sweet.azabu.juban.麻.布.十.番

have you ever have the feeling of torn between two cities?  i do.  today i finally shift myself out from the work context and try to carry on with life in my own city, in lowland.

last week this time, the day after the earthquake, i took a short stroll to shiba koen and tokyo tower, but the stroll got extended beyond just the park and tower, i ended up somewhere between my neighborhood and roppongi, an area called azabu juban (麻布十番). since i read chinese, the name azabu actually means "cotton textile", what a weird name. right at this area, there are numerous specialty shops and a very bustling and vibrant local community. the community are mainly made up of expatriates and local japanese.

there were enough people on the streets, running the errands, enjoying a saturday brunch, drinking and reading in the cafe, shopping for breads or simply like me taking a stroll by going in and out of various shops.

there are these aromas of the traditional japanese food that entice me to walk around..  a wagashi store, the chef is making the wagashi...

some kind of yakitori, what attracts me most is the sticky pot.  if you ordered one stick of yakitori, the chef will take it from the side tray and dip it into the dark sticky sauce.  i wonder if they even wash the pot in the first place.  or it is the aged sticky layer that make the yakitori special.

shops, restaurants bakeries are all open.  the place is very parisians and i also met little kimi-chan in person for the first time.  it was as if, earthquake never took its place at all. 

i went into koots for some sweet afternoon tea.  the shop specializes in everything that is made of green tea.

i order a set which consists of a cup of matcha latte, and a yummy bowl of mixed ingredients starting with matcha soft ice, generous sprinkle of white sesame power, azuki bean, mochi and jelly

i sat at the balcony table, while enjoying the goo-ey and yummy treat, and out of the sudden a major shrug struck the place.  the ladies who were busy chatting at the other table screamed.  i paused and re-examine the surrounding and realize the earth is moving again.  a short and intense one.

i quickly finished my treat and left the place.
out there...

there are plenty of people queuing up for another famous treat in azabu juban.  people are still shopping, people are still patronizing famous wagashi and restaurants

kids still came out and play with kimi-chan.  life is almost as usual without the occasion earth movement.

today, i am home.  first day that i don't need to work yet i wake up early.  i realize i should stop mourning over what had happened in the past week.  i know i should be like these japanese people that i met last week at azabu juban.  i should just get out of the situation and move on with life.
if you know me good enough, i like to get myself busy in the kitchen to escape from boredom and problem.  i haven't been doing so in tokyo as life is always full of actions.  i have a nice and fully equipped kitchen in tokyo but i hardly bake because i rather gave up my weekend sleep to check out the city and around than sleep in or even in the sense baking.

but today, i take time to bake.

i got a sponge cake mix from daiso in harajuku just a day before my departure.  it's a 100 yen shop and while deciding to make a sponge cake out of this mix, i have to translate the instruction slowly using my katagana and hiragana dictionary in my iphone.

i made it, i sort of figured it out, nothing more than making the sponge cake from flour...

 it is good to get back to my familiar rhythms. weekend bakings....

and then enjoying a slice of sponge cake by myself while my hubby is still at work.  i decided to keep this simple, no extra topping, cream or fruit.

because a simple life is a beautiful life.

happy saturday! it's sunny here in the lowland.  spring is in the air.