Hibiya Park, near Ginza is a popular place for workers to relax during their lunch break. Up until the Edo period it was the placae site of the feudal lord, Matusdaira Bizennokami.
The park hosts a variety of Japanese and International festivals almost every weekend. There is an ampitheatre for small live concerts.
How to get there
The park is a 2-minute walk from Kasumigaseki station or an 8-minute walk from Yurakucho station.
January 3, 2008
December 18, 2007
Hibiya Park
October 18, 2007
shrines..:)
Whenever you think of Japans most famous shrines, such as Meijij Shrine in Tokyo, you may have wondered exactly why these shrines are so famous and why so many tourists flock to them. For a Western tourist, just the fact that a site is famous is enough to want to go visit it. The Japanese, however, have different reasons for visiting these places: to pray to the gods at those shrines. It’s considered good form to occasionally visit the gods. Here is a guide to the most famous Shinto gods in Japan and what they are worshipped for.
September 20, 2007
love….
Although there is no doubt behind the purpose of love hotels in Japan, there is nothing that bars casual travelers, friends or same sex couples from staying in them. As a matter of fact, in true Japanese fashion, even the check-in process is automated, so you will likely never have to come in contact with a human being. Since love hotels are often rented by the hour, there is a high turnover and you can almost always find a room in any city, even when the regular hotels are all booked out for festivals or special events.
Love Hotels are easily recognized by their Disney style exteriors that exude romance–usually castles or palaces. There will almost always be a sign outside posting the hours and prices. There are daytime prices (by the hour) and night time prices (by the hour or all night). A typical deluxe room will typically cost 10,000 yen for the night for two people. There is no need to take towels or toiletries as all are provided, as well as a yukata robe and slippers.
Some small love hotels are family-run and have a manned front desk. These smaller places sometimes will not accept two women sleeping in the same room together, although I’ve heard that two men is no problem!
You are not expected to leave the hotel once you have checked in, so buy all your snacks and drinks to take inside beforehand.
You cannot leave your luggage at a love hotel.
August 6, 2007
Edo-Tokyo Museum
This is the metropolitan government’s ambitious attempt to present the history, art, disasters, science, culture, and architecture of Tokyo from its humble beginnings in 1590. The museum’s great visual displays create a vivid portrayal of Tokyo through the centuries.
After purchasing your tickets and taking the escalator to the sixth floor, you’ll enter the museum by walking over a replica of Nihombashi Bridge, the starting point for all roads leading out of old Edo. Exhibits covering the Edo Period portray the lives of the shoguns, merchants, craftsmen, and townspeople. The explanations are mostly in Japanese only, but there’s plenty to look at, including a replica of an old Kabuki theater, a model of a daimyo’s (feudal lord’s) mansion, portable floats used during festivals, maps and photographs of old Edo, and a row-house tenement.
July 23, 2007
Toshogu Shrine
Come here to pay respects to the man who made Edo the seat of his government and thus elevated the small village to the most important city in the country. The only shrine in Tokyo that’s been designated a National Treasure, Toshogu Shrine was erected in 1651 and is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Like Toshogu Shrine in Nikko, it was built by Ieyasu’s grandson, Iemitsu, and boasts some of the same richly carved, ornate design favored by the Tokugawas.
Remarkably, it survived the civil war of 1868, the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and even World War II. The pathway to the shrine is lined with massive stone lanterns. Inside the shrine, you’ll see some exquisite art, including murals by a famous Edo artist, Kano Tan-yu, and samurai armor worn by Ieyasu. On a more somber note, a display on the grounds appeals for world peace, with graphic photos of Hiroshima following its destruction by the atomic bomb and of victims dead and alive.
June 28, 2007
Parks and Gardens in Tokyo - Shinjuku Park
There are two basic types of Japanese garden. These are "Tsukiyama" and "Karesansui". In Tsukiyama, small hills and stones represent mountains and the pond represents the sea. In "Karesansui" white sand symbolises the sea, and the stones represent hills.
Shinjuku Gyoen is regarded as being one of the most important gardens in Japan. Established on the site of an old Edo Era mansion house in 1906 (Meiji Era), it incorporates examples of Japanese, French and English landscaping. From the French garden there’s a virtually uninterrupted view of Tokyo Tower. In the Japanese garden you can take part in the tea ceremony.
May 25, 2007
Imperial Hotel
Imperial Hotel is located near the imperial palace and the Ginza and walkable from the train station. Best place if you want to tour Tokyo. The rooms are very large and very luxurious, and the staff were very helpful, and refused tips. The language may be the problem as not many people speak English. It`s good to know so basic Japanese words.
May 7, 2007
The May Basho
The greatest Sumo wrestlers in Japan, and therefore the world, meet at the Kokugikan Sumo Hall for the May Basho, one of the year’s six Grand Tournaments.
Sumo is one of Japan’s most popular sports and is steeped in legend, history and ceremony. To the outsider it can seem like a mere battle of strength and power but, it should be remembered, this is a sport with over 70 different throws, trips, forms and tricks. Only when these are mastered will the wrestler stand a chance of becoming a Yokuzuna (a grand champion)
As a spectacle Sumo is amazing. The men are giants and when they collide the forces at work are beyond comprehension. In front of packed house they attempt to eject each other from the 4.5 metre circle or throw each other to the hard clay floor. The backdrop to the action provides constant reminders of the history and reverence of the occasion, from the Gyoji’s fan - a sign of authority - to the symbolic salt scattering before each contest.
April 28, 2007
Roppongi
Roppongi is a district in the Minato City Ward of Tokyo, famous for its nightlife and two new, large building complexes, Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown. It has also gained a name as a cultural center thanks to the presence of several art museums.
The area around Roppongi Station is Tokyo’s most popular nightlife district among foreigners, offering a large number of foreigner friendly bars, restaurants and night clubs. Roppongi and the surrounding districts of Azabu, Hiroo and Akasaka are home to many embassies and a large expat community.
Two major redevelopment projects have recently given Roppongi a new face: Roppongi Hills with its 238m tall Mori Tower and Tokyo Midtown with its 248m tall Midtown Tower. Each complex consists of elegant retail, leisure and residential space, offices, a luxury hotel and art museum.
Another recent addition to Roppongi is the National Art Center, Japan’s largest art museum. Together with the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills and the Suntory Museum of Art in Tokyo Midtown, it forms the "Art Triangle Roppongi" and has put the district onto Tokyo’s cultural map.
