Tokyo has got a brand new FREE OBSERVATION terrace and lounge. The Tokyu Plaza Ginza. Opened for business on March 31, 2016, Tokyu Plaza Ginza is a brand new department store in the upscale shopping district of Ginza with a brilliant exterior motif of a traditional Japanese craft—Edo Kiriko cut glass.The exterior is brilliant piece
Lined endlessly with a number of cherry trees, Ueno Park main street is a favourite place that many Japanese people would think of when it comes to a beautiful scene of cherry blossoms in spring. During the festival, 1000 lanterns, which were originally intended for nighttime security, illuminate the park and invite people to celebrate
Every year I visit the Rikugien Gardens in spring and autumn. At Rikugien Garden, the shidare zakura (weeping cherry tree) and feudal lord’s garden are lit up, creating memorable spring scenery end of March and early April. Brilliant 20 meters wide and 15 meters tall tree it is one of the biggest weeping cherry tree in
March 29, 2016 : The Cherry blossoms at the base of the Roppongi Hills are now in full bloom. The light up in the evenings is beautiful and you can also go to Tokyo Midtown where too many cherry blossom trees are in full bloom now.The blossoms have been late than what was predicted, but
For a cultural immersion most travelers to Japan head to Kyoto, the cultural capital of the country. Understandably so, but Tokyo has many hidden gems and one in my neighborhood Tomioka Hachiman Shrine at Monzen nakacho is one of them. If you are interested in the history of the Sumo sport, this shrine should be on your to-do-list
For the stars to align, it is said that that one needs to be at the right place at the right time. Easy to understand. Lets make a 2 x 2 matrix to construct possibilities around place and time. The examples below are just my personal thoughts, you may have your own contextual definitions. PLACE
Everyone wants a pie of the Olympics in 2020 and the neighboring prefectures of Tokyo are announcing development plans one after the other. A few months back Kanagawa Prefecture proposed the Enoshima-Shonan base for the surfing event at the Olympics. Chiba, another hot spot for surfing activity threw its hat in the ring and Chiba Governor Morita positioned
Ume or the Plum blossoms are everywhere now in Tokyo in the first week of March. The Kiba Park in Koto Ward (if you stay around Koto Ward, Edogawa Ward quite easy to reach here) is a pretty wide park and recreation boats an area of 24 hectares to relax in the suburbs of Tokyo from every
February end – March first week, the moment when the winter slowly starts to subside making way for the spring to take over. The cold winds from north are still keeping things chilly but I witnessed pockets of spring blossoms on the weekend when I went for a stroll around the Tokyo Tower area and the Shiba
A few days back I blogged about a skating arena in Tokyo, today its time for another sport. This was nearly four years ago, that on a walk along the Tokyo Bay area around Odaiba that me and my wife spotted this odd looking building and were curious to find what it was all about. It seemed
How many parking lots do you know that are part of a man-made island? Probably NONE? Well, thats Umihotaru on the Tokyo Bay part of a tunnel connecting Kawasaki to Kisarazu below the ocean!! UMI and HOTARU, two words in Japanese which mean Ocean and firefly respectively, the island is indeed a firefly lit in
Are you a roller skate fan in Tokyo? Want to enjoy inline or roller skates for relatively cheap, but don’t want to buy skates just for a couple of hours? Head to the Tokyo Dome Roller Skate Arena in Korakuen. Tokyo Dome Roller Skate Arena is one of the largest indoor roller-skate rinks in Tokyo. Short
So the Yamanote Line figures have gone on sale and I decided to pick up two. WHY TWO? There are five different figures on sale and since one does not know which capsule has what, buying two increases the odds of getting a Hachiko figure. I want to place one Hachiko figure on my office
The enthusiast in me is never satisfied. I have tons of snaps of the Tokyo Tower taken over years, but I always long for more unique angles and experiences. Some times I discover new angles or spots by researching online, or by physically going around the spot. Then there are times when you are just LUCKY. I got
As I go around with a camera in hand around Tokyo there are so many locations where overhead power lines ruin a good angle and view. Consider the snap below, a blue sky with the Skytree popping out with the unnecessary noise of the electricity cables. PHOTOSHOP PLEASE…..Leaving aside the visual aesthetics, there are pros and cons with