Strawberry shortcake

Blaine and I had our Saturday night date tonight: a workout/swim at the Tokyo American Club, ramen noodle soup and gyoza (fried dumplings) at Shinagawa Station, and dessert purchased in the basement food shop at Wing Takanawa at Shinagawa.

In Tokyo, you almost never see people eating in public, so these perfectly designed desserts are perfectly packed for transport on a train and eaten later at home.

The box:


Inside, there's a small clear-plastic spoon, two cardboard circles to prevent the cake from slipping around, and a small ice pack to keep everything fresh:


And my slice of dessert, which reveals a patiently arranged strawberry pattern within the light, sweet cream and spongecake.


Yum!

Pastry chef

I am editing for Kateigaho magazine this week, and right now I'm working on a story about Tokyo's amazing French pastries. (Which is giving me lots of ideas for sightseeing daytrips.)

Along the way, I checked a website of a top pastry shop in France; its design is very cute, especially when you roam the home page with your cursor.

Check it out: http://fresson-chocolatier-patissier.com/

Sunday in the trees

I woke up this morning with big plans for an excursion: to take the children to the Toto Company's "toilet museum" to see a toilet timeline! (Only in Japan, where there's a museum dedicated to anything and everything.)

Then reality hit: Lucinda and Arno hadn't had enough sleep on Saturday night and were already whining. So we took them, on their scooters, to Arisugawa Park. We've been there a hundred times, but today we found something new.



This was part of (I think) a temporary exhibition of treehouses around the city. The modern design had lovely carved railings and window frames, branches as art on the walls, and a lightweight ceiling/roof. Here's half of the inside:


On the other side was a stove that burned tiny pellets of compressed wood. I wonder if someone slept there overnight?


Lucinda and I went on the balcony...


And watched Blaine and Arno play baseball.

Design tune-up, please

This is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. Using your cellphone, you can check the precise location and arrival time of the next metro bus on any route.

But the public toilets could use some innovation! This is the ladies' room in a public park: you squat down, hold tight to the bar on the wall and go. At least toilet paper is provided.