Meet Me at The Darjeeling

     "Meet me at Wendy's" used to be the the refrain when meeting someone in Azabu Juban, six minutes by foot from the Manor. With its prime position at the top of Exit 4, everyone knew how to find the hamburger joint in a city where getting lost is a sport. (The Exit is key since warren-like stations have multiple exits that extend for miles.)  Wendy's acted as the gateway to the Juban shopping street until the chain quit Japan in 2009;  the landmark became an empty storefront until today when The Darjeeling appeared, a tearoom with pricey pastry.
 
     Like Greenwich Village the Juban is dotted with cafes and boutiques. Across from what has become The Darjeeling sits Tully's, the self-proclaimed Starbucks competitor owned by Green Mountain, while Starbucks dominates the next corner. On the same street after the sushi and kimono shops the thirsty person may choose between Koots (green tea chain) or Precious Coffee Moments, an old-fashioned kissaten (coffeeshop) established in 1933. Continuing towards Roppongi Hills (think: Beverly Hills) a second Tully's offers outdoor seating for the many dog owners and smokers. Predictably an artistic nihonjin sporting a blond ponytail and white spectacles parks his electric bike by this Tully's where he holds court in the early evenings.

     Always a crowd at the shop selling sembei (Japanese crackers) and temptation at the handbag shop called Asami, which keeps a sale rack of their one-off designs outside on the street. Who can resist a stop at one of the two 100 Yen Shops in the Juban? A supplier of chewing gum, envelopes, cleaning supplies and for Y 200 the clear umbrellas that make navigating the crowded streets easy during rainy season. How times have changed since the Tokugawa shogun ran his horse trading market in the Juban 400 years ago.