We became acquainted with Kakio when we used to visit Hiro’s parents in Shinyurigaoka. Although they have since moved away , we still like to make an occasional trip to the sleepy little neighbourhood for a quiet stroll. It’s sufficiently hype-less to fly anyone’s radar yet it’s steeped in that “fading Japan” charm that really pulls on my heart strings. Sun-bleached hand painted signage, rusty iron cladding, toy shops run by daring old folks stocking the same Shōwa charm-filled items they probably have done for decades. The look on the faces of the shopkeepers when our young boys rush in to see all the things is just priceless.
Kakio is nicest around New Year when they host a Daruma market and in Autumn when its leafy persona really shines. Make the mini hike from the station to Jokei-ji temple - their congregation of monks sill put a smile on your face - guaranteed and in autumn the wooden area is carpeted with higanbana (spider lilies).
