30 km, Shibuya H&C, Wako Annex

Another long run today. One result of getting up early yesterday was that I woke up at the same time today, 6:30, although with even less sleep, which I'm going to have to make up sometime. Since it was early, it was clear that the cake shops would be closed anyway, so I was going to need to do two runs to get cake (as my preferred option). First, I went back to Shinjuku Central Park. I did find one marker on the way, so with the other west marker, there is enough information on the markers to tell one all the roads and turns one needs to know how to go from Shinjuku Central Park to the east side of Shinjuku Station, but neither marker gives you enough information to know where to look for the other one, so you still need to know the course ahead of time. Since there still seems to be no start marker (which is going to be a problem again for the other course starting at that point, which I'm thinking of doing next weekend), I modified my map to follow a more reasonable course. I also had it end where it runs into the Shibuya course, according to how it's laid out on the markers, as well as adjusting that course to reflect the same information.

From Shinjuku Central Park, I went down to the west side of Shibuya Station, where the Shibuya History and Culture course starts (and has both a big map showing everything and a little marker showing you the course to where the next marker is supposed to be, although I've never found anything around there) by way of La Saison, where I got a croissant, which was fine, and past Fraoula (not open) just for navigational purposes. Today, the time to get there was about 53' of running. While still near the park, an older Japanese woman tried to ask me directions to a parking lot (I forget which one, but I think it's one used for buses), but I didn't know and didn't think to pull out my map. I think I've had to find there too, to take a tour bus out into the country. When the new station construct finishes, they are supposed to have a bus station, so maybe things will become more organized and less scattered.

The actual Shibuya course was fine. Apparently, the word went forth across Shibuya that the people were to be counted, so there were people in hooded jackets with armbands sitting on folding chairs with their laps full of rows of hand counters around intersections from Harajuku to Omotesando. Interestingly, the Shibuya course goes past a US Army base south of Aoyama Cemetery, maybe to remind people that the US occupation hasn't ended yet; it's only been 70 years, after all. The course is apparently 8 km (from Google Maps, according to my plot; officially, 8.4 km) and I spent 48'54'' running it. Since I did 29 km yesterday and was concerned about my feet and this was just the first, at least, recent run, I wasn't feeling the need to go fast, so I'm happy with that time.

This put it at 9:20, which was later than I expected, but I still decided that if I was going to do cake running, I preferred to do it without stopping for other shopping, so I headed home and stopped at Seijouishii twice (different branches) to buy one 150 g box each of unsalted butter and then hit the Lawson 100 for regular food items. I say regular food items, but I'm examining my breakfast. I've been making peanut butter again lately, and my breakfast seems to be almost 800 kcal, which is a little out of control, so I may need to dial it back. Fortunately, everything is rescalable.

After a little yogurt and a piece of fudge brownie (under 200 kcal worth: a 14 cm diameter half-recipe one seems to be 1300 kcal, compared to the cheesecake tart, which is 1000 kcal, and much flatter, although with a sugary crust), I went out again to hit Hidemi Sugino, although I stopped at Viron on the way and got a brioche a tete to see what it tastes like. It was okay, but not as good as a croissant. Next time, maybe I'll get the pistachio bostock. It seems that Hidemi Sugino decided that they were still not inconvenient enough, being open from 11 am to 7 pm, so now they are closed Sundays, as well as Monday and some Tuesdays. Fine. This is why I ignored them for so long, because I thought they were too much trouble. Still, if they have great cake, I have to get back there, but I have other plans for at least the next two Saturdays, so I don't know when it will be. Instead, after looking around Ginza Mitsukoshi, just for future reference, I went to Wako Annex (also closes at 7 pm) and got a chocolate cake whose name I forgot (and they don't print names on the recipes). Can't find a post of it on the Internet, either, unlike last time. With any luck, they will still have it next time and I can get the name. Coming back, I was again asked directions from an older Japanese woman, but we did not get past that one reference point was Kojimachi Station before an even older gentleman ran up and started talking to her and she apologized to me in English. Apparently, I look too Japanese when I run. I do know the neighborhood, but probably not names well enough to get someone to anything non-obvious. Plus, I'm pretty spaced out running and I've yet to learn to give good directions. Actually, I was not even sure whether I had passed the station yet (I hadn't), so I probably wouldn't have been much help, except that I still had my map book in my pack.

Back to the cake, it is Chocolat something for 648 yen, and there is a hard chocolate outside that's sort of folded around layers of soft chocolate sponge with a couple layers of vanilla cream (it seemed to me, but they might have been calling it mousse) and one thick layer of chocolate mousse. It was good, but I'm not that into soft sponge and I think that a great shop would do more with the idea, so although I enjoyed the cake and look forward to going back for other cake, it doesn't look like this will turn out to be a great cake shop. It's still reasonably close, if not that accessible due to the early closing time.

Decided to add some pictures for landmarks, which are placed on the map. I'll use my interpretation of the Japanese names. The Immortalized Girl and the next two are along Shinjuku Road going east from Yotsuya Station. The first is in front of Sophia University. 

Immortalized Girl

The fishing boy gets changes of clothes, for example, a rain coat.

Summer Memory

This was the direction I was facing. I was not intentionally trying to show the girl's problem of having too short a dress for swinging and her lack of pants, but I've always thought it was unfair.

