One month since my last Tokyo rotation. It’s Tomoyan, and I’m now reaching the final stages of my sixth time working at Circles Tokyo.
We are holding our 1st anniversary event here at Circles Tokyo the weekend after next, so if you haven't checked it out yet, please be sure to read this post. It’s packed with fun plans that are a must-see for those nearby, and highly recommended for those further away as well!
Now then, during this stint in Tokyo, our repair inquiry phone has been ringing frequently. Whether it’s sports bikes or "mamachari" city bikes, many of the requests we get come from people who searched for a nearby bike shop when they had a flat tire or other trouble and found Circles Tokyo. I get the impression that there are quite a few people using bikes around here, so please don't hesitate to contact us if you run into any trouble.
What really keeps us going are the words we receive when a repair is finished: "Thank you! I'll come back if anything else happens!" The mechanics here at Circles Tokyo pick up their tools every day to ensure we become known as a reliable piece of cycling infrastructure in the Toranomon area.
Continuing from my previous blog, I’ll be introducing how I, Tomoyan, spend my days off in Tokyo!
There's a Reason I Keep Coming Back!
I’d like to introduce the bakeries, cafes, and eateries that I want to visit again and again (and have actually visited many times!) during my Tokyo rotations.
Parklet Bakery
Some friends of mine in Nagoya are envious that this place, Parklet Bakery, is so close to where I’m staying—and I’m super lucky that it is! Not only are the bread and coffee delicious, but the service from the friendly and efficient staff is so comforting. It's the place I visit most often in Tokyo.
A happy incident from the other day was when a young male staff member noticed I was wearing a Hamburger Eyes outer jacket I bought at Manila Books & Gift. He guessed my tastes and recommended a bunch of other shops. Since then, chatting with that staff member has become one of the joys of visiting this shop.
BOWERY KITCHEN
Bowery Kitchen is a Tokyo eatery that opened in 1997. This exterior was featured in the cafe special issue published by BRUTUS magazine in 2000, right in the middle of the cafe boom. Many of my generation who aspired to visit this place opened by Yuichi Yamamoto, a leading figure of the cafe boom at the time, must feel the same way!
Perhaps another reason I keep coming back here is that it shares an atmosphere with Cafe Dufi, an eatery in Nagoya that sadly closed in 2021.
Don't you think it's amazing that it has been in the same spot since it opened in 1997? It has the broad-mindedness to welcome people like me who admired it from afar, alongside a bustling crowd of regulars. It’s no wonder such a lively shop with a wide range of customers has a charm that makes you want to return.
PrettyThings
This is a cafe also opened by Yuichi Yamamoto, just like Bowery Kitchen. It’s located on Komazawa-dori, same as Bowery Kitchen. It’s also similar in that regulars relax here, and they play music on records.
The lovely part is the time when the music stops and the staff stop what they’re doing to flip the record. The music playing is different every time I visit; the other day they were playing an album by The Specials. It’s such a delight to hear music you know, making you think, "I'm so glad I came here today," or "I'll definitely come back again."
I'll Be Back!!
GINO bicycle
I visited the Setagaya bike shop GINO bicycle, partly because I found out we have some friends in common in Nagoya, and also because it’s their 4th anniversary (including their web store period). Congratulations again!
It’s a shop space that I wouldn't call spacious by any stretch—it has an atmosphere similar to Circles before we moved to our current location—but there’s a sense of comfort in seeing SimWorks products displayed alongside numerous old frames and old parts.
I’m sorry for overstaying my welcome and getting in the way of work even though we had barely just met.
One of the things we got fired up about while chatting was an episode where an elderly man suddenly came in to buy Volummy tires, simply because this was the closest shop that carried SimWorks products.
They told me, "Let's do a Bike to Skate next time!", so it was a good opportunity for me to get motivated to do more skateboarding. Thank you so much! I'll be back!
You Have to Go See for Yourself!
You have to go and visit the places you're curious about! I really believe you can't understand a shop unless you go there. Writing this blog made me realize that's why I've been visiting so many different places in Tokyo.
I’ll be returning to work at Circles in Nagoya starting this Saturday. If you've been curious about Circles but haven't visited us yet, we're waiting for you!
Apology and Correction
In my previous Tokyo blog, I mentioned a tree as an Everfresh; however, it has been pointed out by Mr. Kotaro of TUMBLEWEED that it was actually a silk tree (nemunoki). I would like to offer my apologies and a correction. My knowledge was insufficient! I’m sorry!