Okutama, Another Face of Tokyo

June 23, 2007 - 6:57 pm by kiokitok in Travel  

You do not believe it is a part of Tokyo. Okutama is located in the westernmost part of Tokyo. Unlike the central Tokyo, it is thoroughly surrounded by the nature. Taking a train for about two hours from Shinjuku, you will get to a good site to release your stress.
Okutama has nice [...]

Football/Soccer in Japan

June 16, 2007 - 1:23 pm by kiokitok in Travel  

Football has gained its popularity for 15 years. It had never been regarded as major sports like sumo, baseball or golf until the professional league was established. On May 15, 1993, J-League had a huge ceremony to inaugurate the professional league. The ceremony was televised, and instantly had a great impact especially [...]

Ameyoko Market in Ueno

June 9, 2007 - 10:31 pm by kiokitok in Travel  

Tokyo is such a convenient city for shopping. On every single corner, you will find a convenience store. If you want to purchase branded clothes, department store is the one you should try. In Akihabara, you can buy computers and videogames cheap. Yet, for their convenience, all these modern stores have [...]

Disney Resort

June 2, 2007 - 3:07 pm by kiokitok in Travel  

There are tens of amusement parks in Tokyo and its surroundings. Tokyo Disney Resort is the largest of all, possibly in the world. Nearly 20 million people visit the park every year, and the 4 billion guests have visited the resort in total. Tokyo Disneyland had its inauguration in April 15, 1983, [...]

Kimono Dressing and Rental Service

May 27, 2007 - 7:00 pm by KimonoHoliday in Travel  

http://www.kinet.or.jp/kimono Visitors to Japan can now enjoy a taste of life in old Tokyo through our kimono dressing service. Kimono, Japan’s traditional attire, bring out the beauty of women (and men), transforming you into the elegant lady (or samurai warrior) of a Japanese painting.

Tokyo Bay

May 19, 2007 - 2:19 pm by kiokitok in Travel  

During the Tokugawa shogunate, people in Edo brought fishes out of Tokyo Bay and ate them. Sushi was originally called Edomae which literally means “from Tokyo Bay”. Therefore, the bay has been important for people in Tokyo for a long time.
Tokyo Bay is originally shallow for some distance from the shore. Therefore, [...]

Shinto Festivals

May 12, 2007 - 3:34 pm by kiokitok in Culture  

Quite a few Japanese have their own religions. Others make use of religious events throughout their life. In New Year, many of them visit shrines and pray. Christianity is a popular religion for wedding. When they die, they cry under the name of Buddha. The Japanese enjoy these rituals.
Matsuri is [...]

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

April 21, 2007 - 1:53 pm by kiokitok in Travel  

Gardening was always a popular hobby for riches in the old days. It is still a good hobby for them, and they maintain a lot of traditional gardens in Japan. Many of those old gardens are privately owned by temples, especially in Kansai (the west). There are some in Tokyo and its [...]

Baseball in Japan

April 7, 2007 - 6:13 pm by kiokitok in Culture  

Although it is losing the popularity, baseball is still one of the most popular sports in Japan. It was first imported from the U.S., but took a while until it got popularity. Once being popular, baseball became the sport for the Japanese, often defeating sumo.

Baseball was first imported from the U.S. in 1871. [...]

Ueno Park

March 17, 2007 - 5:57 pm by kiokitok in Travel  

Origin of Ueno goes back to the early Tokugawa shogunate. Ueno had been less populated area than other areas in Edo (Tokyo). In 1625, the Kan-ei-ji temple was built on the hill in this area, in order to enshrine Shoguns. In addition, Kan-ei-ji was believed to protect the Edo castle from demons [...]