Breeze

Don't know who the ladies are or the boy with them (that's their platform behind him on the right). There is a huge plaque on the other side, but it started going on about significant contributions to peacetime (?) manufacturing and manufacturing culture and I skipped to the end of that paragraph to see that it was sponsored by an electric company. After that, the print gets smaller, and it's hard enough reading those old metal plaques. I do note that the three woman (maybe muses) are facing and talking to each other, whereas there is a set of three male nudes in a park north of where Shinjuku Road runs into the road around the moat, and they are all facing away from each other doing their own things. ("What, are there two other naked guys here? I had no idea. I'm just doing a little stretching.")

Shinjuku History and Culture course

Got up early and ran the Shinjuku History and Culture course. I ran it in the official direction, although maybe I should have run it east to west, to avoid the sun, but I was more worried about avoiding crowds around Shinjuku Station, which was still busy, being the busiest station in the world, and I stand by that decision. There are markers along such routes, but you cannot count on them being easy to find, being correct (I've found ones that were mis-oriented, although not on this route), or even to exist. In my map, the routes are based on 2010 routes, which do not necessarily exactly match the routes shown on the markers, and neither of which necessarily matches where it's legal to cross the road. Today, I couldn't find the start or end marker or any markers west of Shinjuku Station (route 1, from Shinjuku Central Park to Shinjuku Station) except one north of the west entrance. I was under pressure from needing to get back and showered for a 10 am appointment, but no problem. Much of this is my old hill route, which I haven't been doing, so I'm somewhat out of practice on the steep hills, but it was not a big deal (I think: strange lump around my Achilles tendon). Total time from my original start was about 1 35' 17'', but I failed to mark my lap correctly (apparently, my watch lets you stop the chronometer even when displaying time of day, but you can't also advance the lap number). I'll estimate the Shinjuku History and Culture course time today as 53' based on at another 600+ meters my watch showing about 56'30''. I like this route, other going going by the station, but you have to cross somewhere and it shows you a lot of highlights: the center of Tokyo government, Shinjuku Station, Isetan, Meiji Gingu Gaien, Yotsuya Station, Akasaka Mitsuke Station, and various shrines and temples.

Made my appointment, but made the mistake of buying a snack at Doutor (a coffee shop chain store) without reading the ingredients. Margarine--what kind of monsters are they? Although, the butter shortage continues, based on the availability I see in the groceries. I do not know what the deal is. There is cheese, milk, and cream, no problem as far as I know, and yet the butter problems continue for more than a year. Some sort of market breakdown, I assume.

In the afternoon, I went to Lettre d'Amour [Closed], as planned. Rather than the usual course through Meiji Gingu Gaien, down Icho Avenue and through Aoyama Cemetery, I just took the Gaien West Road around just to check whether there was a marker I missed along there in the morning. Coming back, I had intended to taking my usual route, since I was running with cake, but I realized why my first route was smart: Icho Avenue was packed with people viewing the spectacle of leaves changing colors (which I don't really get), so I had to curve around the other way. The map shows the combined day's route, which was 29 km.

The cake is Myrtille for 600 yen, which is supposedly (and basically tastes like) a baked cheese-cake tart with blueberry mouse on top. The confusing part is "myrtille" is the French word for "bilberry", which is related to but different from blueberry. I guess since bilberries can be called "European blueberries", they decided not to make a distinction, so I'll assume the name is correct but the description is not precisely correct. Now I'm doubting whether other "blueberry" cakes are actually bilberry.

The cake is good. I didn't choose it because I thought it would be great, but because I intend to try everything and this was more or less next, working left to right and top to bottom (of course, they move things around) and perhaps skipping varieties I'm not that into and new things that might be temporary, although that's not a general policy of mine. I like cheese cake, but it is not a strong taste, so it is limited. The tart crust was good, the baked cheese cake inside was good, the macron on top was good, and even the slightly gelatinous "blueberry" mousse was good. I'm happy with still saying this is a great shop and was not disappointed by the cake.

Checking Joshi+ Sweet, looks like it got around to Mont-Blanc, so I added it to the map and should give it a try. Since I don't like the cake mont-blanc so much in general and there are many places in Jiyugaoka and I hadn't heard anything about this one, I hadn't visited or planned to visit before now, although I'll see it and looked inside (they are near the station and seem to do a good business).

Akasaka laps and Sébastien Bouillet: Tarte Tatin Yuzu

I think I've only ever timed one lap around Akasaka Palace. Today was just two laps. Since it is a 3.3 km course, 20 min seemed a modest goal and I got the modest times of 19'36'' and 19'44'' for the two laps, which was a little disappointing but I was not running really hard. The differences from Meiji Gingu Gaien are that it is a longer course, it has a lot more grade to it ("saka" being "hill"), and it's a little farther to get there to begin with. I'm still stiff since the last time I was running fast, weeks now, but I should be able to do better. I might only raise the bar to 19'30''/lap, but simultaneously see whether I can do that for 3 laps, either of which goals will have me working harder. I definitely feel like I ran today, so I was not taking it easy by any means.

