WE ARE BACK!!! Reserve your spot in our next tour from our new Tour Calendar!

2022年4月

Tokyo Now #30 : Sanctuary and Source of Trend

  • 2022.04.28

Tokyo has many aspects and it is constantly changing. You can observe a good example at Harajuku, two stops from JR Shinjuku St. Across the railroad track, a vast sanctuary forest and a source of the latest trends are facing each other.  They are Meiji Jingu Shrine and Harajuku/Omotesando. Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken and celebrated a centennial anniversary in 2020.  It is one of the most popular shrines in Japan, especially during the new year holidays. Over 100,000 trees, many rare birds and insects, and a fascinating part of Japan’s history will make you freshen up and give you relaxation.  Harajuku is famous for its unique youth fashion represented by “kawaii.” There are many reasonably priced and unique clothing stores for middle school to high school students, mainly on Takeshita Street in Harajuku. On the other hand, Omotesando, a neighbor of Harajuku,  is a most pleasant and luxurious street lined with Zelkova trees. Over these 3 years, there have been lots of changes.  Not a few popular shops were impacted by the epidemic.  The lovely old JR Harajuku station building was transformed into a modern building. A new complex facility now […]

Tokyo Now #29: Step by step, preparing for the resumption of walking tours

  • 2022.04.25

TFWT has just started on-site warming up training on all 4 routes for our members. Let us introduce you the scene from the Ueno Park route training held on last Sunday.   Ueno Park, one of the first public parks in Japan, was designated as such in 1873.  It locates between popular tourist sites in the downtown area, i.e. Asakusa and Yanaka. Ueno Park is a treasure house of timeless history and culture & art.  You can enjoy plenty of cultures like temples, museums, performances, the zoo, and other attractions in this beautiful greenery place. Just strolling around this park could be good relaxation but you are also able to focus on your interests, say 400 years of history, architecture, painting and sculpture or nature. Ueno Park is especially popular during Hanami – viewing of 1200 Sakura cherry trees of 50 types.