All across Tokyo the signs are unmistakable: Spring is in the air. Before the month is out, the city will be festooned with blossom and green shoots.
In one small corner of Nihonbashi, however, new life and fresh beginnings are already well in evidence, thanks to the arrival of Parklet.
This vibrant new bakery-cafe, with its array of natural-rise loaves, cookies and scones — plus artisan coffee, natural wine and a daily selection of eat-in dishes — is injecting a much-needed infusion of energy into an otherwise nondescript neighborhood that remains largely overlooked by the rest of the city.