If you asked me, prior to coming to Japan, something I would never have imagined doing then spending one hour in a queue to buy doughnuts would be a pretty good example of that something. This however is Japan so normal rules do not apply.

When my friend told me about Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in Tokyo I refused to believe her. My experience was of small outlets such as the one in Waterloo station, London where you have to wait maybe two minutes to receive sugary goodness. In Tokyo though, the (until recently) sole Shinjuku branch has proved so popular that folks are willing to wait a long time. An hour in fact and until said friend convinced me it was a good idea to go I would only have willingly stood in such a queue for a rollercoaster or the like. On Saturday we decided to brave the Tokyo Krispy Kreme experience joining a queue that started on the rail bridge before winding in a concertina fashion in front of the store. Krispy Kreme did not make the wait too unpleasant though. People are shepherded in blocks to the bunched up queue area from the rail bridge where, in close proximity to the aroma of warm baking doughnuts, Krispy Kreme dole out free and freshly glazed offerings accompanied by numerous murmurs of ‘umaiii….oishiii’.

As you draw closer you are given menus to choose in advance because inside it is hectic as patrons hurriedly order to then thrust their cash guiltily to the smiling assistant and then shuffle out with a big box of calories in a clear plastic bag that shows your shame for all the world to see. It just screams ‘Look at me! I waited an hour to buy food that’s going to make me fat’. Back on the train, half the looks are in envy and the other half make appalled faces. Biting into one later though, as you may expect made the wait oh so worth it and it is another ‘idiot’ thing I can say I have done. Yeahhh~

There are not that many scenic spots in Tokyo for alfresco dining, or at least there are not many where the view of concrete is minimal unless, of course, you picnic in Yoyogi Park. Last Friday, however, I found a pretty spot for summer lunches: The Canal Cafe. That Friday, the erratic Spring weather went in my favour as I was greeted by cloudless blue skies and a warm sun on arrival at Iidabashi station.

The Cafe was a strange experience if only because for the while that my friend and I were there, we did not feel like we were in Japan. The quaint white boathouse appearance of the restaurant, with assorted pot plants and decking for that alfresco touch, looked more suited to Stratford upon Avon than the steaming Japanese metropolis. I think the only thing that rooted it to some sense of reality was the interesting presentation of food ordered. In the UK, such a cafe would serve drinks in proper cups but to save time here, the cheaper ‘cafe’ side takes a fastfood approach with beverages in paper coke cups and food in paper trays. The food however did not taste or look cheap enough to befit this presentation; smoked salmon was combined with cream cheese and capers in a tasty raisin bagel that proved a delicious light lunch. It was an odd juxtaposition of unfussy cafeteria and refined cafe. Having said that, I can put presentation issues aside for the sheer enjoyment of eating outside. Summer is coming and I may spend a few more lunches there.