During the drumming lesson (my fourth one overall), which took place in Komagome as usual, we continued the work from the previous lesson, and took on a few more basic 16th-note patterns. Here is a short clip of me playing along to “Sparkle”, a City-Pop style Japanese song by Tatsuro Yamashita (山下達郎).
Drumming along to “Sparkle” by Tatsuro Yamashita.
Afterwards, I returned home to meet my wife, who had just finished her kickboxing training, and we went for lunch at a local café. Their sandwich set makes for a simple but nonetheless satisfying meal.
Lunchtime sandwich set at Coffee-Kan in the Itabashi Ward of Tokyo, Japan.
A bit of grocery shopping and a walk back home ensued, after which I got ready to go to the kickboxing gym myself. I have just recently taken this up, and while it certainly is tough to start this kind of activity after a long time of basically doing no sports, I am so glad I have decided to do this - it makes me feel great, and also gives a sense of accomplishment. The local gym that I found is perfect for me - the exercises are pretty demanding, but the gym owners (a nice Japanese couple) put a strong focus on having fun working out, rather than enforcing an overly strict regimen of rules and perfect moves.
Saturday afternoon at the Kickboxing Gym, Hasunuma-cho, Itabashi, Tokyo.
After a bit more than an hour, I was done with today’s muscle and movement exercises. While walking back home, my wife texted me that she had successfully reserved a table for dinner at a very popular local Yakiniku restaurant. Excellent news after having worked up quite a hunger during the training session.
Yakiniku is a style of cooking bite-size meat and vegetables directly at the table on gridirons or griddles over a flame of wood charcoals, or a gas or electric grill.
At the Yakiniku restaurant in the Itabashi Ward of Tokyo, Japan. Various cuts of meat and vegetables are ready to be grilled. Side dishes of garlic rice and kimchi are visible, too.
The dinner was delicious and satisfying, and afterwards, an extended walk through the neighborhood was in order. I took a photo of a reflection along the pond at Mitsugi Park.
Evening reflection on the pond at Mitsugi Park in the Itabashi Ward of Tokyo, Japan.
Unedited photos shot with iPhone 15 Pro.
写真の撮影場所：東京都・豊島区、板橋区