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2019年3月

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CHERRY TREES IN FULL BLOSSOM (MAR.30, THE EAST GARDEN OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE)

  • 2019.03.31

Thank you for joining our tour to the East garden of the Imperial palace on March 30. We organized two tours in the morning and in the afternoon. Totally we welcomed 29 guests from the U.S.A. France, Malaysia, Portugal, Czechoslovakia, India, Singapore, Germany, the Philippines, Brazil. It is our great pleasure to have the guests from all over the world and communicate with one another. In this way we can learn more about other countries and hopefully broaden our international perspective. It was a bit chilly for the end of March and Tokyo station was crowded because of an event related to the Olympics. However, once we entered the East garden decorated with the cherry blossoms in full bloom, we had a wonderful walk in the spacious park. Our guests enjoyed taking photos with cherry trees and seeing various kinds of colorful trees. At this time of the year, you see many Japanese having a picnic under cherry trees. Why not buying a “ bento “, a typical Japanese lunch box and eating out under a cherry tree! Our next tour will be April 6 Saturday at the East garden of Imperial palace and April 7 Sunday at Meiji Shrine. […]

Hanabie is essential for Cherry blossoms(Weekday tour of the East Garden of the Imperial Palace on March 26th)

  • 2019.03.28

  Thank you for coming our weekday tour of the East Garden of the Imperial place on 26th March. We welcomed 20 people from USA, UK, Germany, Austria, Australia, and Israel. We divided the guests into 3 groups and started tour respectively. It was cloudy and a little bit colder than the day before that day. But many people came to the East Garden of Imperial Palace to watch and enjoy cherry blossoms. We also enjoyed the cherry blossoms during the tour. The tour on that day, we had two kids guests. They also enjoyed charm hunting with us. Thank you for joining our charm hunting tour! Now cherry blossoms is going on all over the Japan. It is getting warmer and warmer. However, in the season of the cherry blossoms, sometimes cold weather returns. This weather phenomenon is called “Hanabie” in Japanese. “Hanabie” is so helpful to keep cherry blossoms much longer. If there is no “Hanabie” in this season, cherry blossoms is going to finish earlier. Thanks to the “Hanabie”, we can enjoy cherry blossoms longer than we expected. “Hanabie” will come in this weekend. Stay warm and enjoy Hanami! posted by Yumi.H    

Shinto Deity Predicts Sakura Season, Asakusa Mar. 24th

  • 2019.03.25

Thank you for joining our Tokyo Free Walking Tour in Asakusa area. On that day, March 24, we were honored to welcome 14 guests to our walking tour. These people came from different corners of the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Spain, U.S.A. and U.K. Finally, the real springtime has come, and it brings breakthroughs in weather for your sightseeing in Japan. In Tokyo, the daytime temperature rises to 15 degrees Celsius. It has led to the blooming changes from ume or Japanese apricot flowers to cherry blossoms. As observed around areas of Asakusa, busily working rickshaw drivers, a lot of kimono favorite people and displayed portable shrines can truly convey a sense of tradition in the area. Under these circumstances, we met 14 energetic participants of the tour in front of the Kaminarimon or Thunder Gate of Sensoji Buddhist Temple. With this iconic meet-up spot as our starting point, our walking tour moved into Nakamise Street, which is a pedestrian-oriented area in this town. It is a 250-meter long pathway toward to Sensoji main hall and has 90-meter lined stalls of food and souvenir shops. In Tokyo, the forecast of cherry blossoms is deeply connected to a specific tree […]

SUCH A COLD DAY, BUT EARLY BLOOMING SAKURA FASCINATED US! (MAR.23, THE EAST GARDEN OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE )

  • 2019.03.24

Thanks for everyone joining our tour this day. We were so pleased to meet you at our Morning tour and Afternoon tour. We could welcome 44 guests in total. All of you from U.S.A. , Canada, Mexico, Brazil, U.K. , Italy, Holland, Romania, Cyprus, Australia, Malasia, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan were  so cooperative and open-minded to us. We made 7 groups to explore around from Tokyo station to the East garden of the Imperial palace. The Meteorological Agency has announced that, in Tokyo, SAKURA blooming has started on Mar.21 , just a couple days before, So anyone had expected an mild and flowerly spring day with many people on the streets and perhaps…the blooming of the SAKURA is going on. However, it was such a cold day as we were brought back to the middle of the winter, sometimes even raining, and in fact, the unbelievable weather just made the SAKURA blooming stop… the main SOMEI-YOSHINO brand still had poor buds… but to our suprise, we could see the gorgeous blooming at the Honmaru goten area!! They were the early blooming species in almost full bloom!! We also could see amazing scenes like the “O-obansho (3rd guard house) being under a big construction […]

Somei-yoshino cherry tree blossoms coming out at Ueno Park (March 21)

  • 2019.03.22

I want to thank all of you for participating in our tour at Ueno Park on March 21. Nine people kindly joined our tour from Spain, America and UK. It was a bit windy but a nice Spring weather. I hope all of you enjoyed walking with us. As a matter of fact Ueno Park is one of the most famous and popular hanami(cherry blossom viewing) spot in Tokyo. Over 1,200 cherry trees are planted with 50 varieties. Although we have witnessed some other early blossoming of the trees, Somei-yoshino, the most planted and favorite species in Japan have just started to bloom. 550 Someiyoshino trees may reach the blooming peak in a week or so depending upon the temperatures. Since cherry blossoms signal the arrival of Spring, Japanese people traditionally admire them from the ancient times. Somei-yoshino is relatively new in the history. It was developed by the crossbreeding between Ohshima and Edo-higan cherry trees and cultivated by the gardener at Somei Village, currently Toshima, Tokyo in the late Edo period over 250 years ago. It is a clone from a single tree and propagated by grafting to all over Japan and the rest of the world. Therefore, each […]

