{"id":775,"date":"2010-03-30T02:37:15","date_gmt":"2010-03-30T01:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/insidejapanblog.com\/?p=775"},"modified":"2015-06-29T17:37:21","modified_gmt":"2015-06-29T16:37:21","slug":"a-kichijoji-sunday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2010\/03\/30\/a-kichijoji-sunday\/","title":{"rendered":"A Kichijoji Sunday"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p>To stroll around Kichijoji on a Sunday is to participate in\u00a0a Tokyo ritual. I spend most of my Sundays there. Enjoying\u00a0their day off, thousands of relaxing Tokyoites come to wander its park, lake and hundreds of stores and restaurants. There is a festive, albeit Sunday-sober, atmosphere, and for the visitor, some memorable sights.<\/p>\n<p>The popularity of the park and trendy shops help Kichijoji regularly top magazine polls as the best place to live in Tokyo. Most of the shops are north of the station. But avoid the bland generic department stores if you want to see Kichijoji\u2019s unconventional character.<\/p>\n<p>Crowds fill the aisles of\u00a0second hand\u00a0clothes stores selling US import sweaters at triple the price of Uniqlo\u2019s Chinese made designs. A local butcher, Sato, attracts queues of 100 customers all hoping to buy some of its famed deep fried beef mince. At Village Vanguard, cheese and chocolate coated squid is just one of their many curious products.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_776\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-776\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0006.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-776 \" title=\"PAP_0006\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0006.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0006.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0006-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0006-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0006-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0006-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0006-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0006-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0006-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0006-900x675.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-776\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">For the fearless or foolish, Squid, Chocolate and Cheese.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Food options on both sides of the station are cheap, varied and well-advertised. Lunch usually costs no more than 1000 yen. In the last six weeks, I have eaten at different restaurants on each visit, none spectacular, but all satisfying. Numerous Thai and Vietnamese establishments, mostly staffed solely by Japanese, have good value lunch deals.<\/p>\n<p>South of the station, everybody heads to Inokashira Park. Most people amble their way around the lake. Here, you can see children laughing and talking on a rare day out with both parents. Families stop at the small zoo, or the slides, while older people linger around the temple and scenic spots. Couples might hire a boat for a lake cruise, while drunks seem to enjoy sitting on the park benches, slurring.<\/p>\n<p>Dogs get the most attention in the park, from curiosity more than fear. Kichijoji\u2019s dogs wear clothes. Spot the terriers in tartan, a Chihuahua in a t-shirt and socks, and the husky dog chasing the backside of a poodle. They are mind-boggling. In a lakeside caf\u00e9, I recently spotted a bearded collie with a ponytail fringe, eating a scone.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_778\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-778\" style=\"width: 151px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0015.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-778 \" title=\"PAP_0015\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0015.jpg?w=151\" alt=\"\" width=\"151\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0015.jpg 991w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0015-151x300.jpg 151w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0015-516x1024.jpg 516w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0015-720x1430.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0015-390x774.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0015-780x1549.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/pap_0015-900x1787.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 151px) 100vw, 151px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-778\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">T-shirt wearing bulldog embarrassed by owner&#8217;s purple beret.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Competing with the dogs, the park has an eclectic mix of free live entertainers on Sundays. Appreciative crowds gather to watch: a suited white man juggling tennis balls; a pink-haired, pink-heart-suited clown bending balloons and the local legend, an old man in a cowboy hat and leathers singing Kylie.<\/p>\n<p>By the lake, local artisans sell their peculiar wares. I spent some time admiring some knitted scarves before realising they were dog sweaters. Further along, an ink-painted postcard of a pink lipsticked Buddha smoking cannabis made a fine 100 yen souvenir.<\/p>\n<p>If you tire of the park\u2019s bizarre reality, Shinjuku and Shibuya are only\u00a015 minutes on the\u00a0train. And the make believe world of animator Miyazaki Hayao\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.onlineghibli.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Studio Ghibli<\/a> is just a 15 minute walk. He doesn\u2019t have to go far to get his inspiration.<\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F775\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! To stroll around Kichijoji on a Sunday is to participate in\u00a0a Tokyo ritual. I spend most of my Sundays there. Enjoying\u00a0their day off, thousands of relaxing Tokyoites come to wander its park, lake and hundreds of stores and restaurants. There is a festive, albeit Sunday-sober, atmosphere, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2362],"tags":[2534],"class_list":["post-775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-places-and-where-to-stay-in-japan","tag-tom-orsman"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=775"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9122,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775\/revisions\/9122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}