Seasons one and two (as well as the prequel season zero) of alphabet dating certainly pushed the boundaries of what a “date” is, and that continues in season three with even more tenuous examples for each letter of the alphabet. For the record, doing something together (no matter what it is!) counts as a date in this series which is not always about visiting glamorous places and doing exciting things but just getting out there and exploring locations we wouldn’t normally go to. Without further ado, lets kick off the final season of alphabet dating with what we did for the first set of letters…

A is for Akabane Nature Observatory Park (January 2023)

This was one of those places that looked far more interesting when I came across it whilst looking through Google Maps. Too much was fenced off to really enjoy it but it was interesting to be able to go inside the thatched roof buildings and get a glimpse of what life was like in the past.

B is Blue Lock (January – February 2023)

My wife and I rarely watch too much stuff together so I thought this show might appeal to both of us. She quite likes animation and I like football so these short episodes in Japanese language (with English subtitles!) seemed like the perfect thing for us to enjoy together once a week. As it was, she really got into and enjoyed it far more than me!

C is for Kiryuen Chinese restaurant (January 2023)

Probably one of the least imaginative ideas but this Chinese place in Itabashi ward was new for us. I chose it due to its very local feel and the menu was rather overwhelming with so much writing and no pictures! Thankfully there were some on the wall. I ordered a yaki-niku teishoku set with some overly-spicey chicken on the side whilst Rina had a gomuku umami set meal.

D is for Denny’s (February 2023)

Another food date. Denny’s is a fairly popular and common family restaurant chain in Japan but we had never been there so decided to change that one day at the closest one to our house. She ordered a grilled hamburg and sliced steak combo whilst I opted for something called Denny’s Grand Plate which included jambalaya meat penne gratin, grilled hamburg steak, fried shrimp and salad. It was a whopping 1008 calories!

E is for Edogawabashi (February 2023)

Edogawabashi station was the starting point for an early morning wander one sunny Sunday. Edogawa Park on the banks of the Kanda River is located just a short distance from there and we followed the river for just under a kilometre to Higo-Hosokawa Garden followed by the architectural wonder which is St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Click on the following links to read about previous alphabet dating posts…

S01E01     S01E02     S01E03     S01E04     S01E05     S01E06

S00E01     S00E02     S00E03     S00E04     S00E05     S00E06

S02E01     S02E02     S02E03   S02E04   S02E05   S02E06