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Since coming to Japan almost four years ago (November 6th will be my 4-year Japanniversary) I've lived in various locations. Ina, Omori, Yokohama; but my current home is about 10 minutes on the Chuo line out of Shinjuku in Asagaya. I moved here in May this year, and have always felt quite amazed by how quickly I got used to living here. Ina took a long time to love because of the whole culture-shock, not speaking the language, and dealing with below zero temperatures thing. I still consider it be my "Japanese Hometown", as I have lovely friends there, and always like going back to see every
one, but like any hometown you need to get away. I liked Omori-machi, but I hated, hated, HATED my apartment and the various 'intruders' who liked to surprise both me and my guests. I remember complaining about how much I missed Ina, when in fact, I just needed to live somewhere that didn't make me itch. Yokohama was cool, convenient and clean, but lacking in social interaction once my late-night party girl ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jennarose went back to the US.
Asagaya has a very "downtown" atmosphere, by which I mean that it feels like a small town with a sense of community. There are all these little streets that wriggle all over the place, amazing restuarants (Japanese (of course), Thai, Turkish, Indian etc etc), tiny tiny bars and shops I will probably never go into, and old-style buildings that give the place an unusual attraction. I was talking to a friend the other night about Asagaya, and about how now having such a firm sense of 'belonging' to a place and the people makes it increasingly difficult to imagine a life anywhere else. I jokingly call my local bar my living room, but that is quite true. I can go there any night and there will always be someone I know to talk to.
I also really like it because there's always something going on. Next weekend there's a jazz festival, last month the omikoshi; Koenji is just a 20 minute stroll should you need a change of scenery (or a tin of baked beans from Tesco), and when you want to blow off steam on a Friday night, Shinjuku and Shibuya are within easy reach.
Here are a couple of other pictures, one from the Omikoshi festival the other week, and one from the Asagaya Tanabata festival (which, oddly, was in August, not July).
one, but like any hometown you need to get away. I liked Omori-machi, but I hated, hated, HATED my apartment and the various 'intruders' who liked to surprise both me and my guests. I remember complaining about how much I missed Ina, when in fact, I just needed to live somewhere that didn't make me itch. Yokohama was cool, convenient and clean, but lacking in social interaction once my late-night party girl jennarose went back to the US. Asagaya has a very "downtown" atmosphere, by which I mean that it feels like a small town with a sense of community. There are all these little streets that wriggle all over the place, amazing restuarants (Japanese (of course), Thai, Turkish, Indian etc etc), tiny tiny bars and shops I will probably never go into, and old-style buildings that give the place an unusual attraction. I was talking to a friend the other night about Asagaya, and about how now having such a firm sense of 'belonging' to a place and the people makes it increasingly difficult to imagine a life anywhere else. I jokingly call my local bar my living room, but that is quite true. I can go there any night and there will always be someone I know to talk to.
I also really like it because there's always something going on. Next weekend there's a jazz festival, last month the omikoshi; Koenji is just a 20 minute stroll should you need a change of scenery (or a tin of baked beans from Tesco), and when you want to blow off steam on a Friday night, Shinjuku and Shibuya are within easy reach.
Here are a couple of other pictures, one from the Omikoshi festival the other week, and one from the Asagaya Tanabata festival (which, oddly, was in August, not July).
See my Flickr for a better image.
