Andrew Grimes's Advice List

Andrew Grimes United Kingdom 28 years in Japan

Andrew Grimes

Andrew's a JSCCP licensed Clinical Psychologist, a qualified JFP Psychotherapist and the CEO of Tokyo Counseling Services. Past times and future times include living, working, writing and being walked by a labrador named Pooka in Tokyo Japan.

In 2012 I created a charity called APRICOT (Allied Psychotherapy Relief Initiative for the Children of Tohoku) which as of 2014 was awarded NPO status from the Tokyo Government and so is now APRICOT NPO.

APRICOT's mission is set in our hearts and minds: that we will together volunteer and work to protect the mental health and the healthy emotional and psychological development of the Children of the Tohoku Region over the coming seventeen years, that is until all of them enjoy their Coming of Age Days, when they will become young adults, living healthy and happy young lives.

If you are kindly enjoying my posts here please consider making a donation to help the children of Tohoku receive the professional mental health care they need and deserve. Thank you and please enjoy, Andrew

APRICOT: http://apricotchildren.org

Cybersited: http://www.tokyocounseling.com
APRICOT called upon 5431 3097

TCS Office called upon 5431 3096

Like "APRICOT" on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/apricotchildren
Twittered at https://twitter.com/andrewtokyo

Shimokitazawa Area Restaurants #1 Midorizushi ~ the best of Sushi Shops

There are a few great sushi masters who can transform sushi into food for the gods!Midori-zushi. Among the modest 'sushiyasan' creating traditional sushi along with innovational original dishes, there are many master chefs. They say little, giving their sushi creations their full attention. Howev…(311 words)

Andrew Grimes

Sushi Shimokitazawa Seafood Food Zushi style Eat Traditional Holidays

Shimokitazawa Area Restaurants #3 Pizzeria LaBefena

From the outside of Pizzeria LaBefena it would be understandable if you saw it as no more than any other small one man operation selling Italian~Japanese style catering to the taste of the local market. but once you take a few steps to the door you enter into a restaurant where you know immediately…(495 words)

Andrew Grimes

Shimokitazawa Restaurant Drink Cuisine style Juice Teishoku Italian cuisine green Bread

How to become an APRICOT NPO Ambassador for the Children of Tohoku

"At Apricot we often get emails asking about how people can get involved beyond donating. There are many ways, as this reply (below) I recently sent to a potential volunteer show..."Hi Laura*,Thank you for your kind wishes ~ responses like yours are both a little rare just now as we are in …(1308 words)

Andrew Grimes

Children Tohoku Donation

APRICOT NPO Giving to the land that gives so much to guests from abroad.

APRICOT is now officially APRICOT NPO!Let’s start the October newsletter with some good news. As of October 21st, the APRICOT is an officially registered NPO. We now have to pay a final visit to Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s legal section to sign (or rather “hanko”) a document, which will the…(819 words)

Andrew Grimes

Children charity health Tohoku Fukushima child childcare

Helping the Children of Tohoku APRICOT News #2

The rainy season it seems has done nothing to dampen the spirits of APRICOT’s supporters. Thanks to the growing number of Team APRICOT Children volunteers,we have been very productive and positive for APRICOT, one that has seen us take a major step towards official NPO status (as a registered NPO …(434 words)

Andrew Grimes

Children Tohoku Visit English Bank Region activities Work

Fujiya Hotel: A Resort Hotel in Hakone, a Hot Spring Resort Outside Tokyo.

Wherever you are in the Fujiya Hotel you are traveling through time, everyday time of course but eras of the passed times that this hotel has lived through since 1878.In Autumn it is mellow, warm daytimes and some of the most beautiful 'changes of the autumn leaves' you can ever hope to see. Al…(500 words)

Andrew Grimes

Tokyo Hotel Spring Hakone Winter Autumn Restaurant Cafe elegance style

Fujiya Hotel: A Resort Hotel in Hakone, a Hot Spring Resort Outside Tokyo.

