Kikukawa Station

When the weather starts getting cold, I can't help but look back on past memories.

That is the sentence I started off writing when I thought about this post many, many months ago.



One of my favourite things about our time in Japan was where we lived; as fresh grads, our limited budget determined many aspects of our stay, and searching for affordable housing was one of them.

We found an Airbnb in Sumida (墨田区), a few minutes walk from Kikukawa Station (菊川駅). We arrived bright and early, after a night spent at Haneda Airport. We wandered the streets with our luggage, relaxing in the concrete park, and taking refuge in local stores when it began to rain. We stopped by a Daiso to stock up on some supplies; bath towels, nail clipper, and a spoon.

It was a shared house, and we booked a tiny room outfitted with a bunk bed and thin mattress for the third person. There was just enough room to fit our bags inside, and although the space was tight, we were all pretty satisfied.

Photo by Dan

Thank you, photographer

There was a Family Mart just around the corner, a small family-owned grocery store, flower shop,  high-tech automated parking garages, and a plethora of vending machines. Going home at night after a busy day of exploring the city, we walked past many of these sights, and it gave off a feeling of cosiness I rarely feel far from home.



We ate a few meals in Sumida, namely our first dinner at a CoCo Curry House, and our dinner at a local restaurant after our day in Fuji.

I really appreciate these bylaws. 

One of my favourite memories of our first trip to Japan were our walks home from Kikukawa Station. Passing by the local shops as they started to close up for the night, the tightly-packed parked cars, and the peace and quiet of the neighbourhood once we left the busy main street.