LIFE IN YOYOGI-UEHARA

november 2015 - february 2016

The first time I really appreciated where I lived was the first time I needed to get my hair cut. I had been living in Yoyogiuehara for about two weeks, but most of the time spent here was mainly sleeping. With the train station providing many of the basic consumer needs (containing a pharmacist, a supermarket, various fast food outlets, a gym, and of course a transportation means), I never really had to look for anything outside, that was until I couldn't ignore my unkempt hair any longer.

My Japanese wasn't good enough to simply feed phrases into a search engine to find a suitable hairdresser, so I had to go out and have a look for myself. And it did feel liberating! You look for signs that a hairdresser might be around and you start to notice other things. Intentional little tidbits that others have left before me for me to find. Stickers across a lampost, flyers scrawled in texta.. and then you notice all the other buildings and the people that inhabit them. You see more clearly the bookstore that was never open at 10pm on weeknights. You see a cute Vietnamese coffee house that smells so good you'll decide you'll come back for lunch. You see outlines of plants trying to peek out towards the sun. And it's within that moment that you take in everything for the first time - that you're in a place where you have literally never been before, and despite everything that's written, and everything that you've felt.. there is not a person in the world who has seen the exact things that you have seen and with your perception.

I walked into several hairdressers before finding one that suited me: it was semi-recessed into the ground but still had windows that were big enough to penetrate into the corners. The shop played I think what was the 90s equivalent to western music - simple pop-rock songs that could have easily featured in movies and TV series. It had a light, casual ambient about the space: but most importantly, it was affordable: haircuts in Yoyogieuehara cost the same regardless of gender.

I used the opportunity to practise my Japanese, some very basic stuff, the main phrases were:

- Sumimasen (Excuse me)
- Kono kaimasuka? (How much is this)
- Chotto kitte kudasai (Cut a little, please)
- Motto kitte kudasai (Cut a lot, please)
- Hai, daijoubu desu. (Yes, it's OK)
- Arigato. (Thank you)

My haircut received compliments at the office on the Monday, and I was quite happy with it as well. It set me back ¥2300, which I thought was a pretty good deal considering I got a head massage with some fancy oils of some sort too.

I've found that in my stay at Yoyogiuehara (or Tokyo for that matter), I could find anything I wanted to if I just scratched the surface a little. Not only would I find what I'd be looking for, it would also present itself in a pleasant and polite way. And that is how exactly I would describe life in Yoyogi-Uehara.

Quick guide

Yoyogiuehara to Shibuya: 2 stops to Harajuku, change trains to the Fukutoshin line, then 1 stop to Shibuya. About 10 minutes total.
Yoyogiuehara to Asakusa: 3 stops to Omotesando, change trains to the Giza line, then 17 stops to Asakusa. About 50 minutes total.
Crowd profile: Inner city yuppies (young urban professionals), older creative types. Not a cheap place to own real estate in.  
What to do: Many bars and restaurants make this a perfect place for a date, if not a upmarket casual dinner with friends.
Rent: I paid around ¥75000 per month all bills inclusive in a 12 person share house. Expect to pay a lot more for your own private apartment.

Yoyogiuehara: The low down

• Yoyogiuehara is collectively three districts: Uehara (上原), Nishihara (西原) and Ōyamachō (大山町). These districts are a part of the Yoyogi neighbourhood, which in turn is part of the Shibuya ward, which is of course is a part of Tokyo.
   
• Yogogiuehara station was first opened in 1927, then only servicing the Odakyu Line. The Odakyu Line gives you a direct service to Shinjuku station, a trip taking only 10 minutes, or if you're on an express train 5 minutes. In 1978, the metro service began, linking Yoyogiuehara to the newly created Chiyoda line. The Chiyoda line gives you direct access to Harajuku (3 minutes), Omotesando (5 minutes), and Otemachi (20 minutes) as well as indirect access to the rest of the metro stops.
   
• If you're feeling homesick, Yoyogiuehara station is home to both Burger King and Subway. Of course, the usual Japanese staples are also there including a soba noodle outlet and popular chain カレーハウスCoCo壱番屋 新宿駅西口店, which serves seriously addictive Japanese curry with spices catered to your liking.
   
• There are many niche restaurants in the area, all it takes is some exploration - although, it may not be too kind on your wallet! As an intern, eating out in the area wasn't a regular occurrence for me - however the low buzz and the dim shimmering lights emitting from bars and restaurants sure made for an ambient night stroll. Expect to pay about ¥10000 a nice dinner and few drinks for two.
   
• One of the best advantages of living in Yoyogiuehara is that you can walk to central Shibuya in 20 minutes, via Yoyogi-Koen along Kamiyamacho street. If you do happen to take this path, make sure you stop by Shibuya Publishing Booksellers. With its curated array of design related books and knick knacks, you'll also be able to see the book publishing process unfold: the back of house program visible for visitors to see. The shop's hours are from 12h-24h.

Snow day!

Although I live on the second floor (3F in Japan) with a glorious view of the Shinjuku skyscrapers, during the winter most days I never bother to look through the window: the main reason being the window is frosted anyway so to look through it meant I actually had to slide it open and let the frosty winds raze against my cheeks. I don't know why but one particular morning I woke up and felt like something was different - something was strange. And sure enough, I opened the window and Tokyo was covered by a thick blanket of white. Not only was it covered, but it was continuing to snow.

Work had given me a day off, and any other day I would have just gone back to bed. But being from a city that never snows, I was excited. I had never really seen fresh snow fall so plentiful, and even as the snow was falling I couldn't believe that those pieces of ice could make an urban city look so pure and so innocent. 

I set up my laptop in a Starbucks close by, working the day away as I saw clear umbrellas coated in white powder. I saw paw prints of dogs scrurrying around their human counterparts, rushing as if the snow was such an inconvience. I saw cars slow down, not wanting to spray the town's pedestrians with water that was starting to pool. I saw kids making pathetic little tiny balls, trepid about throwing them at their parents' shopping bags. I saw shopowners shovelling the snow away from their street frontages, whilst still greeting everyone that walked by with a "Irasshaimase!" 

It felt a little serene in a way, that I was noticing a lot moreinnocence in the simple daily lifestyles in an urban context, with just a simple change of scenery. Yoyogiuehara may have physically looked different, but its cutesy small appeal was very much underneath all those layers. 

The cutest laundromat I have ever seen! 

I walked down the stairs of my sharehouse and to my dismay the washing machine was spinning and whirring away. I was minutes too late. I had just been downstairs before and it wasseemingly all clear. 

My housemate Paul looked over from the TV and told me that there was a laundromat just on the other side of the hill if I wanted to check it out. They also had driers too, if I wanted to pay the extra ¥300. I guess for the extra price I'd have the convenience of not having to lay my clothes across the two chairs and have the heater on high whilst I waited for my clothes to dry, so I put all my dirties into my luggage bag and rolled off.

I wondered if I'd just simply walk past the coin laundry - despite assurances from Paul that I'd see it straight away. Just two minutes away! he had said.  And then I felt very silly for doubting him: despite skipping past the laneway everyday on my daily commute to the station, once I saw it it was so obvious, the katakana chracters proclaiming itself to the street.

And what a cute little laundromat it was! A little discovery no doubt enhanced by the functionality of it all - I needed my clothes washed and I find this cute little getaway.

Needless to say, I enjoyed doing washing a lot more from then on.