Cake was obtained ahead of time from (Sébastien) Bouillet at Isetan, Shinjuku. I haven't blogged them and I haven't bought from them much or at all recently, partially because I had a bad service experience buying a macron once, although I should maybe blame Isetan rather than this patissier/chocolatier. The cake was Tarte Tatin Yuzu for 496 yen, which is a fancy apple tart. The tart base is a little flaky and seems to be a yuzu-flavored butter tart, although the yuzu was very subtle. The top is baked apple, like you would have in a pie, but well baked. It was good, so I'll mark them as worthy of attention (and because of their convenience to me).

I haven't given up on great cake shops, and hope to get down to Lettre d'Amour this weekend, since I changed my plan to go their last weekend and now they are my least visited.

Run to Shinbashi and Piece Montée: Batan Chocolat

I ran to Shinbashi, but that was overshooting to go to Ginza, where Pièce Montée is, so I had to reorient myself. Once there, I got the Baton Chocolat for 800 yen, which is nuts and raisins in a very dense chocolate cake. There are chocolate pieces and chocolate cream on top, although you're going to need more delicate handling than I managed to get them off without making a mess. It was very good, I think, but I was not happy that they just gave me a box, although (i) I didn't try asking for a bag and (ii) it was so windy that a bag would not have been that useful. Still, I felt that the service was not great. I ended up walking back to Hibiya Park and then just eating it there, so no picture. It was good, but messy under the conditions and left me thirsty and thinking again about making brownies next. Ultimately, I can't get too interested in there and no one has recommended them, so it's going down as visited by not of particular interest. I don't need everything from everywhere, and they are not particularly convenient even compared to Dalloyau, which is also in Ginza.

It was in fact, too cold for how I was dressed and the wind, although not fatally. Since today was the peak daytime temperature, I won't try again to go without a jacket, even if I get sweaty. No running tomorrow since rain is forecast, I need to do my indoor workout, and I need to stay home for a postal delivery. Hope to get something from Isetan Thursday, maybe a shop I haven't blogged yet, then do laps, either try for higher speed laps at Meiji Gingu Gaien, or a couple laps around Akasaka. Then Friday maybe back to Amitié, since I liked the first cake and they were reasonable. I haven't had much luck with places I've chosen from just seeing, but I still might try Louange Tokyo soon, which does not quite fall in the category since I discovered them online and they are maybe too new to have gotten a recommendation from Isetan or Joshi+, which are my two sources.

Run to Toranomon Hills: Pastry Shop (Andaz Hyatt): Barley Tea & Chocolate

Safe to run (except for the cold drizzle), so I did a short run of about 58 min to Toranomon Hills. It's kind of a pain to get there, but everywhere is inconvenient compared to running to the moat course by way of Meiji Ginju Gaien and Aoyama Road, although I used them too. In particular, the Toranomon intersection seems to have been under construction for about 10 years now, and it doesn't look like they're close to finishing, although maybe I just get over there infrequently and there have been different projects.

Anyway, as expected, the Andaz Hyatt Pastry Shop is mostly about eclairs, which is not my thing. I got the Barley Tea and Chocolate cake, for 594 yen, and it was working pretty good for me except near the end, when I got sick of the barley taste and the sweetness: it went from maybe great to never again. Doesn't mean one of the other cakes is not great, but there were not a lot of choices, so I don't think I'm going to bother going back there intentionally. Relatively big cafe (I assume) area with a few giant tables. I immediately regretted not trying an eclair, since if their eclairs are good, then there was plenty of reason to go back, but even if eclairs can be great, and I haven't had proof of that yet, I'm not sure that ones that have been sitting around all day are the way to go.

I've been adding History and Culture courses (version 2010) to my map with the intention of using them. I've been on some before, though not running recently. They are not all reliably marked, so you want to carry a map as well as watching for the markers. I'd like to the Shinjuku one first, but since it goes right through the most crowded area, a lot of it is not going to be running, so I may try to get up early and do it before shops open. Since it would not be that far for a weekend run, I would want to do it a day I have other business rather than a free day, when I like to go for my maximum run.

Jean-Paul Hévin: Mont-Fuji and Longchamp Chocolat Noir

Today's indulgence was from Jean-Paul Hévin at Iseten. The Mont-Fuji is a basically their Mont-Blanc with pistachios mixed in, in addition to the chestnuts, in the paste on top. Of course, it's still the almond meringue base that sets apart this seasonal series, but I'll take this one as my favorite of the three that I caught so far (missed one of the monthly specials) and call it great from this great shop, for 674 yen.

The other is also considered seasonal, the Longchamp Chocolat Noir. This is bitter chocolate and almond as a coating around chocolate mouse and meringue, apparently. Actually, the center seems like just powered sugar almost, so be careful to share that out with different bites to keep this great cake. Also 674 yen. Sorry, should have rotated the cake 180 degrees.

Tomorrow, it should be medically safe for me to run, except rain is forecast. In the mean time, someone tried to recommend a couple new places to me, so I need to track them down and add them to the map.

(Saturday) Takagi (Aoyama): Bruxelles

Went to the Takagi in the Aoyama area and actually entered the large cafe section for the first time. I usually go there after work on a weekday, when it is completely empty (I don't know what the capacity is, but a few dozen, probably), so it was interesting to see it packed with people. It's still not clear why they keep it open until 9 pm on weekdays, since often there is no one there or just a couple people, but at least I can see how they avoid going out of business.

