Hi there! Hope you all have a wonderful day today!
We're pleased to announce the opening of a new apartment in Shinjuku! So we'd like to introduce you to the Shinjuku Sanchome area, which is the nearest station from the house. Did you think, “Oh I know Shinjuku well already!”?　Maybe there's something you don't know yet! Especially these years, more people would be thinking about working from home or how to organize their life. Then we are going to introduce you to some popular and unique spots with the theme of "staying healthy in mind and body", so let’s get started☆

The main shrine of the metropolis of Shinjuku
The first place we visited was the Hanazono Shrine. After I stepped through the torii gate into the shrine grounds, I felt a dignified and peaceful atmosphere that made me think nothing of the main street in front of us. The vermilion-colored main shrine also shone under the blue sky. As I looked around, I saw neighbors and businessmen and businesswomen before going to work." It was the kind of place that makes you feel relaxed. Incidentally, according to the official website of Hanazono Shrine, "Hanazono Shrine has occupied an important position as the main shrine of Shinjuku since before Tokugawa Ieyasu's opening of Edo (1603)." It is a shrine that has been watching over the lives of people and the growth of the city.

【Hanazono Shrine HP】http://www.hanazono-jinja.or.jp

Tasty fruit sandwiches♡
Our next stop was Nagiya, popular for fruit sandwiches. There are a variety of colorful fruit sandwiches and maritozzos. After much deliberation, we chose "Soy Milk Cream Strawberry Sandwich," which is only available at the Shinjuku store, and "Pistachio Maritozzo," which is bright green. It's already delicious just looking at it! Let's have these for dessert after lunch. In the showcase, there was also the deluxe Big Mac-like "Big Tangerine Maritozzo", strawberry, kiwi, banana, melon, and more. Can’t wait to visit here next time.

【Nagiya HP】https://nagiyatokyo.jp/

Relaxing in the oasis in the metropolitan city
We visited the Shinjuku Gyoen with only a minute walks from Nagiya. Do you know how big the Shinjuku Gyoen is? It's a whopping 58.3 hectares (about 180,000 tsubo, or about 13 times the size of Tokyo Dome). It's hard to imagine.
After purchasing a ticket at the entrance, we walked into the park, and gradually the soft grass began to spread around our feet. When I looked up, I saw not buildings, but a big sky surrounded by strong trees. I can't tell you how many times I feel from my heart, "It feels so good! I felt so relaxed that I forgot that I was in Shinjuku. Some people were enjoying walking, and it was nice to have such a beautiful park within our living area.

【Shinjuku Gyoen HP】https://fng.or.jp/shinjuku/

Happy lunch time☆
We were starving! There are restaurants and cafes inside the Shinjuku Gyoen, and this time we decided to get some takeout from Yurinoki restaurant and enjoy them with looking at the beautiful garden!　
We chose "Neapolitan (Japanese style tomato ketchup pasta)" and "Ezo deer meat dry curry". We love Neapolitan. The dry curry was so tasty with a good amount of spice and Ezo deer meat! haha. After that, it’s time for desserts! The sandwiches and the Maritozzo were filled with cream, but they were not heavy that we could easily finish them. (This is kinda dangerous!).

【Yurinoki restaurant HP】https://fng.or.jp/shinjuku/place/rest/yurinoki/

Traditional style public bath
After lunch, took a walk around the city and went for some maintenance on our bodies.
We came to "Sento Bentenyu" surrounded by the nostalgic atmosphere.
There are seven different types of baths and saunas, and you can even enjoy an outdoor bath in Shinjuku!
On this day, as soon as they opened, there were many customers from the community. I heard that there were many foreign customers as well, and there was also an English version of the rules for using the bathhouse, so first-time visitors can feel at ease:)

【Benten-Yu HP】https://bentenyu.jimdofree.com/

Extraordinary experiences on Earth
Oak House's explorers has finally reached to space!
As many of you may know, this is Uchu-mura, the place that sells meteorites that make wishes come true. Even from the outside, there seems to be a mysterious atmosphere about them... Let's take a look inside!

As we slowly walked into the store, looking at all the antiques, and Buddhist statues lined up, we found a large meteorite sitting at the corner. This is a meteorite.... I tried to hold my hand up to it and try to sense something, but unfortunately I couldn't do it. But don't worry, everyone. Even if you don't have the sense, there are other ways. Inside the store, there are many products made from meteorites, including reasonably priced stickers. As you'd expect from the number one meteorite collector in Japan, they have a lot to offer.
Mr. Kageyama, the head of the Uchu-mura, told us some valuable stories, and we also got to see the message books of people whose wishes had come true. There was even a person who passed the University of Tokyo after getting an "E" on the last mock exam. We also bought some stickers to attract the power of the universe. We hope that our wishes will come true‼︎

【Space village HP】https://www.uchumura.com/

How was our walking tour with the theme of "stay healthy in mind and body"? For me, it was fun to explore the area and made me feel more interested in it. I would like to take another walk on my own next time!
Thank you very much to all the stores that agreed to be photographed and interviewed despite the term of the new Corona virus. All of the stores were well-prepared and we were able to visit them with peace of mind. It's almost time for the night to end.
Please take care of yourselves for all of you and See you again in the next time!

（Writer/ Ayumi）（Photos/ Takashi Fujii）