Have you ever seen that snowed in beautiful period piece hotel in the film "The Shining", where in the Winter months Jack Nicolson and his family are the lone caretakers of the hotel? Now can you imagine an hotel even more classic and beautiful, during the Spring and Summertime months, with no Nico…(517 words)

Andrew Grimes

Tokyo Hotel Spring Summer Cherry blossom Winter Cherry Film Hakone

~ Picasso and Henry Moore ~ Inside and Out ~ Outside In ~

Turn left when you get off the train and with a little walking you'll see the Ticket Office. Different priced tickets for the members of your family, depending on how many days and years you have been wandering around this planet where sometimes you can get a sense of normality. You're not going to…(561 words)

Andrew Grimes

Train Park Shinjuku Building Ticket Museum Art Souvenir Nature English

Tokyo Primary Care - 'where all three words ring true 'Tokyo - Primary - Care'

Tokyo Primary Care is the brainchild of Dr Joe Kurosu M.D, and his clinic is a top rank medical international clinic "providing primary care services to the local and foreign resident communities" that truly lives up to it's name. The "Tokyo" you may have heard of and be quite familiar with, and ev…(698 words)

Andrew Grimes

Tokyo Building Flower Shimokitazawa Hospital Doctor Pharmacy Mothers and Children Clinic Clinic Medications

Enospa Sojourn Part 3: “The true meaning of massage and Enoshima Island Spa Bengteng Spa”

... My partner chose to experience the Signature Massage" (see Enospa Sojourn Part 2) ... I went for the 40 minute massage which focuses on the feet mostly going as far as the knees. This was a real foot massage by a kind and polite yet very strong armed professional massage therapist My partner o…(265 words)

Andrew Grimes

Enoshima Island spa Massage Sea Kanagawa Yokohama Nature Tokyo

Inspired by Starbucks - a Shimokitazawa cafe

From the outside it looks like just another one of the ubiquitous standard designed Tokyo cafes with rows of heartlessly wrapped cellophane sandwiches, boring buns and plastic cheesecakes. The food is good and tasty, and my dog is particularly fond of a slice of apple and cinnamon pie with vanilla …(266 words)

Andrew Grimes

Cafe Shimokitazawa Tokyo Beer Coffee Wine English Juice Wi-Fi Setagayaku

Enospa Sojourn Part 2: “To Enoshima Island Spa: a breathe of scented airs”

The whole of Enoshima Island Spa has been designed in a curvature minded sense. No straight lines or stiff rectangular changing rooms to re-activate traumatic schooldays memories. Quite the contrary, all the corridors and four floors of Enoshima Island Spa (nicknamed "Enospa") you follow a flowing …(472 words)

Andrew Grimes

Enoshima Island spa Tokyo Train Shinjuku Sea English Express train Pool

Need a Calm, Safe and Sound Harbour in the middle of Roppongi?

Roppongi at times can be particularly busy, unkempt and full speed ahead when it comes to business and leisure hour pursuits. It's on the go 24/7 and if you don't get your bearings right it can be a somewhat overwhelming place say the least! For first time tourists and businessmen alike one of …(602 words)

Andrew Grimes

Roppongi Tokyo Hotel Shibuya Fashion Beef Roppongi Hills English Businessman view

Enospa Sojourn Part 1: “Far from the madding Tokyo crowd at Enoshima Island Spa”

Some days, even on one of those lovely sunny mid-winter days that Tokyo is often blessed with, it can still feel too close and up in your face to contemplate another day of stress and strain in the maddening Tokyo streets. When you feel like that, especially when mulling over your first cappucc…(359 words)

Andrew Grimes

Tokyo Enoshima Island spa Train Shinjuku Sea English Express train

The Plum Blossoms are the tough guys...

People think of Japan and many think of Cherry Blossoms first. Actually Apricot and Plum Blossoms are the tough guys, they push past the snow, they stand firm in rainstorms and endure the rainstorms... Posting this photo was inspired by a kind Facebook Friend who had spotted the early plum blos…(317 words)

Andrew Grimes

Tokyo Train Park Shinjuku Sushi Cherry blossom Cherry Flower Spring Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing)

Junkudo Books - Ikebukuro Station East Exit

Junkudo is a very big bookstore (about 10 stories high) with everything from magazines to children's books to best sellers to the classics. There is a whole floor given over to English books only. One nice feature in this very nice store is that there a chairs dotted around the whole building on ev…(113 words)

Andrew Grimes

Ikebukuro Tokyo Building