In the non-cake category, we had the brioche in maple syrup. Very good, although I prefer bostoc, although it probably depends on the bostoc. It was 1,458 yen and it would be a whole meal, and not a light one, but we split it between two people.

The cake was a new one, supposedly (new at cake shops doesn't mean that they've never had it before, I've noticed, just they are not promising that it will appear on a regular "seasonal" schedule). It was the Bruxelles (I think that is spelling they used) for 605 yen. It's layers, with the dominant flavor being citrus. Obviously there is chocolate, too. The soft "biscuit" layers are to keep it together, but in my mouth there is only a creamy feeling. It is excellent and the opposite of the Marquise cake from Friday, as it is not subtle. Not that it has an overly strong taste, so much, but strong enough and sweet.　

(Friday) Ginza loop to Marquise: Rurien

This run was fine. This was to the sound part of Ginza to a shop I have not visited before called (Ginza) Marquise. I verified that the leaves are in the middle of turning colors in Meiji Gingu Gaien and otherwise it was an okay run. Still a little sore in the same place, which is annoying. Did not try anything fancy, but too the short route back, which took me through demonstrators/proselytizers when I was about to swing by the Diet Building, but I'm not sure who. They wanted to give me their newspaper and I was stuck at a long light, so I let them talk to me a little. Apparently, someone predicted there would be wars all over the world (good guess, for any moment), so we should revere him or something. I'm guessing that it is just as well that mostly I did understand them. They were two elderly women, so I'm guessing not something too new age. Got my flu shot the next day, so no running for a couple days (they tell you one day of no heavy exercise, but I've had problems before, so I need to take it easy at least 48 hours). Hope to get some other cake this weekend, though.

At Marquise, I got the ルリアン ("Rurian"/"Lulian", although I don't think the actual Latin spelling was either; update: it was double Rs but I think "Rurien") which sounds the same as the J-Pop girl group the Le Lien, so couldn't get a match Googling. The shop homepage and Facebook page don't list it, and no one has posted a picture to Tabelog for that shop, so this does not seem to be a standard or something that they promote. I thought at the time that it would be the best compromise for sharing, but maybe I should have gone with the hazelnut one, which would be my choice for eating by myself. It was 650 yen, which did not surprise me for Ginza, and my memory of the card is that it has cassis mousse and orange somewhere, maybe in the dark cake. It looks good and does not taste bad, but is bland. Didn't care for the level of gelatin for the top part, but would have forgiven that if there had been more flavor. So I'm just going to mark it as of no special interest, even though it would be convenient. Eventually, I'll probably run out of other places to go (or want cake really late), but I expect it will be a while before I bother to go back. Not a huge selection to begin with.

Short run to Amitié: Rhône-Alpes

This was a run to the northeast part of Shinjuku, in the neighborhood of Kagurzaka. Took a short direct route from Yotsuya Sanchoume, which I don't recommend. I think I need to take the main road from there to the New Mejiro Road, take right and come back to it from the north next time. It will still be close compared to Ginza and Shinbashi. The more direct route that I used was too crowded relative to the sidewalk or mazy in the back streets.

The cake is the Rhône-Alpes from Amitié, which is a basic chocolate cake, layers of ganache between "biscuit" regular cake layers, but with meringue and powered sugar on top. Still pretty simple but delicious and only 450 yen. I'm calling it great. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything else I particular wanted. Noix Noix was listed on the hand-written board out front but I didn't find it inside and the website says that its currently retired. However, maybe something I don't know that I particular want is also great, so I'll definitely go back. One point for Joshi+. This week, they visited Noaki, which I've already done, so no replacement for the list to visit from there.

Local tour 9 to 10 km: 2000 (Deux Mille) Feuilles from Pierre Hermé

Bought my cake at Isetan first, from Pierre Hermé: 2000 Feuilles for 864 yen. It was a praline mille-feuillles (or apparently a double mille-feuilles). The online description is "Flaky caramelized puff pastry crust, crispy praliné with Piedmont hazelnuts, and praliné mousseline cream", which is as much ore more than you need to know except how it was.

For the run, I meant to check out the state of the Ginkgo trees along the south lane to Aoyama Street, but forgot. Even Tuesday night in light rain, there was a long line for the new Shake Shack, I think it is called. Doesn't sound like something I would need, but must be a big deal and it, their line, running, and the darkness distracted me.

Continued the tour to Takagi (still there), Louange Tokyo, which is in a dead-end alley that does not look like it should have anything besides condo entrances. Actually it is a private club as well as a cake shop and had the most high-end entry way I've seen on a patisserie, but it still looked like I could just walk in from jogging if I wanted (but not sit down on the upholstered chairs). There was a customer, so apparently other people are able to find it in a cul-de-sac (I think) off a street, off a short street, off the main street that runs in front of Roppongi Hills.

Continued on to go past Tokyo Midtown (stopping briefly to use the facilities) and swung by Neues, the German cafe I go for cake, which had the sign out saying that they were open. 

Went on to Akasaka and on down to the Niku ("Meat") no Hanamasa to get some roasted peanut pieces for making peanut butter and confirmed that I can get cheese there okay (I've been to a branch too small to have the 700 gram blocks, but I need a new source now that the one on my main street closed). Major difference from my old one: this one was playing French pop classics, whereas my old one played 80's alt/college pop. Different neighborhood.

