I'm strolling toward Shibuya Ward's Maruyamacho neighborhood when I catch sight of a 2-meter-high fugu "swimming" out toward me from the front of a restaurant, Tora-fugu Tei. I pause to admire the faux prickles and buck teeth of the restaurant's mascot, and the nearby display tank of live tiger fugu, all meant to lure onlookers into a dinner date with destiny. Fortunately, death by fugu is exceptionally rare nowadays: I'd be happy to take the gamble, but it's morning still and the store only opens in the evening.
It's a beautiful spring day and, in the shadow of the pufferfish, I notice Sennari, a tiny kimono shop. In the window is a stunning kimono, covered with seasonal cherry blossoms floating across a sublime gradation of soft pinks and grays.