MY DAY IN OSLO

8:50 AM

I often bike through the streets of the hip Grünerløkka district of Oslo.

Today, I enjoy sights you usually don’t see in other parts of the world, like people training on roller skis or jogging to work with a backpack, men pushing baby strollers, and groups of children from kindergartens on excursions.

The kids are so cute!

Tonje Fagerheim runs and owns Retrolykke, indeed she is the place.

She makes me feel like home because we talk about everything, and she also tells me fun, quirky things about the Norwegian way of life.

I love Tonje!

10:00 AM

Oh, by the way, today Tonje had a surprise for me. A bright red traditional Norwegian bread box with painted motifs, maybe from the 1950s. I think it has a cute “kawaii” factor.

Tonje found the box in a flea market and sold it to me for only 300 Norwegian kroner.

10:20 AM

ROBOT FASHION STORE

My John Lennon-style rounded sunglasses were bought at Robot in Markveien in the district of Grünerløkka, just two minutes from Retrolykke.

The advantage of my yellow glasses is that I always get the impression that the day is sunny.

11:00 AM

THE MUNCH MUSEUM

I love to take pictures at the many places in Oslo where you can discover the works and life of the artist, Edvard Munch. In fact, The Munch Museum in Oslo is the biggest collection of any single artist in the world.

12:05 PM

THE “SCREAM” CAKE AT THE MUNCH MUSEUM

I always have time for coffee and cake, especially the cheesecake named after Munch’s most famous painting, The Scream.

1:00 PM

MATHALLEN, OSLO’S FOOD COURT

In Oslo, there are now several places where you can choose your food from stalls and sit down at shared tables. Today, I pick the food court of Mathallen.

I always tell my Japanese visitors to choose local Norwegian food and skip the fast food chains.

4:00 PM

FUGLEN COFFEE BAR

I am basically a big fan of tea, but I drink more coffee here in Oslo because cafes are everywhere here, and several are run by baristas and coffee roasters of international reputation.

The coffee bar Fuglen started out in Oslo, and the company even has two outlets in Tokyo. I love the Scandinavian style interior, mostly decorated with modernist Norwegian furniture and decorative objects.

7:00 PM

THE BLÅ BAR AND CONCERT VENUE AREA

Blå, which simply means “blue” in Norwegian, is a popular concert scene located in an old industrial brick building by the river of Akerselva.

Do you think my day is over?

As a journalist writing for Yahoo! Japan News, Asahi Shimbun Globe, All About, Globetrotter Media Partner, and other media, I prefer to do my writings late at night and spend the daytime meeting people in Oslo.

Today, I’m especially happy about my bargain, the breadbox from Retrolykke. The only thing is that I don’t eat much bread at home so I will use it for … tea.