Street style.

Photographs from a small group of islands
It’s difficult to know whether the owners of this restaurant were looking to recreate some sort of roman-esque banquet space, or the lounging noodle lover is a nod to something I simply know nothing about, but either way, as far as promotional pictures go, it’s arguably not particularly appealing.

One of the truly great things about Tokyo is the capital’s absolutely enormous amount of eateries, with many streets in the suburbs let alone the city centre offering more variety than even the most voracious of eaters could conceivably call for — let alone consume.
And yet there is, however, a downside, as, with such a staggering amount of sustenance on offer, it can be decidedly difficult indeed to decide where to dine.

Apart from the homes of their parents, and possibly even pachinko, the place most Japanese people will set out to visit over the New Year is the shrine. An event that, apart from a quick pray, invariably involves coughing up for a new collection of lucky charms.

And, more often than not, an omikuji (random fortune), which, after the fun of finding out if it’s a good or bad one,

can be securely fixed to something suitable and swiftly forgotten.

Thus allowing for arguably the most favoured part of most Japanese festivities, the food, which invariably comes from a fascinatingly varied selection of vendors, serving up equally varied victuals.

All the way from the savoury,

to the sweet.

Plus, for a bit of continuity, below are a couple of the same characters from last year, although one of them seemed decidedly dejected about the new decade.

And cooking with what appears to be his replacement, this still spritely old fella could well be tackling 2010 as a retiree.
