Happy 2020: Meeting for the first time in Shimo-Kita

I think it has been a while since the last time I’ve written for a blog. I remember making a website for myself while I was in university as part of a requirement for class but its been shut down long since graduating. 2019 was quite a roller coaster for me, what with job hunting and going back home so suddenly. And the holidays was the busiest time at my part time job. None the less, I’m back at it in a new year (and new era) hoping to start things up again.

That being said, I’m back in Japan and spent the first few days of the new year out partying and drinking like a maniac until morning or at least till making my last train back home. I would wake up 2 hours past Noon under my kotatsu (Japanese heated table used for colder seasons) with a killer hangover had I not chugged a bottle of salty lychee or Aquarius before going to bed. But after all that party energy, I think I’m going to take a rest from alcohol and clubbing for a while (especially clubbing).

So it was really refreshing to meet up with a few friends from university for lunch or coffee in Shimo-Kitazawa after all of it.

For those that don’t know, Shimo-Kitazawa is the vintage little hipster town a couple stops away from the trendy and oh so ever popular Shibuya Station. It usually gets outshone when put side by side but lets face it, its a pretty minor station. You can get there from the Odakyu or Inokashira-line I believe, or even walk there from Shibuya crossing if you like yourself a challenge. Although Shibuys is known for their big shopping sites for lots of college kids, Shimo-Kita (as the youth would call it) is a Little bit of a step in the opposite direction, known for their homey and cozy cafes, little shops with whatever trinkets (I’m pretty sure Ariel from the little mermaid would be thrilled) and their rows and rows of 2nd hand thrift stores. Now, I’ve lived in Japan for about 4 years now but never once in my life have I been to Shimo-Kitazawa and I don’t know why I hadn’t gone sooner. For me, its a pretty straight forward trip on the train from Fujisawa Station taking the Odakyu line.But enough about the past, the main thing is that I’ve finally broken the Shimo-Kita virginity and II’m glad I wasn’t alone.

When I was in university, the friend group I had was really into astrology; movement of planets, phases of the moon, the 12 signs, you name it. And every full moon everyone we would plan to get together to celebrate a ”moon party” depending on whatever house the moon was in. For example, when the moon would enter into Leo; time to raise the roof and party hard at I don’t know, club? vs. If the moon went into Capricorn, maybe a nice quiet cafe while we do each other’s taxes....okay kidding about the last part. But you get my point. Eventually I jumped in on the bandwagon and although we haven’t really had a real moon party in a while, since a majority of us own a deck of tarot cards For fun, we kind of revolve our meetings around that; discuss card card topics, interpretations and even do readings for each other. It really felt kind of like a club circle, just only for us though haha.

That being said, we decided to make our stop at Shimo-Kita as it was a first for everyone. Now, this isn’t a talk about tarot cards tbh. Let me tell you about the cute little cafe we hopped Over to.

Cafe Stay Happy

I Like to do a bit of cafe research only because I really like cafe hopping. I’m not sure how I found this place but I remember it being advertised as a “kotatsu cafe” which was true. Not only did I they have little bar/counter area, they had a huge seating space for a group of 4 plus some kotatsu Laid out for couples to warm up under (perfect for the chilly weather). On top of that, a little loft/2nd floor system going on where it seems like you could hang some hammocks. No hammocks were hung during our stay but we did get to stay on the loft. It was a bit cramped though sincewe were quite a big group of 4 and it seems like the table we were seated at was better for a group of a max 3. None the less, it was quite okay.

I especially liked the design of the menu. It looked like a photo book but they hand drew some pages (especially the season items list and a lunch set) along with some printed photos. Another Cafe that does something similar to this is Cafe Zarigani in Shibuya but that’s left for another post. As with a lot of “designer” cafes like these, the menu is often very simple as most of the time is spent on perfecting the decor and ambiance of the cafe. Simple things like a pot of tea, hot coffee and soft drinks are typical cafe drinks, then a rice dish, a pasta dish, breads and cakes/sweets make up your typical cafe menu and most of these are a little over priced (coming from a college kid).

I was hungry that day so me and a friend got a home made bread plate, which came with today’s choice of soup (a spinach cream soup), leafy salad with pickled vegetables, and your choice of 2 types of their home made bread. I chose the cheese roll and a spinach and bacon roll. Both of them were really good but kind of tiny compared to a bread roll you’d get from a local bakery. With a set drink, the price came. To about 1300円 (roughly $13 USD). Later I got myself a cup of hot chai tea for 600円 ($6 USD) which the poured into a small glass cup shaped like an upside down triangle only because the server asked us to make another order if we planned on staying longer.

Probably not the best place for a bunch of rowdy college kids but I did like the mood and the overall feel of being at Cafe Stay Happy. If I was by myself working on my projects or typing away at a computer then I could totally see myself going again. Or maybe as a small rest place from walking around Shimo-Kita.