On a very cold and slightly raining Thursday morning, we welcomed 3 guests from Australia and U.K. It was so cold that some of us were sizzling while walking on the route. We divided into 2 groups. However, in the garden, we could view sign of spring’s coming. The Ume (Plum or Apricot trees) are blooming. Actually, they are known as flowers of winter but they bloom when spring is near. The colors of petals were shining under cloudy sky. The smell of the flowers were so strong that you feel wearing cheap perfume. Some foreigners mistake Ume for Sakura. But Sakura flowers are all pink-white. Less smelling and more gorgeous. They bloom a month later from now, between late March and early April. The temperature will get much warmer. SAKURA means we are in the spring time. Every spring, somewhere in the city, shopping malls hold SAKURA festivals to celebrate arrival of spring. Sakura are most precious flowers among Japanese. For Japanese, SAKURA is not just flowers. They are like our souls. For example, in a town named Higashinakano in Nakano Ward in TOKYO, there is a ongoing dispute with regard to cut down of SAKURA trees. Sakura trees […]
Tokyo Free Walking Tour welcomed eight guests for our regular Meiji Shrine and Harajuku route tour on February 18. Big thank YOU to all the guests who were from Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Slovakia, Netherland and England. We hope all enjoyed not only the tour itself but chat with other guests and us. It was a lovely sunny day with shining blue sky, though it was still bit cold. Luckily, we encountered wedding parties at the main shrine area. One party was proceeding to main hall for ceremony and the others were ready to take memorial wedding photos. The second half of this tour after short break is Harajuku district tour. Tour guests can enjoy comparison between natural-rich peaceful Meiji Shrine and lively crowded Harajuku district. One of the most popular (and most crowded) streets in this area is Takeshita-dori. It is the landmark of many Japanese subcultures, the best known of which is the Kawaii culture. The tour covers both Takeshita-dori and Omote-sando avenue within just an hour. During the tour, visitors could grasp the general ideas of this area thus they often continue walking after the tour, but this time do deep dive depends on their interests. Tokyo […]
Thank you very much for joining our tour on Feb 17th. We welcomed 23 guests from Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Turkey, UK and US. Plum trees in the East Garden of Imperial Palace bloom! The combination of pink and white color is so beautiful. I guess beautiful Japanese spring season is around the corner, on the other hand….during the tour, it was raining unexpectedly. It might have been sleety rain according to the weather forecast. And also, chilly wind was blowing. In such cold weather, I always have “Hokkairo” which is disposable hot pack, and of course I had them a lot on that day. It was always packaged in the plastic pack, and it becomes warm itself as soon as it opens. Originally it was developed in Japan, but I heard that we can get it not only in Japan but also some foreign country nowadays, however in Japan there are various sizes and types of “Hokkairoes”. I love sticker type for sole^^ You can get it cheap less than 50 Japanese yen each at the supermarket in Japan, so why don’t you get them as a souvenir? We have […]
We thank many guests joining this tour. On that day, we welcomed 29 guests from Australia, Argentina, Brazil, U.K., Philippines, USA, France, Germany, South Korea and Slovenia. We divided into 4 groups. We are in the midst of winter season. In our neighboring country, South Korea, Winter Olympics are held. For last two weeks Tokyo had a few heavy snowing days. Some remaining of snow was seen in the garden. Up north are blizzards. Japan is a big snow country. There are many snow resorts in northern Japan. That is why so many skiers or snowboarders from the world are coming here to enjoy snow sports like Pyeongchang athletes. Japan hosted two winter Olympics in the past. One in Sapporo, Hokkaido, 1972. The other is Nagano in 1998. Every winter, we met a lot of snow sports tourists who have already been in the snow resorts and on their way to the airport or those who are going there after Tokyo. On this blog and from words of the guides, you can get good snow resort information during your stay in Japan. But winter in Japan may be too cold. You might wonder if you can go somewhere warmer […]
Today we welcomed guests from Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, UK, and US. Despite the cold weather outdoors, we were able to join the sun and the nice chill air during the 2 hour walk. Feb.3 is “Setsubun” the day before the beginning of spring. On this day, many homes would have an event called “bean throwing” ceremony which goes back to 1500s. People would throw roasted beans or grains inside and outside their houses, also at family members wearing a demon mask. While throwing the beans, they would chant, “Demons out, happiness in! ” to drive away evil and bring in good luck. Later after beans are collected from the floor, people would eat the same number of the beans as their age and wish for a disease/disaster- free year. Demons represent evil spirits, or inner invisible negative vibes. Roasted beans represent the tool to drive away the evil, as it was once believed that grains and soybeans have the power to do so. Beans are roasted in order to confine the evil spirits into each bean. As a soylover, I would buy a pack of roasted soybeans at this time of the year. Although I try to keep the […]