WEEKDAY TOUR OF THE EAST GARDENS OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE ON MARCH.19, 2019

  • 2019.03.20

Thank you for joining us. We welcomed 13 guests from US, Spain, and Germany. We divided the guests into 3 groups and started our tour at 1:00 pm from Tokyo station. Each group has 2 guides, so all guests and guides were able to enjoy conversation while walking. It was a perfect day for walking however still a little early in the cherry blossom season. Cherry blossom is in full bloom in early spring from late March to the middle of April.The period of bloom depends on the area and the year. In this year, the beginning of bloom would be March 21 in Tokyo according to the forecast. One significant aspect of the blossom is that once it blooms, it lasts only about one week. People enjoy viewing the cherry blossoms not only from the moment the flower bud fully opened, but also throughout the period while they scatter away.When the patals are falling, we see the “hana-fubuki” phenomenon, a snow shower of blossom. It is a particularly breathtaking moment. Thanks again to all the guests for joining and having good time with us.We have been introducing our activities at Facebook and Trip adviser.If you have joined our tour,please check […]

What is special about Japan? March 16 the East Garden Tour

  • 2019.03.18

Many thanks to guests coming from all over the world. On that day for the East Garden of the Imperial Palace tour, we welcomed 25 people from Israel, USA, Russia, Phillipinnes, Serbia, and Canada and divided into 3 groups. It was fine and warm afternoon. We really enjoyed the tour. Many foreigners visit Japan to find something special only seen in Japan. This coming spring, cherry blossoms will be the one. But there are many more special things foreigners can find in Japan. One very good example is “SNOW MONKEY,” which we call Nihon-zaru (Japanese monkey). Why Japanese monkeys are called that name is that monkeys are supposedly inhabitants in tropical areas such as jungles in Africa or Southeast Asia. But in Japan monkeys live in a snowed mountain like Jigokudani in Nagano prefecture. The place has become a big tourist attraction because wild monkeys come to bathe in hot spring in the snowed mountain. Meaning the monkeys are the world’s northernmost living primates except humans. Visitors can easily approach to the monkeys and observe their livelihood. It is not a zoo but wild monkeys habits. We are the very guides who can share such good information, so please ask […]

St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17/Ueno Park tour on March 21

  • 2019.03.17

Thank all of you for joining our tour at Meiji shrine and Harajuku area on March17. The weather was perfect in the beginning of Spring. We had 16 friendly guests from America, Australia and UK. I hope all of you enjoyed walking with us. Meiji Shrine was constructed about 100 years ago and is dedicated to the souls of the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The shrine is the most popular destination during the new year days. The torii gate unique to a shrine and represents the border between the actual world and sacred world. The massive display is the sake barrels which were donated by sake manufacturers across the country. There are approximately 200 barrels. Each barrel can contain 72 liters but all of them are empty. Sake is rice wine. Rice and Shinto shrine have been inseparable from the ancient times. The fundamental function of the shrine is to pray for the good harvest of rice. Rice and sake are offered to shrines at the time of a good harvest. Purification is an essential element at a shrine. Before visiting the main hall, it is a tradition for visitors to follow the ritual practice to cleanse their hands […]

Ueno Park Tour to be held on March 21

  • 2019.03.12

Ueno Park is historically famous for hanami (cherry blossom viewing) spot in Tokyo. There are over 1,200 cherry trees. Some species have already bloomed but the most symbolic cherry blossoms (Somei-yoshino) have not come out yet and are expected to be in full bloom toward the end of the month or beginning of April depending on the weather(temperatures). Ueno Park site was the part of Kaneiji Temple which used to be the largest and a family temple of the ruling Tokugawa clan during the Edo period. Some species of the wild cherry trees were originally brought from Mount Yoshino in Nara known for one of the Japan’s most famous and oldest cherry tree spots and planted at the current Ueno Park site when the Temple was built about 400 years ago. The best part is the central pathway between the southern main gate and the fountain square at the park. Several historical buildings stand along the main street. All of them were constructed during the Edo period about 370-400 years ago. Ueno Toshogu Shrine is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Shogun who established the Edo Shogunate. There are over 200 stone and 48 bronze lanterns along the approach. The […]

A Buddhist god promotes Ueno tour; Mar. 21 1 PM -Asakusa tour report, Mar. 10

  • 2019.03.11

Thank you for joining our Tokyo Free Walking Tour. On that day, May 10, we had two times of tour-10 A.M and 1 P.M. We welcomed totally around 14 guests from the different corners of the world; Germany, U.S.A., Canada, Italy, Australia, Bulgaria and Mexico. Finally, the month of March has come. In Japan, March is the month in which students bid farewell to their universities during graduation, and for working people to move to new workplaces, or retire. April, on the other hand, is when companies welcome new workers among their divisions, and for schools to welcome back old and new students alike. These weeks now provide a semester break for students so that they can travel around, earn money or prepare for a new school year. Under theses seasonal atmosphere, we met 14 people in Asakusa of Tokyo. As usual, after greeting everyone and introducing ourselves, we made our regular tour in the historical location for 90 minutes. Our tour started at the red painted gate, called Thunder Gate, which served as an ice-breaking topic. A lot of people gathered in front of this Buddhist gate to take their memorable photos with the gate as their background. The […]