Doubled back to confirm that I could find Del'Immo without checking the map (but I still need to check on how to spell it). 

Finally, went to Lawson 100 for snacks, crackers, and yogurt. I walked from there.

Which bring me back to the cake: praline (deux) mille-feuille: every part of it was great. It's expensive, of course, but it is a good-sized piece of cake. Probably just as well that there was not more of it, because I could have kept on eating (actually I did keep on eating, because I could not resist my freshly made peanut butter). 

39 km loop through P. Ces Jours: Yuzu

Took Setagaya Road west to Patiserie Ces Jours in the little city Komae just beyond Setagaya District, which seems a good route. It's a major road, so there is traffic but the sidewalk is sufficient, and some of it is even brick, which is usually the best. Still felt sore, so I didn't press it. I should probably not try speed running for a while.

The cake I chose was Yuzu, based on that it was marked as having won a prize somewhere. It's four layers: white chocolate, yuzu, white chocolate again, and a base which seems to be a gram cracker crust or similar embedded in a sweet caramel-like base (not a strong taste, but caramel color and sweet) that was hard but not crystalline or chewy. It was a reasonable 464 yen and excellent. The white chocolate part was more gelatinous than I like in general, but that might be necessary to keep the yuzu from leaking into it. Sorry, the picture turned out to be from the back, with the plastic still on the facing side.

Accidentally went back to Setagaya Road, so I took it to the river Nogawa and followed it up to Route 20, which is the Koshu Kaido. I've been along that river before, and it's nice to jog along. For Route 20, that would be the road I would use to go to Takao. Currently, I could certainly make it there and I assume force myself up the mountain and back down, but I'm not ready to commit to running back afterward and I don't want to pay train fare for a one-way run unless necessary (due to physical condition or conditions). I stopped at Yu Sasage and verified that they still exists in the same place and were busy. I might have gotten a shu cream or something there if I were willing to wait, but when to Boulangerie Puku-gari and got a little cream cheese with walnut sandwiched between what turned out to be round pieces of white bread with a lot of sugar on the outside. Won't be going back there, I expect.

Total, it was about 39 km, and I ran it in about 4 05', so slow but not terrible.

Run to Jiyuugaoka, Origines Cacao: Quiza

Ran to Origines Cacao in light rain. This time I got the Quiza for 545 yen, which is a chocolate cake. Maybe the description would tell me more about the construction, but there was a no-photographs sign and I can't remember anything special. The cafe space was closed (didn't go read to sign as to why), but I could eat outside under cover, although it was cold, as I was still in my summer stuff (although next week is supposed to be somewhat warm, possible almost getting up to a summer temperature).

My impression of this cake, like several other chocolate cakes, was that it was a little watery. There were chocolate cream (?) layers between cake and glazing all around (even the bottom was a solid chocolate), so I don't know what that means. I assume that it implies low butter content, but I'm not sure. Anyway, if this was not a shop I've had great cake from, I'd figure it was bad and plan to never go there again, so you and I should keep this in mind when interpreting bad (marked yellow) shops marked on the map.

Rather than try again to get great cake today somewhere else, I scaled down to get some good bread at a great bakery, in this case Andersen at Isetan. Actually, the first item is cake, Denmark Cream Cheese Cake for 216 yen, which was nice. Much more flour than my cheese cake, but then it had a nice tang that mine lacks.

The other was Trekornbrod (sp?) (three grain bread) for 356 yen for a half loaf, which is full of sesame seeds, which I hope to extend to tomorrow, or at least one more meal. This is my favorite non-sweet bread from there. Good with various spreads, toasted or not. Along with my regular breakfast and a big double salad, these baked goods helped me recover from the bad cake. I hope to have better cake luck tomorrow, when the rain is supposed to be less and dissipate in the afternoon, but otherwise I need to get over to Pierre Hermé Paris again.

Looping the moat to Canal Cafe Boutique: Chocolat Framboise

Light rain. Went to Ginza to visit the CW-X Conditioning Store in Nishi Ginza, since my broken toenails have put holes in my running socks. Also got UV gloves, just because I should have gotten them before. Hope I'm still running next year so that I really need them. Forgot my watch, but was not planning to run hard anyway, as I need to rest my back. It was about a 13 km run. Higher chance/frequency of rain this weekend, so don't know whether I'll get to run much. I'd like to go to Jiyuugaoka and visit Origines Cacao for great cake, but might end up doing the Shinjuku History and Culture course, which would put me next to Del'Imo, although it's not that far to Shinbashi/Ginza (of course, I could go east to west, but that wouldn't leave me in a good position for cake). My next planned bigger run would take me to Patisserie Ces Jours, but I'd want to do that on Sunday, because I can start earlier and have time to run back.

Back to today: circled the moat to go up to the Canal Cafe Boutique at Iidabashi, just because it looked like it should have good cake. Actually, only one that I was interested in and it's a pretty standard type, the Chocolat Framboise for 518 yen. It's chocolate mousse with a little raspberry, but there was some white cream inside too, which probably kept the chocolate mousse in check. Also, nuts in the bottom, which is unusual, but good. Not a bad cake of its type but not that memorable. I don't need to go back and don't expect to, but I could get the same thing or try something else.

