A friend and I were wondering how many countries we can cover by eating out in Shinjuku. Last week we did Thai and we started scoping out options that should last us well into next year. Today I am doing Spanish solo. I love that I can have a decent lunch out and it often costs the price of a
beer or two on a domestic flight. This is certainly an affordable way to tame my wanderlust.
Lizarran in Nishi Shinjuku has lunch sets for 1000 yen and it includes a soup, salad, drink bar and a tiny dessert. A glass of wine can b
e had for an extra 100 yen (too bad I have to go back to work, would have loved to have downed a red). I am stuffed and my meal was satisfactory, it really is a bargain. I prefer to eat al fresco and there is one outside table but it is not for solo diners like myself. The inside interior is cute enough with dim lights and a brick wall near the entrance. The space is quite narrow and it appears to be popular- noisy with lots of customers with a good pace of turnover so probably don’t need to wait long to get a seat or receive your food. Location is easy to get to, about 10min walk from the West exit of Shinjuku Station or a 4 minute walk from Okubo Station.
OH, before I forget- I didn’t see if they offer pinchos or tapas for lunch but they do for dinner! A bottle of wine can be had for 2400 yen so it is an ideal place to unwind after work.
Address: 〒160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku, Nishishinjuku, 7 Chome−7−25
Phone: 03-5338-3353
Website: lizarranjp.jp/
The Musashino Plains are blessed to me and happens to be where I make my home
. So, on my rare day off I wanted to explore my area of Tokyo by making my way to Kokubunji. Tonogayato Garden is a 2 min walk from the South exit of Kokubunji station. I walked 75 minutes from my home in Musashino City because the street running along the side of the train line had some cafes and restaurants I was scoping out, I love the feeling of discovery when I go for walks, and primarily because I am plain happy to meander. This excursion was inspired by a dear friend/student who the other day, spent an hour breaking down the elements of a Japanese garden to me. I researched and planned to visit Tonogayato because of its status as one of nine core Tokyo metropolitan core 
gardens, it is nearby, and is a microcosm of the days gone by not in just the visual landscape but in the flora and geographical features; natural spring waters emerge from small, lasting cliffs. So precious was maintaining this space that the community rallied around saving it when it was proposed to be destroyed to modernize the area.
itsubishi Goshi Kaisha, and was owned by his family until 1974 when Tokyo Metropolitan government purchased it.
from Dec 29- Jan 1