Gakugeidaigaku

Oooo I love Gakuegeidaigaku.
Even saying it out loud is fun. Go on. Try it. Gaku-gei-dai-gaku. You love it!
Okay I promise this is my last Toyku Toyoko Line suburb! And what a goodie to end on!
Gakugeidaigaku is a quiet little suburban town with lots of winding alleyways dotted with mikan trees, a second hand bookshop or two, one of Tokyo's hippest hotels, and of course no town would be Hello-Sandwich-Fan-Club complete without some lovely zakka shops! Best yet, Gakugeidaigaku is mamachari-riding distance from Nakameguro, Jiyugaoka and Shibuya. Hello Perfect Suburb!



Pretty Hiki-chan!


Claska rooftop





It helped that I had the best Gakugeidaigaku tour guide ever who took me to the wonderful Baden Baden Interior shop.

BADEN BADEN
2-31-7 Chuo-chu, Meguro-ku







Hiki-chan also took me to best second hand book shop where I got Banana Yoshimoto + Yoshitomo Nara's Argentine Hag book and one of Ryoji Arai-san's children's book for less than $15AUD. ありがとう　ひきーちゃん！



You will love Gakugeidaigaku I'm sure!
Love Love
Hello (omote)Sando
xxx

Jiyugaoka

Another favourite suburb on the Tokyu Toyoko Line (which is fast becoming my new favourite train line after the JR Yamanote-sen) is Jiyugaoka.

I met here recently with Hiki-chan of Jollygoo blog who was kind enough to take me on a wonderful zakka and craft store tour of this sweet little town. Hiki-chan later emailed me personalised 'Hello Sandwich Jiyugaoka Zakka Tour' map pin pointing all of the shops we visited! Ooo what a sweetheart she is! (ありがとう　ひきーちゃん！）

To live in Jiyugaoka, as my friend Martin puts it, you have to be 40+, have a small dog, and like French style! There are also some other areas of Jiyugaoka that cater for a younger market. Plus the zakka shops and cafes here are to die for!





CAFE IKANIKA
6-40-7 Todoroki Setagaya-ku

My favourite part of the Hiki-chan / Hello Sandwich special tour was a delicious lunch at one of Hiki-chan's favourite Tokyo cafes. Ikanika cafe is owned by a lovely husband and wife team and is such a delightful option for lunch. Sweet soft music, Japanese natural style interior, and delicious, beautifully presented teishoku lunch sets. You can see more photos of Ikanika taken by Hiki-chan and her amazing camera here.





Ikanika cafe dry their vegetables outside by sunlight every day.








Joel does this look familiar?

I would really recommend stopping by Jiyugaoka if you are in the area!

Love Love
Hello Sando
xxx

I Love Zakka Home

I hope you won't mind if I take a little break from the Sneak Peek Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide posts to show you this lovely Japanese interior magazine. This issue of 'I Love Zakka Home' has an Eastern European retro style focus. Oooo can I please move in?

Kichijoji and Koenji

Kichijoji and Koenji are two quaint little Western-Tokyo suburbs just 10 minutes apart from each other by train. Spend the afternoon wondering through their little alleyways, sipping your vending machine hot green tea as you go along (and a sneaky Pocky or two!), and enjoy discovering charming little shops tucked deep within each little lane. Koenji is great for second hand and vintage clothing stores, live music venues and thrift stores, and Kichijoji is a homewares + zakka-lovers haven. Miyazaki fans will not want to miss the Studio Ghibli museum tucked in the west garden of Inokashira Park in Kichijoji. Both suburbs are packed with kawaii cafes and cheap and cheerful restaurant options so it's super easy to make a day (and night) out of it.























All images above: Hattifnatt Cafe

HATTIFNATT CAFE
2-18-10 Koenji kita, Suginami-ku

Duck as you enter through the teeny tiny kids size door into this tree-house-themed cafe in Koenji. Hattifnatt cafe is sure to bring out your inner child with it's hand painted forest wall murals and loft style tree house dining area. Adorable too, are the hand crocheted stool covers and blanket stitched fabric menu. My advice? Try the Avocado Taco Rice.





TOO TICKI
2-18-11 Koenji kita, Suginami-ku

Next door to Hattifnatt cafe, and ran by the same clever team, is a sweet little craft shop called Too Ticki. Here you can pick up treasures such as patchwork pencil cases, hand carved stamps, button hair clips and hand printed cards handmade from all around the world. Shop layout...think cubby holes!










IL CAFE
2-8-2-3F Honcho, Musashino-shi, Kichijoji

An afternoon Baileys coffee at Il Cafe? Onegaishimasu~! Also pop on down to the 2F for a peek in the mini zakka shop and sister cafe Il Cappetit. You will love their very Japanese hand-illustrated menu and menu board!







Also worth visiting: Karel Capek Teatime Shop, Cafe Apartment (a cute cafe based on a 1DK Japanese apartment) and Wickie homewares + zakka shop. More information about these will be in the Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide which will be launched at the MCA Zine Fair this May!




Thank you so much for your interest in the Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide everyone! I can't wait to show you!

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xxx