Laps and Sadaharu Aoki Chocolat Pralin

Tried to do 7'/lap for 10 laps and failed from the start. I'm sore and just didn't have the will to push myself that hard for that long. I did make 10 laps within 7'15''/lap, but by less than 10 s total, so not that impressive. I knew I wasn't pushing as hard because I wasn't puffing as hard or burning as hard, but my back was not happy so I decided that I was going fast enough. I need to add regular back stretches. I've done 8 laps at 7'/lap previously (as part of 9 laps), so I need 9 laps at that pace to show improvement. I'll try that next or move over to seeing what how I can do with 2 laps around Akasaka Palace.

Cake was Chocolat Pralin from Sadakaru Aoki by way of Isetan for 780 yen. Pricy, but didn't buy cake yesterday (I made cake, and had some today and decided that the evaporated milk recipe is not worse than the cream recipe, and cheaper, mainly because I use less evaporated milk, though it's harder to find). According to the online description, the cake has some orange biscuit, which I didn't notice, but no mention of chocolate dacquoise. It definitely has chocolate cream and cream praline. It has feuillantine (?), which I assume is almond based, but seems accurate from the texture. Anyway, it all goes together and is chocolaty and praline without being overpowered by that. I thought that this was one that I had been indifferent to when I did the sampler set at Tokyo Midtown, but no disappointment today.

35'31'' to Origines Cacao R.I.P.

Since it was closed last Thursday, I tried to go again to the Shinbashi Origines Cacao. I had intended to take it easy and then do laps tomorrow, but running is not really a rational enterprise and I actually tried running fast to see what my benchmark time was for there. It was 35'31'' but Origines Cacao was closed, so I'll never be going there again. This time, I hunted around and found the notice of closure as of 30 Oct 2015. They were there for 2.5 years, apparently. The store in Jiyuugaoka still continues. Before I found their sign, I found the easier-to-see one for a basement bar which also just closed. Judging from the state of the building, I imagine that tenants are being forced out so that someone can tear the building down, although they could just renovate the basement and first floor to make one bigger space, although it would still not be that big.

I'll have to be satisfied with Dalloyau, Viron, counters in Ginza Mitsukoshi, and couple patisseries that I've been putting off going too in that area until I have to or run out of other new places to visit (and I just saw that there is a huge Mister Donuts cafe nearby on the Ginza side of the tracks). Today was Dalloyau again, where I managed to get something that I haven't blogged before, although I'm pretty sure I've had it: Insolant Fraise Melba for 648 yen. It's a giant macaron with dense whipped cream with strawberry something (not raw strawberries but more than flavor). Fraise Melba is a vanilla ice cream dessert and "insolant" apparently means exposed to the sun, if I'm to believe the spelling, Google translate, and the American Heritage Dictionary, so this seems to be a Fraise Melba that can take some sunlight. This is delicious for the macrons, the strawberry, and the vanilla cream, and the chocolate on top never hurts. Great cake from a great shop.

Hike to Kneten: Schokoladenkuchen

Feel fine today, so I'm ready to do a long run (not today) when I get some time, but it sort of destroys the day, so I feel like I should do some other things.

Today is rain, so I hiked there, like in the old days before I could run in Tokyo. It's about 5 km there, but I didn't take the shortest route, especially coming back, so it was about 12 km total. Got the Schokoladenkuchen (chocolate cake) for the quite reasonable 430 yen. It seems to be chocolate whipped cream between layers of fairly light cake (if it were heavier, it couldn't be held up by cream). I prefer something heavier, but this was definitely good for chocolate cake of this type; I've had experience with bad ones, so I appreciated this, although after one-third, I would have been happy to stop and move on to something else, although not because the flavor overstays its welcome, just it's no so much my thing. My favorite part was caramelized hazelnuts on top. If you put the chocolate in the cake and doubled the density and between put layers of crushed caramelized hazelnuts with just enough whited cream to keep them in place, that would definitely bring me back. Otherwise, the early hours (7:30 to 19:00) mean that I would maybe consider visiting again for something else on another rainy morning. Sorry, I should have moved the fork and focused better on the cake, to get the auto-focus working better.

46 km loop: Au Bon Veux Temps and Fraoula

Did a 46.3 km loop according to my calculation (Google routes had trouble at the river, gorge, and end, where I think I ran out of deviation points I could add), which still excluded some double-backs. It was not a continuous run, of course, because I need food and water, not to forget stopping for lights, but it was something like the posted map. Number 1 Tokyo-Yokohama route had its good and bad parts, but mostly seemed good for a run, for a trip to central Yokohama (if there was something there I wanted visit, which there currently isn't). I followed Tama River for a while and then jogged over to follow a canal, which was fine, although only ornamental at first (the real canal was presumably underground). I took a right when it met up with another canal, which ran through the only gorge in Tokyo's 23 special wards (the east/metro part of Tokyo, versus the outer suburbs and mountains in the same prefecture-level grouping, where there should be no lack of gorges). Since there were families and only a narrow wet stone walk along the waterway, I eventually had to reduce to a walk, although it's only 1 km long. I had seen it from above where Ring Road 8 passes over it, but hadn't known what it was, where it led (nowhere in particular, really) or how people actually got down there. Now I know. I swung by A Bon Vieux Temps before heading to Jiyuugaoka (where there are benches), and then back along familiar routes. I deviated from my original plan (which would have been 44 km), and following the Meguro River to Yamanote Road, taking that up to the south end of Yoyogi, where I visited Fraoula. By then it was raining, and if it were raining as much when I entered the shop as when I left, I was going to take the train back, but it had let up mostly, so I jogged.

