50 years of Shibuya : Tokyu Plaza’s farewell photo exhibit, a time slip experience

Tokyu Plaza Shibuya shopping complex, closing down on March 22 for renovation! They have put up a “Time Slip Gallery” an exhibition which is simply mind boggling with the transformation of Shibuya in the past 50 years. I have been in Japan only since 1998, so for me it is a very new experience to

Ark Hills Sakura Festival in Tokyo

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

How to withdraw cash in Japan using the International ATM service/Forex Card on Japan Post’s ATM machine

Japan had an ATM problem. ATM’s used to be few in number and used to operate until 09:00 p.m. even in the early 2000’s. The convenience stores did not have ATM machines and an economy where Credit Cards are not always acceptable like in other western countries, cash used to be a serious problem. Travelers

Eitaibashi – The “eternal” bridge on Sumida River with a painful history

Tokyo’s Sumida River is famous among tourists for the ferry rides on the river which pass below many historical bridges. One of the bridge is Eitai-bashi near the Monzen-nakacho area which is our favorite for a morning walk with beautiful skyscraper skyline views. Historically there was a island here names Eitai-Jima (eternal island) and a

European style telephone booth (box) at Hiroo

Are we in London? NO no, but yes a telephone booth caught our attention today and we though to cover this place in … not London, the city with its ubiquitous red colored telephone boxes. We move closer to the telephone box, some green color item inside and “HIRO” words in the background… any ideas

Hachiko reunited with his master : A photo story of the new statue at Todai-Mae

No introduction needed for people conversant to Tokyo on Hachiko, the beloved pet dog of not only his owner Hidesaburo Ueno but the Tokyo city itself. So to keep it short and sweet, Hachiko, an Akita dog, touched the hearts of Japanese people across the nation due to his devotion of waiting every day for

Ten things you might not know about the Tokyo Skytree. Reflection photo story

I have been following the journey of the Tokyo Skytree from the time it came up in 2012 on Tokyo’s skyline. A broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower in Japan, it became the tallest structure and reached its full height of 634.0 metres (2,080 ft) in March 2011, making it the tallest tower in the world,

Cherry blossoms (Sakura) at the Osaki Gate City, Meguro River

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

Tokyo Station 100 Year Anniversary version of the Yamanote Train

Brown color Yamanote Train?? YEP that is what the JR has put out this year to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the Tokyo Station. The train ir decorated beautifully on the exterior with brown color sticker wrappings with the message depicting the 100 year anniversary. The train doors have the 1914 to 2014 written

A Cathedral in Tokyo : Holy Resurrection Cathedral (Nicholai-Do)

On a cold winter day in December, walking to the Shinto Shrine Kanda Myojin I noticed a dome like structure in the distance and the overall European feel the structure had. I found out from searching the internet that it is the Tokyo Resurrection Cathedral which also goes by the name of “Nicholai-do”. Decided to

Pink in February? Plum blossoms at Yushima Tenjin Shrine

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

Best Tully’s Coffee Cafe in Tokyo? A Cafe with a view…

What’s so special to write about the cafe chain Tully’s Coffee? So many of them across the town and with the standardized menu you may say… Then we bumped into this Tully’s Coffee Cafe shop in Tokyo and were completely blown by the view it offered! OK, so now that’s an odd boxed shape Tully’s

Free NEW Manga at Naruto Art Exhibition in Tokyo and Osaka

No more NARUTO, a coworker told me a month back after the Shonen Jump ended the 72 volume run of the popular Ninja character in November of 2014. The anime series is still ongoing and in our visit to the Roppongi Hills last week, we collected this pamphlet of NARUTO art exhibition being organized in

Roppongi Hills : Enjoy Authentic Hyderabad Chicken Biryani in Tokyo

There are so many Indian restaurants in Tokyo run by Pakistani’s, Nepali’s and Indian’s and most have the staple menu of NAN and CURRY, with some restaurants also selling the locally popular saffron rice. to know who has got authentic items takes an Indian and I have been visiting many restaurants in the city and have

Chidorigafuchi Cherry blossoms and the beautiful night time illumination

The Cherry Blossom season is a month away towards the end of March (This year its predicted between March 25, 2015 and March 31 2015 for the blossoms) and its time to mark our calendar for this year’s Hana-mi (flower-viewing) events in the metropolis. Personal favorite : The Chidorigafuchi Cherry blossoms at Kudanshita, nearby the

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