Sarugakucho — which loosely translates as "monkey fun town" — is a hot spot near Daikanyama Station in Shibuya, Tokyo. As a place to hang out, this area sets the bar pretty high: Its backstreets are a zoo of uber-cute boutiques offering exclusive jeans, aromatic drip coffee made with gourmet beans, wee French restaurants and a smattering of traditional goods such as indigo-dyed clothing and souvenir tenugui (cotton towels). It's all great fun, but please note: the area has been so over-blogged (without permission, or precision, apparently) that many shop owners have posted "No photos" notices in their windows — so ask before you shoot, and don't make a monkey of yourself.

One place that invites monkeyshines, however, is a store called Motovelo, a wheeler dealer in battery-powered bikes located in building 2 of Tsutaya's Daikanyama T-Site. Outside the shop, a candy-red colored cross between a stair-climber machine and a scooter has a sign reading "Try Me!" placed on it. Mechanic and shop coordinator Yuichi Kawada, 30, pops in a battery and leaps onboard the contraption to demonstrate. Three quick steps and he's down the block. When he returns, Kawada reassures me that all of Motovelo's bikes come with five-year guarantees, plus one year of personal insurance. Their line of child seats — easily detachable and in bright colors — look like they offer good coverage, too.

I move on, and after resisting several insanely tempting pastry shops and dodging double-wide baby strollers in the crowded backstreets, I reach Kyu Yamate-dori, the main avenue through southwest Sarugakucho. Located here is the Tokyo campus of world-famous cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu, which has a cafe, and which puts fin to la resistance. Over a mocha at Cordon Bleu's La Boutique, I page through the application materials for the school's various diplomas. Clearly not your average monkey see, monkey do outfit, the school has offered diplomas in cuisine, pastry and bakery, as well as the all-inclusive "Le Grande Diplome," since 1895.