Many thanks for joining us on our tours at Asakusa in the morning and Ueno Park in the afternoon on Jan.15th. We welcomed 8 from Canada, Australia and US. It was a tremendous opportunity for us to meet wonderful guests from several countries and to share interesting conversations. Also, it was really nice seeing some of you in both tours. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached so that you can remember the fun we had during the tour.
Asakusa
Ueno Park
Two weeks have passed since the New Year, Asakusa and Ueno have returned to everyday life. During the first three days of the New Year, Asakusa was crowded with visitors for hatsumōde (the first shrine or temple visit of the year), and it is said that as many as 2.8 million people came during the first three days. A long line formed from the Kaminarimon Gate to the main hall, and it reportedly took two hours to get through. Not only Japanese people but also many visitors from overseas joined in the tradition.
Hatsumōde is a traditional Japanese custom in which people visit shrines or temples for the first time in the new year to express gratitude for the past year and to pray for good health, family safety, and other blessings in the year ahead. Even in the Edo period, many people visited well-known shrines and temples, but thanks to the development of railways, major temples such as Kawasaki Daishi and Naritasan Shinshoji now also attract large numbers of visitors. And among them, Meiji Jingu had the most visitors.
Even today, Asakusa and Ueno are still crowded with tourists , though the atmosphere is calmer than during the New Year. With fewer crowds, it feels much more relaxing.
Once again, thank you so much for joining Tokyo Free Walking Tour during your stay in Tokyo. We always make efforts to improve our tours and highly appreciate your feedback on our TripAdvisor/Google etc. Your comments motivate us to continue our volunteer activities. Please tell your family and friends about how you enjoyed our tour. Please tell your family and friends about how you enjoyed our tour. Next time you’re in Tokyo, please join another one of our tours of East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine/Harajuku and Yanaka /Nezu. We looking forward to seeing you again. Enjoy your travel!
For more information, please visit our web site at https://tfwt.jp/top
(Posted by Kaz T)