This dish name is Motsu-ni. Motsu-ni is a stew of cow’s organs with a miso flavor.

It was also very delicious. We can sometimes find Motsu-ni at cheap shops in downtown areas.

We really enjoyed the weekend. I want to go to different parks around Tokyo.

Recently my husband and I visited 2 parks around my residential area.

The first one was Otaguro park in Ogikubo.

It’s near to my apartment, and about 6-7 minutes walk from Ogikubo station.

It was formerly the estate of Motoo Otaguro, a music composer and critic in the Showa Era, who was credited with introducing the music of Debussy and Stravinsky to Japan.

After his death, his estate was donated to Suginami-ku, and since then it has been kept up as a beautiful Japanese-style garden.

All people can walk around there and relax free of charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

And if you apply, you can use a tea house to enjoy a tea ceremony. However I guess this service is only available for Suginami-ku residents.

After Otaguro park, we walked around the Ogikubo area, and we found a traditional Showa-style apartment on the way to Ogikubo station.

I like such old style apartments, because when I see them, I feel nostalgic even if I don’t know the period.

Near Ogikubo station, we found a small bakery.

Recently, I’m addicted to eating bread, shokupan in Japanese, for breakfast everyday.

So I have been trying to buy bread at different bakeries near my office and my house.

At that bakery, I also bought bread. But…the taste was not bad, but not so impressive.

I wonder if I really want to try to eat other types of bread at that shop.