Ocean Day is a celebration of the sea and her relationship and importance to Japan. Celebrated mid July, it is a national holiday. Odaiba, Tokyo’s romantic beach front and popular dating spot, is set in a wonderful light using beautiful paper lanterns, which are lit up by citizen volunteers every year on the third Monday
It’s July and time for the summer festivals to kick-in. The weekend has the lantern light-up at Odaiba but before that I made my way in the evening on a weekday to Kudanshita. At the Yasukuni Shrine they have an interesting festival in mid-July, a Shinto festival honoring the dead in Japan!!! The poster said 69th
Tokyo has inspirations from many cities around the world. Eiffel Tower is supposed to be the inspiration for The Tokyo Tower, while Brussels Manneken Pis inspires a similar statue at Hamamatsucho Station. I learned about a new inspiration, the two bronze lion statues at the Mitsubishi Department Store at the Nihonbashi (Tozai Line) Station. Below is some
For the complete information and photos on the Peeing Boy Statue, see The article here…. The Peeing Boy Statue at JR Hamamatsucho Station has very interesting dress ups and now he is ready for summer too! Shorts, Half T-Shirts, sun cap, sunflower! in his hand…. The cute boy used to have Sakura flowers in his
“Old wine in new bottle”, the Japanese beer manufacturers seem to have taken this phrase to heart.. Draft beers Asahi, Yebisu and Kirin have been sold for years with a similar can design which can be downright boring and a routine sight. A general perception is that all beers more or less taste the same….
The rains continue in Tokyo and temperature still remains cool. That is all set to change with the weekend predicting sunshine and temperatures are set to climb up for summer up to 29 degrees in Tokyo on Sunday. Midtown is set to host an event of lights “SUMMER LIGHT GARDEN” with a unique first time
Pets in Japan get some real royal treatment in every sphere of life from baby carts, to posh hair salons, pet hotels and even the NEWS coverage. Just today morning there was a news item of a cat stranded on the pillar of a highway bridge unable to make it down covered a full 10
I AM A SUPER MARIO FAN, well, a drop in the ocean of fans of this game from Nintendo. As I wrote a few days back that Tower Records is collaborating with Nintendo in their 30th Anniversary year for Super Mario franchise to launch a campaign “limited edition Super Mario Bros. x Tower Records Cafe” event going on between
If Spring in Japan is about Hanami or flower watching, summer is about Hanabi or fireworks. Firework festivals are held all over Japan during the summer season as the wind is gentler and the temperatures allow for external social activities in the evenings. Attending a hanabi event had been a fundamental part in Japanese culture.
Rankings and surveys are always controversial. Subjective views and perceptions in a connected world make it tougher to define the measure for defining “livable” index of cities. As per Monocle Magazine 2015, Tokyo is the best city in the world, on the livable index. Me a resident of Tokyo, I love the rhythm and the
In today’s world of streaming music and iTunes, Japan still has audience hooked to buying Audio CD’s and DVD’s. Companies like Tower Records, use collectors items, promotional goods to keep consumers wanting to own a physical piece of the music action than a digital only download which is less tangible. Tower Records is collaborating with Nintendo in
Japan made a phenomenal recovery in the post war period and by 1964 was holding events like the Olympics in a modern city of that time complete with world class infrastructure. The main symbols of this were the bullet trains (Shinkansen), the newly built Tokyo Tower and yes DRIVER-LESS MONORAIL. The 2020 Olympics will see Hydrogen
I love morning strolls in the autumn and spring. I try not to go on walks in my neighborhood and prefer different locations to take a morning walk so that it does not become a routine. It also gives me the chance to explore the city of Tokyo. On the last weekend me and my
Summer time in Tokyo, Hakusan Shrine is famous for the Ajisai/Hydrangea flowers. Over 3,000 hydrangea plants bloom in June with variety of colors. The first week of June to first week of July is the time every years when there is a Ajisai Matsuri (Hydrangea festival) at the Hakusan Shrine. Beautiful lanterns and the Hydrangea flowers at
In 2010, Harvard Business School published a case study “The Dabbawala (Tiffin courier service) System: On-Time Delivery, Every Time” an essential service for the office goers in the city of Mumbai, my hometown in India. Consistency, punctuality and less than one mistake in 6 million deliveries it is a marvel… Japanese service industry is also