My lovely weekend away from The Bubble.

I love spring in Japan, the sakura is gorgeous, certain, if not all foods and drinks companies bring out some kind of special sakura product. I missed the sakura last year on Honshu as I went there too late and missed the sakura in Hokkadio because I left before it was ready to bloom. So this year, I made the effort to go down and see it in Tokyo at the same time catching up with good friends from my Fukushima days.

Our chosen spot for our Hanami picnic was the Shinjuku Imperial Gardens. Small two hundred yen entrance fee and a rule that says no alcohol to be brought into the park. How can you have a hanami without alcohol? Alcohol and the flowers are the essential items to hanami, maybe also a blue tarp and a bento could be on the essential list too. We just hide our cans in the bottom of our bags, no one searched them. And every single hanami blanket surrounding us had a can or bottle of something with alcohol in.

I was a tad early for the sakura in tokyo, it was only just starting to bloom. A week later and the garden would have been perfect. Got kicked out of the park at 4.30, headed to Shinjuku for a little shopping and coffee, then off to a Spanish restaurant called Caribbean Pirates for dinner. More drinking and onward to bowling and purikura around Kashiwa.

More shopping and afternoon tea at St Christopher's Garden Tearoom on Sunday, in a cute, fun area of Tokyo called Jijugaoka. Loads of little shops with bits and pieces to look at. Good sandwiches at this one, tea was a little strong, all round nice, cosy place.

Back to Aleisha's new neighbourhood, Nakano, for dinner in a very good Italian place in the little back streets lined with numerous different restaurants for any number of different tastes.

All the people I know who live in Tokyo have an iPhone, which what seems to be an essential accessory for city living. You can use the interactive maps to find almost anything and street view to check you are in the right place. If I lived in a city I would most defiantly get one. I would most defiantly choose one over the iPad, which looks like an iPod for old people and sounds like a new brand of a feminine hygiene product. I love you Apple, but couldn't you have chosen a different name?

Tokyo Sakura Soriee