We explored the East Garden of the Imperial Palace with 17 guests from Australia, Philippine, Portugal, Brazil, Russia, UK, Spain, Belgium, China, Chile, and the USA. The start point is the Tokyo Station. The traditional western style red brick building is so impressive. We walk through the Marunouchi district. It is the core of the Japanese business center. Then we approach to the Imperial Palace East Garden. The palace is the former Edo Castle, which was the headquarters of the Samurai’s military government in the 17-19 century. The castle was also the residence of the Shogun, the top commander general of the government. You can enjoy not only beautiful sceneries but also learn about Japanese history and tradition. Our guests asked many questions to us. What is the difference between a Samurai and a Ninja? How many wives did the Shogun have? Was the Ohoku in the Shogun’s palace like a harem? Why there were many fire disasters in the old Tokyo? When was the year the Samurai government was finished? Is there a noble class other than the royal family and the commoners? Very interesting questions! Last week, we had snowfall in Tokyo. The snow depth was 23cm. Snowscape […]
We thank all our guests who joined our East Garden of Imperial Palace tour on Jan.20th. We welcomed 17 guests from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Taiwan and USA, including an 11-months baby boy. We hope you enjoyed experiencing the Edo period adventure with us. It was a little bit cold but it was a good day to walk around the garden (former Edo castle). Even in the middle of the winter, we enjoyed watching the nature around the Edo castle. The moat is a good place for various kinds of birds, such as spot‐billed ducks, swans and so on, to inhabit. If you will have the opportunity to join our tour, make sure to look for these adorable creatures! Like in the previous tour report, the flowers of the plum in the Imperial garden are in bloom one by one. Actually, during the earlier times, plum blossom viewing was more popular than cherry blossom viewing. Japanese people had different culture in the Nara period (8th Century). They used Japanese words “花 (flower)” in waka (a traditional Japanese poem of thirty-one syllables) to mean Japanese plum flower. There are 118 pieces of waka talking about plum, compare to 42 pieces of […]
We thank all guests joining our East garden of Imperial Palace tour on Jan.18. We welcomed 11 guests from U.K., Germany, Australia, and Argentina. It was nice and comfortable day like spring. Some plum flowers started to come out! In Japan we can enjoy the plum blossoms in February. The most famous plum blossoms is at Kairakuen in Mito-City which is a Japanese Traditional Circuit Style Garden where a lot of plum trees. Kairakuen was established in 1842 by Tokugawa Nariaki. It takes one and half hour long from Ueno Station to Kairakuen by express train and Bus. Please go there if you have a chance. Especially in February! By the way, we saw the Coach Parade at the Tokyo Station on that day. We were so happy to see it. The Coach Parade is offered when the newly appointed foreign Ambassador visits the Emperor to present a credential letter. The newly appointed foreign Ambassador can choose the way to travel to the Imperial Palace by carriage or by car. It is said that almost all of newly appointed Ambassador choose carriage because it is memorable and wonderful experience for them. Only a few countries offer it, for example […]
We thank many guests joining this tour on that day. We welcomed 20 guests from USA, Philippines, Hong Kong, Canada, Spain, Hungary, Argentina, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand. The sky was blue, but it was very cold day. We could enjoy Japanese apricot (Ume) blossom. Ume blooms earlier than any trees in the winter and has a variety of flowers of white, red or pink, single or double-flowered. It has been considered as symbol of “energy of life” and “good omen”. In addition, the fruit will be used for Ume-boshi(pickled plums) and Ume-shu(plums liquor).Both of them are very popular as healthy food or drink, because it contains a lot of organic acid including citric acid. Most of Japanese wear western clothes everyday, and it is not easy even for Japanese to put a Kimono on by oneself. However, Japanese still wear Kimono on special occasions and seasonal events, such as wedding, funeral of family member, as well as Coming of Age Day, Shichi-go-san (a festival day for children of three, five and seven years of age), and New Year’s Day. Formal Kimono made of pure silk is very expensive, but can be worn from generation to generation. It is often the […]
Thank you very much for joining our first tour of the year 2018! We 16 guides welcomed 24 guests from Australia, US, Netherlands, Canada and Germany, and divided into 5 groups. Fortunately it was clear and not so cold, and the best day for walking outside. We hope all our guests enjoyed all the spots of the tour. Anyways, I heard that many foreign tourists spent this new year holiday in Japan. Did you try to visit to the shrines or temples at the midnight of January 1 for “Hatsu-moude” or first visiting to there for good luck of the new year? Or did you try to eat the special meals for the new year called “Osechi” ? Osechi are special dishes for the New Year holidays. A variety of ingredients such as fish, black beans, rolled kelp, and vegetables are prepared and arranged artfully lacquer boxes. And we also drink New Year’s spiced sake called “Otoso” in the hope of being healthy. And there is another traditional custom of eating rice porridge with seven kinds of spring herbs, or “Nanakusa-gayu”, on January 7. This is very healthy as these herbs are abundant in fiber and minerals, […]
