So which is the popular garden for tourists in Tokyo? Apparently Rikugien is very popular as are others like Hamarikyu Gardens. Its a quite old garden built around 1700. The Japanese characters 六義園 in a word to word literal translation means “six poems garden”. The garden attracts huge crowds in autumn and spring season when the garden has
Christmas equates illumination and in Tokyo Marunouchi is one of the famous spot to enjoy the festive mood. Marunouchi Christmas implies the beautiful illumination on Marunouchi Naka-Dori, the backside of the Marunouchi Building opposite Tokyo Station. A million LED lights powered by green energy add beauty to a posh fashion street filled with customers in
Look at any wood block prints, Ukiyoe from the Edo period of the Edo (Tokyo) City and chances are that you will find Mount Fuji in the distance. The iconic mountain, in absence of the skyscrapers was visible almost from anywhere in the city which unfortunately is no more the case. The most famous wood
So you are a fan of the Super Mario Kart series? I bumped into a rather interesting concept which I had heard a couple of months back. Driving a go-kart in the Tokyo City dressed up as a character from Super Mario or otherwise!!. Now this is really cool huh? the service already popular with
Japan does not have a national flower as such. I think some might want to call the cherry flowers of spring as one of the most well known ones but there is another flower very popular with the Japanese and that is the Kiku flower in the season of autumn. To know how popular the
The city of Tokyo is awash in illuminations all around. I remember 2004, the first year of Christmas illumination at Roppongi Hills and was amazed to see the lights all around the newly built Roppongi Hills complex with the Tokyo Tower in the distance. The illumination in Roppongi Hills since then is usually held until
A few days back I posted about Sagamiko Illumillion an illumination spot under an hour (Just 50 min from Shinjuku Station via Chuo Expressway) from Tokyo. Every year the theme keeps changing and I visit this spot every year with 2015-2016 theme being LONDON. Due to work I have to travel to London every month
Tokyo, a vast metropolis has many free access observatories spread across the city and Bunkyo Civic Center Observation deck is one of those awesome spots. Not only does it boast of awesome views of the city, it is the FREE ACCESS to the observatory which was so helpful in my initial days in Japan when
Tourists and new comers to Japan head out to Kyoto when we mention the word “Autumn”. I did too, but then I started discovering beautiful spots around Tokyo like Nikko, Okutama area etc. In 2003, I remember, I was told by a friend that the Narita Temple near the international airport also was a beautiful
So we all know how the Tokyo 2020 emblem and the plagiarism controversy surrounding it ended…. You can get yourself a recap over at Controversial Tokyo Olympics emblem ditched finally With the old emblem now out the door, the organizing committee is running against a tight schedule to get a replacement within a year. A couple
Benzaiten (弁才天, 弁財天) is a Japanese Buddhist goddess, who originated from the Hindu goddess Saraswati. The Shinobzu Pond at Ueno Park has a temple of Saraswati. Floating on the water of the pond, it is a Buddhist temple dedicated to Saraswati the goddess of the arts, knowledge and wisdom. Japanese of todays generation, pray to her
Walking in the Ryogoku area on a Saturday morning a white T-Shirt hung outside a shop caught my attention. It was really huge, was sure that atleast three of me could fit in!!! Checked the shop name it was Lion-do or ライオン堂 with the words “King Size” or キングサイズ meaning extra large sized clothes store.
Travelling between Tokyo to Yokohama on the Tokaido Line, nearby Kamata, I had seen a park filled with tyres. I had not planned to visit this place though but it certainly intrigued me every time I passed on my way to Yokohama. Last month, accompanying my daughter to the Japan Open 2015 Rubik Cube Competition at
For work related travel, I have started using Haneda for two reasons. The international terminal started operations a couple of years back and the opening of the newly built Tokyo Gate Bridge which makes it a 25 minute drive by a car from the Edogawa Ward. The airport has many a currency exchange counters, but one
THOSE WERE THE DAYS : My first visit to Japan in 1998, I collected many SF Metro Cards as memories to take back to India. I ended up staying in Japan on a long term basis, but I carried on collecting the Cards which were issued by the Eidan-Chikatetsu which today is known as Tokyo