From mid-April to mid-May, it seems like there are bright pink bushes whipping by the train window everywhere you go in Tokyo, but there are a few special places that just beg you to take the kind of snaps that make everyone scream “I want to go to there!” Here are my favorite places to take azalea […]
Author Archives: Jonelle Patrick
May
05
I Never Thought I’d Be Excited About A Fire Escape
posted by Jonelle Patrick
But isn’t this the best fire escape EVER? I mean, it’s a SLIDE. (And a fast one too. I know. I was a childhood slide junkie.) If I lived here, I’d want to have fire drills every day. • Jonelle Patrick writes mysteries set in Tokyo.
May
01
The Slippery Slope, Illustrated
posted by Jonelle Patrick
See, this is where tolerance will get you. Let them get away with putting ginger pickles and fish shavings on pizza, say nothing when your spaghetti comes topped with sea urchin eggs, and next thing you know, you’ll be waking up to every child’s worst nightmare: SPINACH PANCAKES. • Jonelle Patrick writes mysteries set in Tokyo. …or watch […]
April
29
Where To See The Most Beautiful Wisteria In Tokyo
posted by Jonelle Patrick
It’s purple season again! Yes, the wisteria are blooming, and (did you even have to ask?) of course Japan has over-the-top displays of the good purple stuff. Peak season is mid-April to mid-May, so get thee to these spots right now to see the most eye-popping ones around… ASHIKAGA FLOWER PARK I admit that even if you totally […]
April
21
The Hypnotic Tail-Wagging Cat Clock
posted by Jonelle Patrick
Walking down the street in Ome, I discovered something that totally flipped my three-hour trip to see a garden filled with no blooming azaleas into the win column: the tail-wagging cat clock! BEHOLD ITS MESMERIZING POWER: Can’t. Stop. Watching. (Except to scurry around online like a crazed, tail-wagging weasel to figure out who makes these and where to buy […]
April
19
If I Were A Thousand Years Old, I Would Not Be Putting Out Like This
posted by Jonelle Patrick
I mean, look at it. This tree is a THOUSAND years old. It has cranked out cascades of blossoms like this every spring, a thousand times. And if yesterday was any indication, the grand old lady is showing no signs of shirking anytime soon. Just imagine a fast forward of this tree’s life, with generations of cherry blossom viewers ebbing and flowing all around it, as […]
April
11
I’m Sure They Didn’t Mean To Suggest…
posted by Jonelle Patrick
• Jonelle Patrick writes mysteries set in Tokyo. Her fourth book, Painted Doll, is just out in paperback
