Sunday, March 27, 2011

A Hard Day's Night


It's been very cold these last few days...feels like spring is retreating again.

Thought I'd stop for a cup of coffee here. But "Coffee Re-To-A-Ru" seems to be closed. Actually "closed down" is probably more like it...they don't even have a doorknob! 

Unlike this coffee shop, many of the stores in Shinjuku are now open and running. Some are operating full hours in dimly lit stores while others are cutting back on power usage by shortening their operating hours. Store owners must be having a hard time trying to operate while cooperating to conserve energy. I hope none of the stores end up like the one in the photo.

13 comments:

  1. Oh, I do so hope the weather starts cooperating.

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  2. Let's be positive: no they won't.

    And you know, candles are romantic... :-)

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  3. I hope the weather will help and, like ciel, I find some candlelight quite appealing...

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  4. As if economic times weren't hard enough already. I do hope things start to turn around soon and of course the weather has to warm up eventually!

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  5. It looks like the coffee shop has been closed for a while. Google Maps never seems to be quite up to date (but often close enough).

    Perhaps there is a new building there in the future like my beloved, soon to be demolished, Tange-Kenzo-designed Akasaka Prince Hotel which, I am glad to read above that: “After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, it was announced that the hotel would remain open through June 2011 to house evacuees from Fukushima prefecture.”

    Maybe Re To Aru is a kind of “speakeasy,” you know, rap on the door with the secret knock and it will open, allowing you into a kind of Chinese dragon’s den like the beginning of this.

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  6. A good mean to measure time and life. One can only hope that they will be able to open the door again, maybe 'from the inside'.

    Please have a good new week.


    daily athens

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  7. Sorry you couldn't get your java. Hope the other shops don't close as well!

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  8. It will really be bad if you can't get your daily cup of coffee or tea!

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  9. I'm glad to hear that many business are starting to get back to somewhat normal hours again! Thanks for the update! I hope you enjoy an ever improving upcoming week, Kaori!

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  10. Mme la Vache's brother's restaurant is still closed because he can't get power or provisions for it.

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  11. Have you seen the movie? One of my favorites. The blond high school girl (Pattie Boyd) with flip and bangs (in the movie) married George and later Eric Clapton, and was the inspiration for this song, and this and this one.

    I see from the map that this place is not so far from Kanda River. If you had a speedboat, or better yet, a swan boat you could float (or pedal) upstream all the way to Inokashira Park.

    Not exactly impossible. Look at that, they passed under Hijiri Bridge near Ochanomizu.

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  12. Let's think positively that this coffee shop closed down for reasons beyond the exceptional circumstances and that those still closed will survive the hiatus. Did you find another coffee shop to get your java fix... a neighborhood Starbucks, perhaps? :-D

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  13. Oh how well you know me, Francisca! :D

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