I spent something like 5 15' actually running. My right hip/haunch was still sore, and did not improve the first couple hours, so I decided that I was not being careful with my form on my right side. If I don't kick my leg out straight enough, it sort of swings around a little, which is not good, so I focused on that the rest and it gradually got better. Naturally, I'm tired, but I can imagine going farther. It might be a few weeks before I get around to that, though.

At Au Bon Vieux Temps, I got the Paradis, which is raspberry gelatin (but not disgusting gelatin), but only about 2 mm thick, and a little mixed in below, not much more pistachio brûlée (if they say so), inside white chocolate mousse for 561 yen. I like white chocolate cake and the raspberry and pistachio were good accents, but I can't say this is great. It's consistent with greatness, but it does not make up for other not great cakes, so I'm taking this shop off my great list. They seem to be doing well (despite being in an area that doesn't look like the future holds a lot for them, being a little too far for them to fare well in the declining population).

Meanwhile, Fraoula is a modest shop on a back street near where two train lines meet, close to central Tokyo, and in particular close to Yoyogi Park, but I worry that it will disappear, because you're not likely to find it unless you're looking for it, and it's not that easy to find even then, the streets being somewhat tangled. This time I got a croissant, which is not cake, but their baked things are so good (and much cheaper), so I could not resist and even took a picture. It was 194 yen and delicious, of course.

The other item I got was the Tarte Poire Pamplemousse, for 518 yen, which is pear and grapefruit. This combines two fruits that I generally don't want on tarts. The bottom had lots of green, so I wonder if it was pistachio again. It was certainly interesting tasting and good, but it did not convince me that I want grapefruit desserts (although it was not sour, so I wouldn't have known what fruit it was from the taste). Still, well made, with well balanced tastes, so it is consistent with a great shop, and I'm not disappointed, even if I probably enjoyed the white chocolate cake more. There are still several standard cakes there that are not my favorites but I'm happy to try, so I'm not finished. Even if new cakes ended, there are other sweets there I would go for, such as meringue.

1/1 intervals untimately to

Did 1 min/1 min intervals to the Shinbashi Origines Cacao, which was closed with no sign and before 8 pm, so I'll try to remember that they are closed on Thursdays. No problem, since it's about the running. Since Frédéric Cassel gave me two good cakes, I went back for a third.

I was a little sore in selected places from yesterday's run when I started, so that was not a complete waste of time. That cleared up, but coming back my hip (or really below) started hurting, so I was a little slow, although I'm okay now as far as pain, just really tired. I've only found that sitting was painful after running the last week, so maybe I'm working on new muscles (I had assumed it was because I was out on a bike on Saturday for a few hours and then ran 39 km on Sunday). Today, I had lightened my bag pretty much already, but if I'm going to be running hard, I guess it was still too much. I'll try losing the water bottle. I hope next Thursday to get to those 7 min laps (with no bag).

This time was Tarte Citron for 648. It was definitely very good and consistent with the quality I expect from that shop. Not sure what the green bits are. I still have not found a lemon tart that I think is great, this I can't say that this was any less good than those I've already designated as great shops.

Takagi: Fontainebleau

Today is a day to make excuses about running/shame myself, which is one purpose of this blog. The excuse is that I did 21 km yesterday, which is two day's running. Still, I wanted to do strength training that I can rest afterward from so I'm still ready for 40+ km Saturday morning. My running was 1 min/1 min intervals and I tried to run as fast as possible (as embarrassingly slow as that is, I still run out of air and I'm not that sore), I did not take the shortest possible route to Takagi in Aoyama, but it was close enough that I only had time for 6 intervals, because it's really close. Then I ran back with my cake, and that was it. I tried working out in my room, but I was really tired and hungry, and only got a third of the way through my normal routine. I'll try running to Ginza/Shinbashi tomorrow and doing a better inside workout Friday. I really need to get some dumbbells, but apparently the nearest Biccamera with them is Akasaka, which is okay if I go by bike on Sunday, I guess.

From Takagi, I got Fontainebleau (my spelling), which is almond and hazelnut praline around caramelized nuts with a layer of chocolate. It's a seasonal cake, so perhaps this is what got me thinking this place was great back when I started seriously looking around for nearby places to run to get cake, since this seems designed to appeal to me. It was 562 yen, which is not too bad these days of the weak yen. The cake is very good, is well-balanced, and was not something that I got tired of. No reason to call it great, though, so I think I'm going to have to downgrade my evaluation of Takagi. Still, very convenient and has good cake. And they give me little chocolate/nut something for free fairly often, as a kind of appetizer, I think. It's always the same, though, so I have to watch out or I'll get tired of them when they give me two. I should freeze them and save them for sharing, but I'm too greedy for that so far.

