Food and Drink

With his rosy little cheeks and large smile, Anpanman (アンパンマン) is a firm favourite of many Japanese children — the sweet bean and bread-based character’s incredibly jolly countenance making him decidedly different from some of his main rivals, such as a certain expressionless cat for example, or that much-acclaimed but surely malevolent old mouse.

And yet even sweetness on several levels it seems still wasn’t enough to stop some callous kid unceremoniously dumping this Anpanman adorned cycle.

Leaving the poor little fella looking strangely forlorn — even lost.

Finding a seat in a Tokyo coffee shop is not always easy; in fact, at certain times of the day, in seriously desirable spots, it’s practically impossible.

And it’s a situation that’s made even worse when customers are intent on nursing a tea for an eternity, or, in this particular case, clearly in need of a cup containing considerably more caffeine.

Tokyo doesn’t exactly have a glut of greenery, and a good deal of what there is has a ban on barbecues, so, when a spot of outdoor dining is desired, compromises sometimes have to be made when it comes to conditions and copious amounts of concrete.

Like father, like son.

Samuel Johnson’s famous adage that, “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” is also equally true when talk turns to Tokyo, although at the same time, extricating oneself from the Japanese capital every now and again is not only nice, but occasionally necessary.

And, as it’s not much more than an hour away — from west Tokyo at least — Yamanashi offers a genuinely convenient contrast to the concrete and crowds.

Well, the grape growing region of the prefecture does anyway, as the flavoursome fruit can found almost everywhere.

Even on vines above vehicles.

And now is the perfect time to go and pick some.

The only trouble is, it’s really hot. Really horribly hot in fact. However, all is not lost, as even though the wine found in them isn’t very nice,

and taking note of it,

let alone tasting it,

isn’t what I would call wise, the region’s cellars are, unlike the Chardonnay, really quite refreshing.

And, as an added bonus of sorts, they may also offer up a brief glimpse of a young boy’s burgeoning love affair with booze.