Today I went to Shimokitazawa, often simply referred to as Shimokita. This is yet another side of Tokyo, only two train stops from the Shibuya craziness. The houses are small again, yet the whole area is full of shops.

You won’t find any international chains though. Second hand, mostly – one shop appropriately called Ashbury Haight – then record shops, bars, cafés, restaurants, bike shops… Again: practically no cars.

Currently the area suffers from a major train line project that is being built right through it – actually the once elevated tracks are being put underground.

Unfortunately, that meant the end of the Shimokitzawa grocery market that was underneath the tracks and around them. A black market in the post-war years, it became a steady institution. Still, some of the shacks are open and running, lofty constructions out of corrugated iron.

Maybe it was the unique atmosphere – or after so many months without buying much, I am starting to feel the pull of consumption…. but I was close to buy a great straightjacket! (My sisters would have loved to put me into one some thirty years ago!) It looked so cool, but the price was too hefty.

I spent quite some time roaming through those tiny streets, flipping though records in search of a rare Japanese Madonna 12″ single or the likes, shoes or cool t-shirts…

The area is also loaded with bars and restaurants, most of them were still closed in the afternoon, but the nightlife there is must be cool!

Those places are a real discovery. I somehow expected Tokyo to be loud, in-your-face and simply way too crowded. But there are plenty of places right in the middle of town to get away form it all. I think I could definitely live in Tokyo.