Originally Posted by gokiburi
fixedude, where are you now? good croissants? brick street bakery in the distillery has my vote for best in TO. balzac's has decent coffee too. the weekend crowds are a riot to look at too.
i am currently in my second year of living in japan...home to the "gokiburi". while i am enjoying my small-town living in 'inaka' (the 'countryside'), it does not provide the wealth of gastronomical opportunities that toronto did. but, at least i am surrounded by the ocean on one side, and mountains on the other...and no snow for beautiful year-round riding.
not long ago, some japanese friends organized a great bike messenger race, kyotoLOCO2005, that i attended. it was a lot fun and i met some excellent people from around the world, particularly NYC. i was the only non-japanese who qualified for the final race and placed 8th overall -- toronto represent, eh!
if anyone comes to japan (kansai region, specifically), feel free to gimme a holler! otherwise, i will back in t.o. for a short vacation during the xmas holidays...i am deciding whether to bring my bike, since i think i will feel a bit lonely without it.
p.s. i added some pics from life in japan...the quality is kinda cruddy, but i had to re-size them.