Caffeine Cravings

Anyone who knows me the slightest bit understands my attachment to coffee and cafes. Lucky for me, Tokyo is brimming with mesmerizingly beautiful cafes that serve good coffee...and cakes...(these two come hand in hand, you see). I had read about A-Z Cafe in one of those trendy tokyo guides and was immediately intrigued by the Yoshitomo Nara-inspired decor. Nara has been one of my favorite Japanese contemporary artists--I even drove all the way from SanFran to San Diego just to see his exhibition. So why not get on the JR to Omotesando, right? 

True to the theme, there was a tiny room, which resembled the artist's work space, I suppose. You're not allowed to enter but you can take a peek from the windows. I don't think that the design of the place was revolutionary or anything but it felt warm and cozy...but then again I've always been drawn to wooden fixtures. 

Anyways, I decided not to order coffee that day because I was broke and something else caught my attention. Namely this gigantic Macha Parfait.

Another one of my favorite newly-discovered area is Naka-Meguro. There's this quaint little street divided by the most charming river just a short walk from the station. On each side of the street were some pretty inspiring indie/vintage boutiques of the most kick-ass kind. 

It was raining when I went there, which made the atmosphere even more subdued and melancholy. There were lots of cute dog boutiques and salons that only remind me of my lil Timmy. Anyways, look what I found!

As charming as that Beetle Mobile was, I decided to chill at this cafe called ie, which is Japanese for "house." I love the Japanese approach to naming their things--always simple and straightforward. Flower shops usually bear the name of the owner + hana-ya (which means flower shop). I don't know if it would sound as charming in Indonesian though. Toko Bunga Budi. haha anyways...I ordered a cheesecake and iced coffee :)

Naka-Meguro's neighboring area is the very posh Daikanyama. I'm not even going to start talking about how that place makes me feel like a pauper. BUT it's always been a strong belief of mine that even if you can't afford nice things, you can always afford good food. That's exactly what I did one morning when I decided to up my spirits by strolling around Daikanyama. Found this lovely bistro with an outdoor patio--Parisian style. 
Ordered a watermelon-flavored Perrier and Caprese sandwich :)