If you have ever been in Omotesando, you will know how crowded the main street can be, especially on weekends. Also known as the Champs-Élysées of Tokyo, with luxury shops and trees covered in holiday lights (at this time of the year) all along both sides of the avenue.
Holiday lights in Omotesando.
For no particular reason, I like wandering the smaller streets around, always leading to a discovery of a new café, yet another tea house hidden away in a flower shop, or a nice boutique selling candles, interior items or other nice looking and even nicer smelling things.
If you got tired from the city noise, pop into Nezu museum nearby. Exhibitions change regularly, but one things remains constant – a big garden and a café overlooking it.
Nezu museum garden.
Nezu museum garden.
A bit wild at first sight, the garden has its charm and is perfect for a walk, be it before or after the coffee. You will quickly forget that you were in central Tokyo.
Nezu museum garden.
Nezu museum garden.
Don’t be afraid of rainy days! (Nezu museum garden)
Just as a note, every April the museum hosts an exhibition of Japanese paintings with Irises including a couple of treasured Rinpa masterpieces, at the same time when irises bloom in the garden. See you for a coffee then?
Nezu cafe in the background, with big window-walls for nice views of the garden.
In the meantime, once you leave autumn behind in the Nezu garden, have a stroll under holiday lights, all along the many Christmas-themed windows…
A cafe window somewhere in Omotesando. One more coffee maybe? 😉
Christmas window shopping.