2017 Cherry Blossom Forecast : Tokyo MARCH 25 – APRIL 02!

Its a cold winter 2017 and I am already looking out for the cherry blossoms. Otenki.jp and WeatherMap announced the Cherry Blossom Forecast WEATHERMAP : Blossoms are predicted to start on March 26 in Tokyo and it should be roughly until the first week of April that one can experience the flowers in the metropolis…. WeatherMap predicts

Asakusa Sensoji – Night time illumination of cherry blossoms or “yozakura”

Tokyo’s hotspots for cherry blossoms implies locations like Kudanshita (Chidorigafuchi), Ueno Park, Shinjuku Gyoen, Meguro River. Sumida River is also one more popular location in the neighborhood of Asakusa. Asakusa or the famous tourist spot of Sensoji itself finds less mention in terms of a destination to see the Cherry blossoms and is mostly overlooked especially in

Skate @Tokyo : Tokyo Dome Roller Skate Arena

Are you a roller skate fan in Tokyo? Want to enjoy inline or roller skates for relatively cheap, but don’t want to buy skates just for a couple of hours? Head to the Tokyo Dome Roller Skate Arena in Korakuen. Tokyo Dome Roller Skate Arena is one of the largest indoor roller-skate rinks in Tokyo.  Short

Wonderful Airbnb experience in Japan : 8 benefits of Airbnb

Apple coined the catchphrase “THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT” and truly so. I have been using the taxi hailing app Uber in Paris, London, all cities in US for over two years and the experience still amazes me. I seriously miss Uber in Japan, but, we at least have Airbnb, the alternative to hotels and reasonable

Tokyo Station – Eerie silence at 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2016

New Year’s Eve is a time for parties and fireworks in many countries, and I have enjoyed the festivities in so many cities with fireworks and a usual “Happy New Year” wishes to anyone and everyone on the street. In Japan and specifically in Tokyo, it is a somber time when people return to their

A Drone to stop a drone? Tokyo’s innovative solution to stop rogue drones

Have you tried to scoop a goldfish at a local festival in Japan? Well, its using a scoop to pick fish and transfer them to a bowl, a game very popular with both kids and adults at Japanese summer festivals.The law enforcement agencies in Tokyo have probably picked this idea for their efforts to control DRONES!!!With drones starting to consume

Rikugien Gardens Autumn lightup and colourful trees

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

Marunouchi Illumination near Tokyo Station

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

Autumn Colors at the Naritasan Shinshō-ji Temple

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

Tokyo 2020 Emblem : Open Design Competition

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

Rules relaxed on mobile phone usage in the Priority Seating area

It was common belief that mobile phones can interfere with pacemakers. The perceived fear of electromagnetic interference from the mobile phones have seen stickers like the below on Yamanote Line trains near the priority seating asking the passengers to keep their mobile phones turned off in that area. Announcements also used to repeat this on JR

Tokyo is ranked at top by Monocle Magazine 2015 Quality of Life survey

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