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
Panoramic views are my personal favorite and any new city or place I visit, I make it a point to visit all those interesting places from where you get a view from high above. It somehow gives me the feeling of “I’ve seen it all”, and Chiba Port Tower in particular. If you want to
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
In nature, everything has its place and a reason to exist. It is not chaotic. The human mind treats nature as disorderly and imposes culture in an attempt to bring order. Frightening “forests” are domesticated into “docile” gardens, rivers converted to canals. Ikebana is a cultural construct, popularly and “insufficiently” translated as flower arrangement an
Public toilets need to be clean but artistic? Well thats an experience which I bumped into at Meguro Gajoen recently. Built in 1935 and known as the Showa Era’s ‘Palace of the Dragon God,’ Meguro Gajoen is the first wedding complex to be built in Japan. The rest room is elegantly designed in an oriental theme right from the
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
“Good artists copy, great artists steal” was Picasso’s saying which Steve Jobs used when asked if he copied the idea of mouse and a personal computer from Xerox. He explained that “Ultimately, it comes down to taste. It comes down to trying to expose yourself to the best things that humans have done and then
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
So Olympics is having and impact on Yamanote Line trains. If you have traveled on the local trains in Japan, not only Tokyo, you will have noticed paper ads hanging inside compartments, something which I have always take a lot of interest to read and learn Japanese in my early days of Japan. By autumn test runs
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
The Indian festival of COLORS, to welcome the spring HOLI will be celebrated on the picturesque location of Aka Renga Souko in Yokohama on the coming weekend. Will be going on Saturday, let us know at gaijin.blog@gmail.com if you are interested in going together with a Meetup group. Date : 10th to 12th April 2015
So in a world of choices, to beat competition, companies, individuals try to differentiate. Original ideas get copied by the competition and a cycle of differentiation called as innovation. See Apple, Google, Microsoft …. Now differentiation is sometimes done to shock and awe the customer to try something new and we had an ice-cream experience ourselves at Nakano Broadway
Taco Bell Japan, the subsidiary of the American chain of fast-food restaurants has been having this “We are coming” teaser for quite some time now and today they have announced that the first store will open in Tokyo. Location… SHIBUYA DOGENZAKA!! 渋谷道玄坂!! Opening on April 21, 2015, there will be classic dishes like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, but
