Whilst season two of alphabet dating is taking place I thought I could fill that void with a restrospecive series which is certainly an easier operation as they were not done in alphabetical order which can be a little stressful and frustrating at times.

Season 0 will throw back to places and things we’ve done in Greater Tokyo since 2011. I generally hate the term “date night” for people who are married or have been together a long time but I guess it is apt for some of the things we did in this series as it will include some things which actually were proper dates back in the early years when we got together.

If you haven’t seen the 1st and 2nd episodes (S00E01 & S00E02) then click here & here to see them.

J is for Johnson Town (March 2017)

It’s quite common for Japan to have themed places devoted to western countries but this is not the case here. When Japan was under American occupation in 1945, U.S. forces gave birth to “Johnson Air Base” and when the Korean War broke out five years later the soldiers were located in what became known as Johnson Town. American-style homes were built between then and the late 1970’s when the U.S. military evacuated the area. After that, locals moved in and that is basically why there’s the slightly bizarre situation today of an American town existing where all the residents are Japanese. More details here

K is for Kawagoe (December 2018)

We’ve been to Kawagoe together a few times now but this was the last visit. We saw a mix of old and new by way of the old Edo-style warehouse buildings and bell tower, and the branch of Starbucks which is a far cry from the standard stores that blends in with the appearance of the area. We also wandered the shopping street leading to the aforementioned area and had lunch before visiting a honey and waffle sweet potato shop with a spiritual dog belonging to the owners. More details here

L is for Lemon ramen (March 2019)

Dining out is the most common activity for us to do when out. This soup was made from a chicken broth and delivered a rather thick, creamy taste with a citrus twist and chewy noodle. I absolutely loved this dish and the sourness of the lemon actually combined really well with the rich soup. Squeezing the lemon slices more made it even more refreshing. More details here

M is for Mount Takao (March 2016)

We have been to Takao a few times but this particular trip was perhaps the most memorable as we ended up taking part in Hiwatari Sai a.k.a. the fire-walking festival. A specially constructed high mound of fir trees was lit resulting in a spectacularly, massive cloud of dust, flames and smoke the monks and then the spectators were able to  walk across the semi-cooled fire pit. More details here

Click here to read ‘Alphabet Dating In Japan With My Wife Who Was Completely Unaware Of The Task At Hand! (S01E01: A-E)’

Click here to read ‘Alphabet Dating In Japan With My Wife Who Was Completely Unaware Of The Task At Hand! (S01E02: F-J)’

Click here to read ‘Alphabet Dating In Japan With My Wife Who Was Completely Unaware Of The Task At Hand! (S01E03: K-O)’

Click here to read ‘Alphabet Dating In Japan With My Wife Who Was Completely Unaware Of The Task At Hand! (S01E04: M-T)’

Click here to read ‘Alphabet Dating In Japan With My Wife Who Was Completely Unaware Of The Task At Hand! (S01E05: U-Z)’