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Nihonji temple
Chiba

Mt. Nokogiri & Nihonji Temple

Mt. Nokogiri 330 meter high Mt. Nokogiri located along the coast of the Boso Peninsula, Chiba pref is an ideal and peaceful place to visit for one day trip out of Tokyo. Start by taking beautifully scenic train around Boso Peninsula for 2 hours from Tokyo st. to Hamakanaya st., the nearest to Mt. Nokogiri. 10 minutes walk reaches the Ropeway stop at the bottom of the mountain. From here you can hike, but I recommend you take a Ropeway as more exercise is needed than expected at the top where most attractions are located. There are breathtaking views of Boso peninsula, Tokyo Bay spreading below. Nihonji Temple Hyakusyaku Kannon […]

Noguchi Hideyo 2
EXPERIENCE

A Man holding a test tube in Ueno park

Who is he? Hint is a test tube he holds while standing in Ueno park. The front side of 1000 yen also shows his portrait. He is a Bacteriologist well known among all Japanese people. The statue of Hideyo Noguchi, bacteriologist stands in front of the National museum of Nature and Science at Ueno Park. Story of Hideyo Noguchi Hideyo Noguchi was born in Fukushima prefecture as the eldest son of a very poor farm family. When he was one and half years old he accidentally fell into a fireplace and suffered burn injury on his left hand. Although the fingers were mostly gone, he was able to receive surgery […]

Saigo takamori
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UENO Park

Ueno Park Ueno park is a large park known for the statue of Saigo Takamori standing at the park’s south entrance. He played an important role in Meiji Restoration and called the last Samurai. Covering 532,000 square meters, Ueno park is one of cherry blossom viewing site and includes Tokyo National Museum, National Museum of Western Art and Ueno zoo, the oldest zoo in Japan.The park grounds were originally part of Kan-eiji temple, one of the city’s largest temples of Tokugawa family during Edo period. At Meiji Restoration in 1868 the temple was destroyed in a battle between the Meiji government and loyalists of the overthrown Shogunate. Statue of Dr. […]

Akihabara

Akihabara

Lined with many electronics, anime and manga shops Akihabara is like an amusement park crowded with the adults. In 1945 after WWⅡ some electronics shops were opened here. They sold radio parts used by the military. This was the origin of Akihabara as an electronics town. The number of the electronics shops rapidly increased in Akihabara. In the 1980’s when Nintendo started video game young people began to visit Akihabara. Since Windows 95 appeared on the market Akihabara has also gained popularity as a computer town. Closed to car traffic from the afternoon till 6 o’clock on Sundays the central street is lined with hundreds of electronics shops selling everything […]

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Shibuya

Shibuya is undergoing a massive redevelopment ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Paralympic games, and looks different whenever we visit. Used to be a farm village around 11th century, Shibuya became samurai worrier’s residence area and flourished as downtown in Edo era. In modernization after WWⅡ many shops and department stores were built, and later rail ways, high way and underground sewage pipe were constructed for Olympic game in 1964. It is said that Shibuya’s present scenery was formed those days. Shibuya Stream opened in Sep 2018 230 m with 47 floors above ground, Shibuya East tower,  Scramble Square is opening in the end of 2019. The entire project of Shibuya […]

Tokyo Tower
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Tokyo Tower

Built In 1958 as a radio and TV broadcasting antenna and observation tower. 333 meter Tokyo tower modeled after Eiffel tower in Paris is the second tallest structure in Japan. The tower is also known as a symbol of Japan’s postwar recovery since Tokyo was totally destroyed at World War Ⅱ. Japanese people worked so hard and felt so proud of building Tokyo tower. Tokyo tower is an earthquake proof and typhoon proof. However it was destroyed several times. Do you have any idea of “by whom”? “It was Godzilla” lol   When the Japanese TV broadcasting system shifted from analog to digital in 2011 the function of Tokyo tower […]

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Kagurazaka

Kagurazaka was located outside the outer moat of Edo castle and used to be an entertainment district with many Geisha houses and restaurants in Edo period. Now Kagurazaka is a steep slope avenue lined with many long established Japanese restaurants, small stores, French restaurants and cafes. But in the deep alley where remain atmosphere of entertainment district as if Geisha appeared. On weekday evenings business persons entertain the guests here, and on weekend many tourists and locals stroll down shopping and dinning on Kagurazaka avenue.  Sukeroku Yokocho, back street Why not stroll along the narrow alleys at back street ?You can find another hidden Kagurazaka. Black wooden fences and stone paved […]

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Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

History of Koishikawa Garden One of the major daimyo feudal lord’s gardens and a stroll garden where you walk around the central pond while enjoying the changing scenery In Edo period Mitsukuni Tokugawa completed the garden taking advantage of the landscape to build miniature ocean, rivers, mountains and others, replicating beautiful scenery found in Japan and China. At Meiji restoration it was handed over to the new government and used by Emperor to welcome the foreign dignitaries. In 1952 the garden was designated as a site of special historical and scenic beauty in Japan. Chinese influence The garden is full of Chinese influence and the name is originated in a […]

Tocho, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office
Shinjuku

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tocho

Completed in 1991 the Tokyo metropolitan government complex has 48 storied, 243 meters high twin tower main building. Designed by Kenzo Tange, epoch making architect and said to have been inspired by the Notre Dame in Paris. Both the north and south towers have the observation deck open to the public on the 45th floor at 202m from where you can enjoy panoramic view in Tokyo, free of charge. This big ornament is hung on the wall at 2nd floor. This is Kumade for raking up grains and fallen leaves, usually made of bamboo. “Kuma” means Bear, “de” means claws. Kumade is shaped bear’s claws, so called Kumade. Thought to […]

EXPERIENCE

Shinjuku Kabuki cho

Kabuki cho developed after world war Ⅱ as an entertainment area. As its name indicates there was a plan to build Kabuki theater here, but plan stopped because of budget shortage. The movie theater was built here and “Godzilla” series was produced. Entertainment like Robot restaurant, Samurai museum and Ninja trick house attract the tourists. Shinjuku Golden Gai  At Shinjuku Golden Gai there are about 280 restaurants and bars and foreign visitors have increased over the last few years and it is now a major Tokyo evening tourist attraction. Shinjuku is known for skyscrapers, neatly suited businessmen and clean and cozy streets. But this is not always true at Golden […]