I neither like nor dislike dolls. They leave me cold. As a child, I was about as attracted to them as I was plastic guns. Dolls are ‘cute’ and ‘creepy’ simultaneously. Substitutes.
After being whisked away after work to a Turkish restaurant, where we listened to Madonna, and had a tearful singalong to Don’t Cry For Me Argentina with my parents via FaceTime (there was nobody else in the restaurant), we took a taxi to my birthday surprise destination : the Yokohama New Grand Hotel, a place I have always been curious about : sitting in the lobby the following morning I read that the legendary establishment at the edge of Yamashita Park had hosted General McArthur and Charlie Chaplin
After a very nice breakfast, as it was just one minute down the road, D said he wanted to go to the Yokohama Doll Museum.
It was a cold, damp morning, the yellowing zelkova trees lining the street towards the chintzy dollhouse, where we filled in contact tracing information sheets despite being the only person there aside one woman
The Black Narcissus 
What a beautiful hotel and wonderful birthday surprise!
So lovely x
Fab pics. And hartelijk gefeliciteerd met uw verjaardag dear Ginza. And de beste wensen voor D as well with you.
That means congrats to you and to D! Just what the doctor orders for birthdays.
What a year!!!
I know.
Celebrating my mangled semi centennial with dusty rubber dolls
What an absolutely lovely treat. It is so very impressive.
I adore dolls, and would have been in heaven at the doll museum.
I do love all the photos, all so evocative.
It was worth the agony of doing it on an iPhone then – I wanted to put up even more.
This might be a good place to stay for you actually when you come : next to the sea and the Doll Museum !
Sounds wonderful!! I would love it there.
I find dolls to be either boring or sinister, depending on the sort. The hotel looks lovely though! Who knows when I will ever set foot in one again. Back in hard lockdown this week.