Culture Day run: Hidemi and Clair de Lune

Today's run is the one shown on the map, if you check before I add another one. It was 21+ km and involved 2 h 12 min of motion (mostly running, but there were crowds and a pedestrian bridge to requiring climbing stairs. Went through some crowded areas, but also was still sore (back and hips) at the beginning (now my feet are sore). Since I have a long run planned for Saturday, I've only got Wed. or Thu. for intervals to try to build actual muscle. Not sure whether another long run after only 6 days from the previous is okay, especially with 20+ km today, but we'll see.

Wanted to go to the cafe Kneten, as a Joshi+ recommendation, but they are closed Tue, apparently even when it is a holiday (I tried calling by phone, but no answer). I had several other places in mind, though, so no problem. I ended up visiting Patissier Hidemi Sugino's place. It's a cafe and 6 of the cakes are only for eating in, but the line for getting cake was not so bad (people go in groups, so it can look worse than it is). Since I was in no condition for anyone to want me in their crowded cafe, and it was 30 minutes after opening so the cafe space was already full with a few people waiting, I got a takeaway cake: Framboisier for 680 yen, which was great, so I'll need to visit again.

Sorry, not a great picture. Too bright outside to see what I was doing (and too tired to have the sense to realize how the shadows were falling). This is raspberry, obviously. Under the whole raspberries are almond bits. There should be a couple almond cake layers in there, but mainly raspberry butter cream, although fairly light buttercream as buttercream goes. Also, some red currant gel, although not sticky or wobbly (if there were enough of it) jelly, but more of a solid sauce that cuts easily. This is very fruity cake, probably from using fruit as the sweetener rather than some other kind of sugar, but the sweetness is just right.

After another 5 km, I got back to Clair de Lune for a second time this year. Maybe this was too short a distance (even though it took several more minutes to get to a park to eat it) for cake again. As I seek quality, I find that I have to cut down on quantity, and not just due to expense. The name is The Apres-Midi (I think something else might have been written in Latin characters, but this makes sense to me and matches the Japanese phonetic name) and was 600 yen. It's almost frozen and gives off a faint ice-being-cut sound, although it does not taste icy. Obviously there are figs on top (I put them on flat-side down, so they wouldn't roll off outside) of a sort of crumb topping. Not sure what the flavors are. Could be a little chocolate or could be fig. Not vanilla. I assume tea, but not strong. It was very good, but I became less satisfied with it afterward over time, which may have more to do with what happens in my stomach when I eat and jog. Anyway, probably not great, and the shop is still not convenient (in terms of distance and crowded areas that you have to pass through to get back inside Yamanote Line) although I'm getting a little more used to jogging on that side of town, so I've removed the shop from special consideration. If I'm in that neighborhood and need take-out cake, I would go again.

39 km loop:

Tried just dipping into Kanagawa pref., looking to see whether I should expand again outside of Tokyo. The detour at Shibuya Sta. was was much more than I intended, although I liked the south part of it and should use that again. Shibuya is not just runner friendly, which is why I don't usually go there for cake. Since I'm not trying to find the shortest route, I should stick to detouring around it more fully.

WIth the detour, the run to Bigarreaux was about 13 km, which took an acceptable 80 minutes. Because I was doing a loop stopping for cake and exploring new roads, I was not trying to do maximum speed, although I still tried to time myself, to stay motivated. Total was about 39 km at the same pace (4 hours total), although I was definitely slow at the end. For a faster run, I need less stuff in my backpack or no backpack. It's more a problem of bulk making it press against my back than weight. I could wear the jacket (I'm still running in my same super cool UV protection shirt, although I get watery eyes rather than so much sweat. No special skin problems except for burning eyes and dried out feet). At least for today, my back was the weak link for increasing my speed.

At Bigarreaux, they've got three autumn cakes out, so I'll need to get back there again. This time, I got the Misérable for 500 yen. This is said to be a traditional Belgian cake of fermented butter cream sandwiched between high-almond-content cake. It's not that sweet, but, as you can see, that's a lot of butter. It's the kind of thing that I like very much, for variety, but can't really say that it is great. Would definitely like to have it again.

So, the entrance to Kanagawa is still not my favorite, although I was not the only runner or cyclist on the two-lane road on the Kanagawa side coming from Futakotamagawa, and it was okay, as far as I went on it. I liked the canal route that I took for the south end of the run. Google is wrong about the need to detour to cross the big expressway: there are crosswalks and lights right at the canal roads. My problem was getting off and making my way back to Tokyo. So I can use the canal route to move east-west (if I don't need to be very deep in Kanagawa), but I still need to find a good entrance point and initial road.

Coming back, I stopped by (Patisserie) de Bon Coeur in Koyama (Shinagawa dist.). They have a cafe downstairs, I think, but there is a regular moderately sized adult, fancy cake counter. I got the Gateau Pistache (guessed spelling) for 648 yen. This is pistacio and raspberries. Fairly standard cake. It was very good. Can't say that it reached great, but there's a lot of competition in this category, so it's hard to stand out. There are several parks around and it's close to one of the History and Culture Walking Courses, so maybe I'll get back there again, but I'm not going to make it a priority. I have enough other places to keep me interested. I'll update the map to reflect that I've been there.