The final treat of my bike ride today was seeing this fluffy chinchilla on a leash on a walk with its owner. The cat’s face is hilarious. I had a good chuckle when I rode past. Then I had to go back and ask if I could take a photo.
The owner was very nice. While it seems mean to take the cat on a leash, the owner said that she doesn’t want her cat to just stay inside all day but that letting him roam around is not safe. I think she’s being a very good owner.
Spring is definitely in the air today. It’s a sunny 14 degrees Celcius. It’s almost a shock after yesterday’s cold drizzle. And rather like a ground hog emerging from winter burrows, its time for me to emerge from the mole-like subway commuter existence and travel the surface of Tokyo.
The best thing about riding on the streets instead of under them is learning how the city connects itself in between the train and subway stations. People often compare taking the train or subway to living like a mole, popping up to the surface in various locations, sniffing around nearby places before going back into the tunnels.
There are lots of little gems to be found outside the nearby radius of the stations. One is this granola place on Meguro Dori in front of Meguro Fire Station. Good Morning Tokyo is one of those narrow focus specialty shops that I really associate with Japan. All they make is granola. You can also get a decent cup of coffee or cafe drink. It’s take out only but they have a cafe table and two chairs in front of the store.
Right now I’m soaking up the early spring sun, drinking my coffee, and munching on some really great maple pistachio granola. The granola was about 750 yen for 270 grams. It’s a really welcome break on the way home from my test ride to Hiroo. I want to cycle to yoga class in Hiroo but I needed to try out my route first. I suppose that 8-9 km one way isn’t that far, but finding an efficient, safe route takes some time.
The Spendy Pencil 