Tokyo Blog News!

Farm Grill

Administrator — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:46:59 +0000

The casual Californian-style Farm Grill in Ginza attracts mainly foreigners with its tasty American favourite dishes and a continuous ‘all you can drink’ special on soft drinks and beer. Lunch and dinner buffets are available. The menu features popular platters like Caesar salad and rotisserie chicken, a wide range of sandwiches and pastas and some deliciously rich desserts.

posting in Internet - you could be arrested

Administrator — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:22:31 +0000

Japanese authorities have arrested three people accused of posting Internet messages warning they would commit crimes including murder.

Suspect Tomohiro Kato wrote of his plans online before he made the crime.

The latest arrests reportedly include an unemployed 29-year-old man who police say posted on a popular Japanese Web site "I’m sick of it all. I’m going to do it too" and wrote he was going to "kill 100 people" in Ikebukuro, a crowded shopping and business area of Tokyo.

Japan lifts Olympics swimsuit ban

Administrator — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:14:31 +0000

Japanese swimmers will be allowed to wear cutting-edge swimsuits made by UK-based firm Speedo at the Beijing Olympics. The decision is a U-turn on a previous ruling that allowed only Japanese makes of swimwear to be used. Swimmers wearing Speedo’s LZR Racer suit have smashed 30 world records in previous months - the latest Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima on Sunday. That had raised the spectre of a revolt against the ban on Speedo. Kazuo Sano said that decision wasBased on that input we had have decided to let the athletes choose their swimsuits. Until now, Japanese swimmers had been contracted to wear only swimwear produced by three domestic companies - and a race had begun to try to develop a fabric to rival that produced by Speedo. The LZR Racer is made from a hi-tech, water-resistant polyurethane that Speedo claims reduces drag. On Sunday, the LZR-clad Kitajima set a new 200m world breaststroke record of two minutes, 7.51 seconds, shaving almost a second off the previous record. bbc.co.uk

Happy New Year of 2008!!!

Administrator — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:23:36 +0000

Hibiya Park

Administrator — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:41:46 +0000

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.

shrines..:)

Administrator — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:37:57 +0000

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.

love….

Administrator — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:49:22 +0000

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.

Edo-Tokyo Museum

Administrator — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 08:38:35 +0000

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.

Toshogu Shrine

Administrator — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:59:27 +0000

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.

Parks and Gardens in Tokyo - Shinjuku Park

Administrator — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 10:41:43 +0000

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.