Will Miss #444 - Koenji Awaodori

A poster for the Koenji Awaodori festival, which takes place in the sweatiest time of year.

Now that I no longer live in Japan and have to worry less about overtly revealing my location, I can say that I used to live midway between Asagaya and Koenji. For those who never lived in Japan, that means nothing, but it would have been a juicy nugget for my stalkers. Though honestly, I'm sure any attentive nut job who hated me but couldn't stop obsessing on my words and personal information could have gleaned such information from photos if nothing else. Getting back to the point, however, this was a great location in Tokyo to live. Both Asagaya and Koenji were fantastic places to live for a plethora of reasons and, if I ever live in Japan again, I'd consider living there again.

Besides the incredible shopping, great atmosphere, and convenient location, both Asagaya and Koenji had notable festivals. For Asagaya, it was the deliciously tacky and overblown tanabata festival. For Koenji, it was the far less tacky and monumentally popular awaodori festival which features traditional dancers, taiko drumming, and about a million visitors (literally).

The Koenji awaodori is an awesome event that provides a window into traditional culture and offers a level of exposure to the energy and enthusiasm of Japanese people that is usually absent in everyday life, and I will miss it.

Will Miss #183 - Koenji Look Shopping Street

From the end of the shopping street where this picture was taken, Koenji's "Look" doesn't seem like much. However, it's like a trail that gets better and better as you go. From the end that opens on Ome Kaido Avenue near Shin Koenji station on the Marunouchi line, it leads to a plethora of shops with fashionable items directed toward the type of people who dye their hair blonde and red, wear funky clothes, and go to live houses to see concerts by unknowns. As you approach Koenji station, you find loads of restaurants, novelty and sundry goods shops, and crowds of hipsters doing whatever they do to pass the time.

I'll miss the weird vibe and unique shopping options on the Koenji Look street.