Wandering through Kagurazaka
When you're filled with a craving for travel and are a little restless, there's no better way to soothe that urge than to go out exploring. In an attempt to curb the wanderlust, I spent a cheeky weekday in Kagurazaka getting lost in the numerous back alleys and cafe hopping. The district is compact yet big enough to spend a leisurely day, perfect for when you're just looking for travel nibbles. Thanks to the presence of French schools nearby, the fashionable district has a high concentration of French restaurants in addition to Japanese cafes and restaurants. Plenty of choices for me to choose from! Kagurazaka is a short walk from Iidabashi Station just north of the Imperial Palace.
During the Edo Period, Kagurazaka was located just outside the outer moat of Edo Castle. Now, it is also one of the few districts in Tokyo that still has a lot of its historic townscape (which explains the numerous narrow back streets), and retains a fair bit of old world charm. Not quite busy like Shinjuku or Shibuya, nor mode and trendy like Aoyama and Shimokitazawa, Kagurazaka is a comfortable balance between the two. Older folks would be as comfortable checking out the shops as the younger generation. In fact, I saw lots of older visitors checking out the sights in the district when I was there, everyone equally lost as I was (more like they had maps and I was lost).
There is the one main street leading from Iidabashi Station to Kagurazaka and the many back alleys snake their way out from there. Some of the narrow streets lead to deadends, while others continue into the residential areas. I set off in Kagurazaka with no fixed plans, just wandering around and poking my head into shops. In the day that I spent at Kagurazaka, I managed to see two buildings - the Akagi Shrine and La Kagu, a lifestyle shop - designed by renowned architect Kuma Kengo, wished I had more stomach-space to go to all the cafes and restaurants I saw, had a bath at the local public bath, before ending the day with the most gorgeous sunset along the Kanda River.
It felt slightly indulgent to explore the big city on a weekday and I felt sorry for my friends who were at work for a moment (only for a brief moment). But a day out treating yourself is about doing the things that inspire and make you happy, right? Although, I'm not too sure if it helped to curb the travel bug or if it made me want to do this for the rest of my life (oops!)
