LUX SUBURB

<Tomigaya・Okushibuya>
With it’s close proximity to Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shimokitazawa, Tomigaya is fast becoming a popular destination and is one of my favourite suburbs in Tokyo. This neighbourhood is dotted with cute cafes, bakeries, bars, bookstores, supermarkets and restaurants, making it what the Japanese call ‘sumiyasui’ which roughly translates as ‘easy to live’.It’s easy to imagine how hours easily pass away when you’re busy exploring all that Tomigaya has to offer.

<Lunch: Juban-Ichikoro>
While most ramen in Tokyo is made with a pork broth, here you can experience a bowl of chicken stock ramen. Simply purchase your ramen voucher from the ticket machine, hand it to Ichikoro’s staff, and you’re just moments away from warm, salty ramen. Part of Ichikoro’s appeal is that it’s reliable, quick and easy, and did I mention that there is an English menu, too.

<Azabu-Juban>
Azabu Juban is a popular area for both Japanese and expats alike. During the summer season the main street is lined with mini booth shops selling local foods and drinks. Not only can you pick up western ingredients here, but you can also find Japanese snacks such as senbei (Japanese rice crackers) or taikayi (sweet filled fish shaped cake).

<Mori Museum>
One of my favourite museums in Tokyo, the Mori Museum is a fantastic way to spend a few hours. This museum showcases exhibitions by both local and international artists.

<Tokyo City View observation deck>
The Tokyo Sky View is one of the best places to get a glimpse of Tokyo’s skyline.The open-air sky deck is a fantastic place to get some postcard perfect photos of Tokyo city. It’s one of the best ways to really grasp just how large Tokyo is.

<Dinner: SOUGO>
For dinner that evening we enjoyed a course meal at Sougo, a vegetarian restaurant in Azabu-Juban. Each dish was presented on some of the most beautiful Japanese ceramic dishes I have ever seen, one of which was a delicate kintsugi (the art of repairing broken ceramic with a gold foil which often makes the dish more beautiful than before it was broken) bowl.

<Stay: remm HIBIYA>
Remm hotel is a simple standard Japanese business hotel located close to Hibiya station. When you travel regularly in Japan and stay at these types of hotels, you are often greeted with a very similar style; a yukata robe on the bed, green tea and ume (plum) tea in the tea cups, disposable slippers and a bottle of fabric freshener spray hanging in the cupboard. The rooms are always clean, neat and simple.

<Flight>
It’s a quick and easy journey by train and monorail from Remm hotel to Haneda domestic terminal. And with the trains running like clockwork, you can safely arrive at the airport without any concerns or hassle.

Our morning ANA flight from Tokyo to Akita was on a Boeing 747. It's rather luxurious to travel domestically on a jumbo. The flight was quite empty leaving passengers with a lot of space to relax comfortably during the short 1 hour flight. There are no in-flight meals between Akita and Tokyo so be sure to pick up a soraben (sky bento) from the airport before boarding.

<Sato Yosuke>
Upon arrival in Akita we were whisked off to a tour of Sato Yosuke’s udon making factory. Here we participated in a short, hands-on lesson about how to make our own udon.

<Lunch: Sato Yosuke>
We enjoyed tempura inaniwa udon at Sato Yosuke’s main branch. The delicious thin udon with soy sauce taste broth topped with delicate mitsuba was the perfect way to warm up after the gorgeous, but brisk Akita snow.

<Stroll around MASUDA, Masuda Manga Museum, Uchikura of Masuda>
After lunch, as snowflakes fell softly, we took a stroll around the beautiful neighbourhood of Masuda, popping into the historical uchikura for a visit. It’s easy to grasp a sense of history through the traditional architecture in Masuda, although I was particularly drawn to the Showa period buildings with their faded signs and retro qualities.

The Masuda Manga museum not only a fantastic spot to soak up some manga, but also a brilliant place to feel as though you have stepped back in time to an 80s amusement park. The bright red and pale blue upholstery was a perfect backdrop to the Akira manga.

<Kamakura at Minkaen Kido Gorobei Village>
My favourite part of exploring Akita was a visit to Minkaen Kido Gorobei village where there was a display of kamakura.
The kamakura were set up on display with rugs, cushions, cooking utensils and hanging decorations tucked deep into the igloo so that visitors were able to enjoy sitting inside the kamakura. At 5pm the kamakura are illuminated with lights making for a photo hotspot.
We headed into one of the beautiful traditional buildings in the village and warmed up by the in-floor fire built into the tatami flooring.

<Dinner: Hotel Plaza Annex Yokote>
When you’re finally inside and warm after a long day in the snow you rarely want to go back out into the cold. That’s why it was so fantastic to be able to enjoy a delicious Japanese meal in the comfort of the hotel.

We sat on tatami and feasted on sashimi, pickles, tempura and a local Akita delicacy, kiritanpo (a nabe containing rice that has been cooked around skewers over an open stove).

<Yokote Kamakura Festival>
Within just a short walk from our hotel we were able to visit the Yokote Kamakura Festival. This fun festival showcased various snow sculptures and carvings, light displays and an array of kamakura. As with most Japanese festivals, there was a vibrant night market selling Japanese snacks and drinks. We kept warm by cradling a cup of hot sake and explored the festival at night.

<JR train>
The 1 hour journey from Yokote to Akita station in winter is picturesque with the landscape covered in snow.

<Akita City Market>
Resembling a scene from Hong Kong, the bustling Akita city market is a great place to pick up vegetables, meats, fish, kitchenware and fresh flowers.

<Akita Museum of Art>
On display in the museum is a painting by Fujita Tsuguharu which illustrates Akita life during the four seasons. This extremely large work was not damaged in the war, and is the focal point of the museum’s collection.

<Neburinagashi Kan Hall>
Next, we enjoyed a special kanto lantern balancing performance at Neburinagashi hall. Trained performers of the kanto lanterns displayed the impressive art of balancing these lanterns on one long stick on not only their hands, but in their belts and even on their foreheads.

<Akita Cultural and Industrial Facility Matsushita>
The building featured traditional craftsmanship such as ceiling beams made from one piece of timber, a craft that is almost non-existent in the work of today’s architects. The windows were handmade retro patterned glass.

<Takashimizu Sake Brewery, Kura tour>
More factory in feeling, Takashimizu brewery was formed when many of the local sake breweries joined together to form one.
The flavor of the local water plays a large part in sake brewing, and it was interesting to begin our factory tour with a glass of local water.We peered into 5meter tall vats bubbling with sake in the making and were treated to perhaps the freshest sake one will ever try as our guide scooped us a taste of sake directly from the sake tank. The taste was clean and pure, and appreciated more than I have ever done so before.

<Dinner: Akita Airport>
Akita airport has a homely and local feel to it. It’s the kind of airport you can feel nostalgic about due to it’s charming, country town like atmosphere.