The other night I went to a birthday party at The Hanezawa Garden. This is the bar at The Hanezawa Garden, which doesn't do justice to the beauty of the restaurant (it's a refurbished Taisho era Japanese house with Asian furnishings), but it was difficult to take a good picture since it wasn't well-lit. But this is the first time I've been indoors there, I went there last year once for a birthday party and sat outisde in the terrace, and it has one of the finest outdoor seating sections in Tokyo-you forget you're in a city, because of the impressive garden with trees all around. Furthermore, it is siuated in a residential area far from the bustling main streets.
What is the weather like this time of year?
Posted by: Kraig | February 15, 2005 at 01:45 AM
It's pretty freaking cold right now, like 40 degrees F at night, so the terrace isn't open until summer. We sat inside in the upstairs bar/dinning room If you ever make it to Tokyo again I'll take you here-a very cool place.
Posted by: MC | February 15, 2005 at 09:48 AM
That honestly doesn't sound that cold. 40 deg F is above 0 deg C isn't it? Its frequently -10 or below here, which must be almost single figures in Fahrenheit. Still, I just remembered that most Tokyo houses don't have central heating right? (All that cold is supposed to be character building I guess). Even the poorest places in Korea have what they call 'ondol' - which is a central heating system comprised of pipes under the floor. The hot air naturally rises - which makes it an efficient way of heating a house, especially in Asia where people tend to live on the floor.
Posted by: Edward | February 22, 2005 at 01:44 PM
No, it's not as cold as Korea, but liek you said it feels like it because of the lack of insulation, double paned windows, and central heating. They have it up North, but not here in the Kanto area. I think it's because they don't build buidlings to last(i.e. cheaply-because, they more than likely, will be eventually torn down in 10-20 years time).
Posted by: MC | February 23, 2005 at 10:02 PM
Great site. Glad to see people who appreciate the intricacies and vapidity of Tokyo in full measure. But does anyone know the REAL reason why the Hanezawa Garden has closed. I went there today and it was an empty shell, all the interior fitting gone, the signs taken down. Probably another Mitsubishi or Mitsui condo coming our way. Bummer.
Posted by: Peter | April 17, 2006 at 06:51 PM