Today the weather was beautiful. I packed a lunch, hopped on my bike and peddled out for an impromptu picnic.
My neighborhood has a take-away karaage (fried chicken) shop which proves irresistible at lunchtime when they stack bentos in the front window. Next door is a sweets shop, so into my bike’s basket went a sakura-shaped sugar cookie for dessert.
The sakura trees are just starting to bloom in Tokyo. I found a few over-achieving blossoms that had already fallen and scooped them up to take along. The wasanbon cookie was stuffed with azuki red bean paste and much too sweet for my liking. It looked pretty anyway.
The footpath that runs through Setagaya is lined with small gardens, play areas, and occasionally a small stream. As I ate my lunch I dropped the blossoms into the water. They meandered about 5 or 6 meters before getting caught on a rock. A bit later a small girl noticed them and plucked one out, very proud of her find.
Ah, spring.
Saké Puppets 
LOVE this! The sashiko, your picnic, and outing are perfect!
Mmm, that bento looks delicious! And I’m a sucker for anything filled with azuki paste. :3
Some day I’d like to visit Japan during the cherry blossom season, even if getting there at that time is insanely expensive! Maybe I’ll just have to come early and find a place to stay for a month or two so I can avoid the high prices on flights. XD
Reblogged this on Squirrel Picnic and commented:
A beautiful spring picnic in Tokyo.
Thanks for sharing your picnic with us. It provided a serene start to my day.
Oh pretty pictures!
Oh sweet story!
Thanks for sharing with us, Angela.
What a lovely day!
Sounds like a nice afternoon and lunch looked good. Thank you for ‘taking’ me with.
Very lovely choice for lunch on a spring day!
Hi Angie, Would you mind adding my friend, Haruka, to your subscriber list? Since she grew up in Japan, I think she will enjoy your blog.
She and her husband met while working at Tokyo Disney several years ago. Coincidentally, they bought a house two doors down from us in Clayton, CA (Suburb of San Francisco/Oakland) And then our daughter went to tokyo Disney for a year. She is now back for a second contract this time 14 mos. Sorry if I already told you this!
Haruka¹s email is: Haruka Kuroda
Thank you Masha (and my best friend is Joel Martin¹s sister, Jean. She and I met as exchange students in the Netherlands while in highschool!) some 46 years ago!
This is beautiful. Spring is a long way from Springing in London…
I’m sorry to bother you, could you tell me where you bought this sakura sahiko sample? is it possible to buy it online? if yes, do you have the name of the seller?
Thanks in advance.
Greetings from Belgium
Marcela
Hi Marcela! This sashiko pattern came from Hobbra Hobbyre. They do new patterns every season, so I’m not sure if it still exists. You can find other downloadable patterns in my shop, sakepuppets.etsy.com. Good luck and happy stitching!