Known as “Grandma’s Harajuku,” Sugamo Jizo-dori Shopping Street is filled with a nostalgic Showa-era atmosphere. As you stroll along, you can sample the famous salt daifuku and fragrant old-fashioned treats, and don’t forget to visit Koganji Temple to pray for health and safety. The street is lined with all kinds of clothing stores and prepared-food shops. The pace here is relaxed, and you can experience the warmth of Tokyo’s traditional downtown neighborhoods and the charm of everyday life~
Sugamo Jizo-dori Shopping Street | Review by Linda Liao
Other Reviews by Linda Liao
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Li-Ka1920
This shopping mall is located in a high-rise tower in the redevelopment area of JR Kagoshima Chuo Station, the gateway terminal to Kagoshima, and offers a wide variety of stores from the 1st to 7th floors, ranging from household goods to fashion, lifestyle and beauty.
On this trip to Kagoshima, I discovered a new mixed-use shopping complex in front of the station called Li-Ka1920. Not only is it conveniently located, but it also has quite a few unique stores worth exploring. The mall is next to Kagoshima-Chuo Station, with retail floors spanning the 1st through 7th floors, so you'll need to set aside a little extra time if you want to browse the whole place. I recommend checking out the food area on the 1st floor, which has restaurants such as Kushikatsu Tanaka and sushi places, as well as plenty of options for trying local food. On the 2nd floor, there's the bakery café Idainaru Hatsumei, a good place to buy some bread and take a break with a cup of coffee. If you like household and lifestyle goods, you can also browse the 3rd floor for practical and cute items. It has dining, shopping, and places to rest all in one, and you can shop comfortably even on a rainy day.
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Mandarin orange picking (Yorii in Saitama prefecture)
The Fupu and Kobayashi districts in Yorii Town are known as the northernmost production areas for Unshu mandarins, attracting numerous visitors each year. There are 12 orange farms in the Fupu district and 8 in the Kobayashi district.
I happened to see in a tourism magazine at the train station that there was a mandarin orange-picking experience in Yorii, Saitama Prefecture. I was immediately interested and invited some friends to go with me! Picking fruit yourself feels completely different from buying it directly at a supermarket. Walking through the orchard and searching for ripe fruit is fun in itself. However, we arrived a little before peak season, and since it was already afternoon, the trees weren’t as full of oranges as we had imagined after the morning visitors had finished picking. We had to use our sharp eyes and carefully hunt for them. Even so, everyone still had a great time, and we went home with plenty of fruit. If you want to go mandarin orange picking, I recommend checking the best picking season in advance and arriving as early as possible so you can enjoy a more plentiful fruit-picking experience~
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Sakurajima Yogan Nagisa Park
Located by the sea, this popular park features a free-to-use foot bath. The natural hot spring, sourced from 1,000 meters underground, is rich in iron and minerals, resulting in a reddish-brown foot bath that warms the body. Boasting an impressive length of approximately 100 meters, it is one of Japan's largest foot baths.
I’ve been to Sakurajima twice, and every time I visit the island, I make sure to stop by the Sakurajima Yogan Nagisa Park Foot Bath~ This natural hot spring foot bath is free to use, with long wooden benches set up along the coast. Soaking your feet while admiring Kinko Bay and the scenery in the distance is so relaxing. Especially when visiting in winter, dipping your feet into the warm hot spring slowly spreads warmth throughout your body and helps you completely relax. What surprised me even more was the affectionate cats that hang out here! They’re like little ninjas lying in wait nearby. As soon as they notice someone sitting down to soak their feet, they immediately come over and may even jump right onto your lap to be petted and keep warm. They’re so cute they’ll melt your heart. Enjoying a foot bath amid Sakurajima’s magnificent natural scenery, with cats keeping you company, is an unforgettable and soothing experience. No wonder I can’t bear to miss it whenever I visit!
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