Honestly? I love being alone. I don’t mind doing things alone at all. I can sit in classes alone even if I know some of my classmates. I can stay in my room for a whole day doing nothing but spend time with myself. I also love going out to eat alone too. Sometimes I’ll go around Tokyo trying out cafes and restaurants by myself. It’s just comfortable for me because I’m not a super talkative person and I get to do things at my own pace.
I still love my “me time”, but since the spread of the coronavirus, I had to leave the dorms and Tokyo to live with my parents from April to September. After living with friends and seeing them quite often, I realized that I was able to enjoy my time alone because I also had time with amazing company! Right now, I’m struggling to get past finals, but after that, it is officially fall break and I’m already planning. So friends and readers, buckle up because I’m going share 3 cafes that I really want to go to! Though we may not be able to go now because of the pandemic, I hope I can go in the near future! I also hope this article motivates all ICU students to finish their homework and finals so that they can go out to enjoy a little bit of freedom before winter term officially starts.
- 築地本願寺カフェ Tsumugi @Tsukiji
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I used to be all about the fries and burgers and told a lot of people that I wasn’t a huge fan of Japanese food, but since I turned 20 it seems like my taste buds aged too. I’m a huge fan of Japanese food now, and I’ve started to cook and learn more about it. I found out about this cafe through a religion class because it is run by a temple called Tsukiji Hongwanji. This temple is a Buddhist temple, modeled after ancient Buddhist architecture that can be found in India. It has glass windows that are reminiscent of ancient Indian and Asian architecture.
The cafe serves many dishes that are influenced by the religion and one of the most popular menus items they serve is the18 Dishes Breakfast. It includes fish from the famous market nearby and simple Japanese dishes. Going to this cafe won’t just be fun, it’ll also be a learning experience! It is a bit far from ICU but if anyone is interested let’s go!
- Coffee and Toast Tokyo @Sangenchaya
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Do you see this?! When I first saw their sandwiches on my Instagram discovery page I didn’t think it was a cafe that was posting the picture! I thought it was just someone with a great mind coming up with delicious sandwiches posting them on their own account. When I realized it was actually a restaurant I got super excited because I love bread in general and I’m a huge fan of sandwiches.
The sandwiches from Coffee and Toast Tokyo are extremely unique. Even though they post lots of sandwiches on Instagram, not all of them are available all the time. They only sell each of them for a couple of days at a time and their special sandwiches get changed around, from my understanding. They have sweet sandwiches too, so if you’ve got a sweet tooth like me this is the place for you! I thought that concept of the cafe was incredibly interesting and this store is definitely calling my name.
- the SHEER CAFE
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Have I ever talked about how much I love breakfast? If you’ve read my article where I introduce my day as a dorm student, you probably know that my favorite meal is breakfast. I’m all about the pancakes, french toasts, and waffles. I know I said I like Japanese food, but for breakfast, I am ride-or-die for sweet Western food. This cafe serves delicious French toast with bacon and eggs on top. This picture I took from their Instagram is actually an affogato french toast and I already love it! I’m drooling right now just thinking about it.
I’m also interested in the interior of this cafe because its design is minimalistic using mainly black and white with lots of plants, which on trend right now for Japanese interior design. I have a huge interest in interior design so I cannot wait to go to this cafe to get inspired! Also, if anyone reading loves going to Korea for their cafes, from what I’ve read, the SHEER CAFE is decored with Korean inspired touch so you may be able to feel like you traveled!
I’ve already said this and I will say it again because it’s important but we are in the middle of a pandemic. A lot of people around the world are struggling and fighting. Japan is heading into winter and whether or not that will have a significant effect on the disease we do not know. Although I want to go to these three cafes and more, I understand that I may not be able to as soon as I would like. However, I think imagining life like all is well is sometimes necessary to stay optimistic about the future! I can’t wait for the day I actually get to visit these places with my friends so if anyone’s interested in joining me, let’s go! Also, I would love to know where you want to go so be sure to comment on our Instagram Poll!