My first trip to Japan was Mumbai – Osaka – Tokyo (Haneda) on an ANA flight. I remember taking the Tokyo Monorail from Haneda Airport to reach Hamamatsucho. The city view was fantastic dotted with various warehouses along the way of the bay area of Tokyo. Significant development has happened over the past 15 years
Oriental styled gardens are aplenty in Tokyo with Rikugien, Hamarikyu a couple of the major attractions. Kyu Furukawa Gardens in the suburbs are famous for the roses which bloom in spring and autumn. I have visited this place 3 times until now, in year 2000, 2006 and this year during the night time illumination season usually
In the busy commercial neighborhood of Kamiyacho in Tokyo I came across these long, steep, ancient stone staircase.. Wondered what it was and saw the sign board, Atago Shrine. Hmm interesting, lets check it out. The stairs are really steep and I found it later that a Samurai climbed the steps on horseback to deliver plum blossoms
The birth rate in Japan is said to be at a record low and the government, media, society frequently discuss this issue but with not much success. Economic difficulties, less societal support structures (day care etc.) etc. contribute to the problem… Japan has been historically celebrating Children’s day wishing healthy and strong growth for kids,
Cherry blossoms in March, Wisteria in May and Lotus flowers in Summer. The month of July in Japan is the start of the summer season and the time for beautiful lotus flowers. The Chiba Koen (Garden) which is walk-able distance from the JR Chiba Station and has a pond where lotus flowers bloom usually by
The Indian festival of COLORS, was celebrated on the picturesque location of Aka Renga Souko in Yokohama last weekend. Here are the experiences, we had there, a COLORFUL event and a lot of fun. The event held for three consecutive days, we went on the final day of Sunday when the temperatures were slightly better off
Forests are natural. Gardens are a human construct to bring order and structure which I experienced at Ashikaga Flower Park last year as an effort of human and nature’s collaboration. The Wisteria trees are creepers meaning they are usually not self supported like the regular trees, but can take support of surfaces to propagate and grow. One of
A Japanese poem goes something like “It often becomes windy and rainy after flowers blossom.”. In the past 2 days a large number of cherry blossom petals have been blown away by the wind and rain in my office neighborhood nearby Meguro River. Cherry Blossoms are celebrated not only for the beauty but also the transient nature, short
Tokyo has many famous cherry blossom spots, Chidorigafuchi in Kudanshita, Meguro River at Naka-Meguro, Sumida River in Asakusa. The Roppongi area, relatively new, has emerged as a location for blossoms with the arrival of Roppongi Hills and The Tokyo Midtown. Chidorigafuchi is about beautiful light-up, Meguro is about romantic setup on the river side, the blossoms in
My mother tongue is Marathi. In my school days (Grade 8), the Marathi subject textbook , introduced me to Japan’s famed Cherry blossoms in a small chapter written by a well known Marathi writer P. L. Deshpande. He had described the delicate nature of these blossoms with PINK as the color of the flowers. My first experience of Cherry
Tokyo has many Cherry blossom spots across the city with Chidorigafuchi and Asakusa being some major attractions. Tokyo Tower is also one of our personal favourite with the Zojoji Shrine, a buddhist shrine providing a beautiful contrast in the cherry blossom season. The beauty of sakura (cherry blossoms) on the Zojoji grounds is enhanced due
Sumida Park, the popular tourism spot next at Asakusa attracts a lot of visitors during the hanami (cherry blossom viewing) season. With the Tokyo Skytree coming up in the backdrop since 2011, the cherry blossoms have become more of a central place to visit for hanami crowds, and the night time illumination is on my
Parks, riversides, ponds, hiking trails—that’s what comes to mind first when thinking about Japan’s hanami (flower, in particular cherry blossom watching) in spring. However, the city itself offers some interesting cherry blossom viewing spots, too. Ark Hills with its only recently built Sengokuyama Residence and Izumi Garden Tower in Roppongi Itchome are both modern complexes, presenting
Osaki, I shifted jobs to Adobe Japan in 2013 and the Osaki Gate City is my place of work. The backside of the Osaki Gate City is the Meguro River and the trees lining the same bloom in late March every year. Last year was the first time to experience the Meguro River Cherry blossoms
Still the month of February and longing for the spring in Tokyo? Visit the many gardens in Tokyo sporting the Plum blossoms called “Ume” in local Japanese. Yushima Tenman-gu Shrine near Ueno Station. Yushima Tenman-gū Shrine or Yushima Tenjin is a Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan devoted to Tenjin, the Kami of Learning. Due to