Getting out of the city - Mount Takao

I needed to escape Tokyo so I walked up 600-metre high Mount Takao. Here are some pics:

Fuelling up on soba noodle before the walk.

Cheating part of the walk by taking the cable car.

Half-way up.

Green tea.

A better drink.

Wooden placards people buy in the hope that they give them good luck.

Part of the Buddhist temples at the top of Mount Takao.

A faithful owner carrying her tired dog up the mountain.

Great branding

Spotted this in on my colleague's desk:

Cuddly toys = very Japanese

I recently visited LINE, a mobile messaging service where you send each other cartoon characters that represent different emotions (happy bear, sad bear, angry bear etc.) And , after a serious business discussion, I stopped off to have my picture taken with two of their popular characters, much to the confusion of those in the meeting.

Don't stroke the pussy, stroke the rabbit

You probably know of the popularity of cat cafes in Japan, but have you ever heard of a rabbit cafe? I checked one out and it was a pretty bizarre experience. Rabbits jumped around while we sipped coffee and Japanese girls squeaked 'kawaii!', which means 'cute'. 

The idea is that you relieve your daily stresses by chilling with the bunnies, minus the responsibility of owning one.

The one we went to is called 'Ra.a.g.f', which stands for 'rabbit and grow fat':

Anyway, here are some pics:

The rabbit whisperer.

'Figaro'.

The staff showing us how it's done.

An innocent-looking rabbit, just after it peed on Alex's foot. All part of the experience, we were told.

Alex, relieving his stress.

Yoyogi Park and Meiji Jingu Shrine

A selection of pictures from Yoyogi, my local park and the adjacent Meiji Jingu Shrine.