Kameido Tenjin night time wisteria illuminations

I posted about Kameido wisteria blossoms just yesterday and following up with the same location albeit with a difference. Yesterday I posted about the blue sky and the lavender like color contrast in the morning, but today I want to post a photo story on the night time illuminations of the Wisteria flowers at the

Chureito Pagoda and Mount Fuji cherry blossoms

“He who climbs Mount Fuji once is a wise man, he who climbs it twice is a fool“ OK so this applies to “climbing” and not “watching”, this mystic and sometimes frustrating mountain has its own charm. Year after year I discover new locations around the Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures but there in one spot which

Ueno Park Buddha : Buddha statue for bullets and weapons

War makes people do things which are unthinkable in times of peace. Today with over six seven decades of relative peace in Japan it is ironic to think that a Buddha statue in World War II WWII was melted down for the war effort. Buddha for bullets thats the story behind the Ueno Park Daibutsu (Buddha Statue).

Hakozaki Junction : A complex web of highway construction

Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway is a complex network of roads across the city. The most complex is at Haokozaki Junction. You plan to drive to Narita Airport and a small mistake and the wrong lane and you could be driving towards the Tohoku Expressway in the northern direction than the south eastern part of Chiba prefecture.

Top 100 : Cherry blossom illuminations at Inokashira Park in Kichijoji

I have known of Inokashira Park on the west side of Tokyo and had visited this place a couple of times in autumn for beautiful color season. Had never been here in spring and it was a discovery that Inokashira Park is one of the top 100 famous cherry blossom spots in Japan! Went over

Tokyu Plaza Ginza : Kiriko Lounge and Terrace

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

Ueno Park cherry blossom night illumination “Yozakura”

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

Birthplace of Sumo tournaments : Tomioka Hachiman Shrine at Monzen Nakacho

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

Kiba Koen Plum Blossoms

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

Shiba Koen : Early spring Plum and Nano-hana flowers

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

Haneda Airport Shrine : Pray before you fly….

If you are at Haneda Airport to go on a business trip, vacation or other reasons and want to take divine blessings, this post is for you…. The Haneda Airport has a Shinto Shrine to offer prayers, a small place in the airport premises itself. The other day onwards to London I got on to a

50 Years of LOVE IN TOKYO : 1966-2016 photo story

Let me recollect the FIRST word in Japanese language that I have learnt in my life…. Well, I clearly remember that I was around 10-12 years old and the Doordarshan channel was playing the 1966 hit, bollywood movie LOVE IN TOKYO. The song SAYONARA SAYONARA introduced the first word for me, “Sayonara” which is the Japanese word

Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi Illumination

Tokyo Skytree illumination has transformed the Oshiage area in these past four years. Every year they come up with beautiful illuminations, with a projection mapping show which has started last year. A wonderful new illumination spot addition to the shitamachi (downtown) area of Tokyo.Christmas lights are set all around the Skytree with the fourth floor decks of the Solamachi Mall

Tokyo Station Christmas Illumination

Its that time of the year. The city glows with lights all around and my favourite is the the Marunouchi area around the Tokyo Station. The Tokyo Station since its renovation in 2013 gets a Christmas illumination makeover for 4 days 24-27 December. The weekends get a lot crowded so I visited yesterday on a