Tradition

Garden

Winter walk in Koishikawa-Korakuen Garden

Winter has just come to Tokyo, and the temperature has started dropping to near zero degrees Celsius, or 32 degrees Fahr...
Tradition

Enjoy New Year’s preparations on New Year’s Eve.

New Year's Day is one of the most important days of the year for the Japanese. On this day, we have a special dinner, Os...
Garden

Kyu Iwasaki-Tei Garden: The West met the East here. (Part 2)

I will resume the blog post about Kyu Iwasaki-Tei Garden. This is the second half of our virtual tour in the garden and ...
Experience

It looks delicious but not edible: Food Sample Making.

Have you heard about Japanese food samples? You might be familiar with accessories like key chains featuring sushi, temp...
Garden

Kyu Iwasaki-Tei Garden: The West met the East here. (Part 1)

Kyu Iwasaki-Tei Garden is unique among nine Japanese gardens owned and managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Office. It feat...
castle

Ume and Castle: Japanese apricot blossoms, Mt. Fuji, and Castle are symbolic icons in Odawara.

Cherry blossom viewing has been a top tourist attraction in Japan. It's gorgeous and so attractive that it must be the m...
Garden

The samurai garden was a theme park??

Do you agree that the Daimyo Garden, a traditional Japanese garden created by samurai, is similar to contemporary theme ...
Garden

The Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden: Mionr but full of remarkable tastes in samurai cultures.

Kyu Shiba Rikyu Gardens is one of my recommended spots for international tourists in Tokyo. First, it is just next to th...
Culture

Japanese Sword Museum: You get a close look at authentic samurai swords. It’s so cool!!

Many tourists visiting Japan from overseas might have hope to see or experience something about samurai. Tokyo must be o...
Culture

Kato Tomomi Workshop: Fantastic! Samurai Armor and Helmet Craftsmen’s Arts.

As I told you in the previous post about the Azalea Festival in Nezu Shrine, I was honored to visit the Kato Tomomi Work...
Shrine

Nezu Shrine Part 3: Gorgeous! Azalea Festival!

If you have a chance to visit the Nezu shrine from late April to early June, you will be so lucky to have a view of the ...
Shrine

Nezu Shrine Part 2: Amazing! One-Thousand Torii Gates.

I want to introduce you to a photogenic spot in the Nezu shrine compound: the One-Thousand Torii Gate. This gate forms a...
Culture

Fantastic! Japanese tea ceremony experience

After my guests from Germany enjoyed watching the energetic and exciting sumo morning training, I introduced them to a c...
Shrine

Nezu Shrine Part 1: Very rare! It remains the original shrine structure in Tokyo.

Nezu Shrine is one of the oldest shrines in Tokyo. According to the oldest historical document, Nihon Shoki, its establi...
Temple

Zojoji Temple Part 3: Mausoleum of the Shoguns

As I mentioned in the Zojoji Temple (Part 1) post, the intensive air raid during World War Two burned down most of the t...
Temple

Zojoji Temple Part 2: Cute One-thousand-Buddha-Statue

Another attractive and photogenic site in Zojoji temple is the One-Thousand statues of Jizo (Small Buddha) beside the ma...
Culture

Zojoji Temple Part 1: A great contrast with Tokyo Tower

Zojoji temple is one of the most photogenic tourist destinations in Tokyo. You can find the reason soon after you go thr...
Drink

Kagurazaka, a nostalgic but stylish town in Tokyo.

Kagurazaka is a town for adults who want to spend quality time with their loved ones. The atmosphere on the backstreet o...
Culture

June may be the best season to visit Kamakura.

One of the best one-day trips from Tokyo is to Kamakura, which is about 60 minutes away from Tokyo station by rapid trai...
Culture

“A Three-Garden Tour in Tokyo” Part 3: Kyu-Furukawa Garden symbolizes the contrast between the samurai era and modernizing Japan.

The last stop on the "Three-Garden Tour" is Kyu-Furukawa Garden, about a 15-minute walk from Rikugien Gardens or a 10-mi...