Thank you for choosing our weekly tour at East Garden of the Imperial Palace on December 20. We welcomed 5guests from Singapore, U.S.A, Korea, and Philippines. I hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. It was the perfect day for the tour to stroll. We enjoyed last-colored leaves under the beautiful blue sky. By the way, Winter solstice is coming on December 22. We eat cooked pumpkins and take a bath with yuzu floating in it. We call Yuzuyu. On that day, most of the Japanese Onsen and Sentoh (public bath in towns) offer Yuzuyu. You can experience Yuzuyu if you would stay in Japan on winter solstice. As you know, Yuzu fragrance smells good. It will heal your soul and body. In addition, don’t eat used Yuzu in the bath. Now we can enjoy Christmas decorations all over Japan, but most of the decorations in Japan will completely change from those of Christmas to Japanese new years’ such as bamboo, pine trees, and zodiac sine of the next year “Dragons” after Christmas eve. Please enjoy these dramatic […]
Thank you very much for participating in the tour of the East Garden of the Imperial Palace. On that day we hosted 6 people from USA and Singapore in an unusual warm weather for this time of the year. December is a winter month but the temperature rose to 20 degree centigrade in the afternoon. Although we could view autumn scenes in the East Garden, anyone could go through the garden without wearing a jacket. It was like October. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. It was a warm day but one of the guides went skiing in Iwate prefecture. So we’re already in the winter season. Even you feel warm in a day but that can not continue for days. So please always prepare clothes for winter when going outside. This month December is called “Shiwasu” in Japan. It literally means “Monks running” because it is the most busiest time of the year to prepare for coming new year. Monks in the old days had to run around the towns to do their businesses. That is how the word “Shiwasu” was derived. People become very busy to write new year […]
Many thanks to the guests who joined the tour on that day. We welcomed 3 guests from USA, Argentine and Australia. I hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. Happiest thing for us in this tour was that all guests talked each other and became close friend. During the tour one of guests mentioned he visited many shrines, temples, museums in Tokyo. Visiting there is good way to feel Japanese culture, however in this report, let me tell you “The Tokyo Toilet”, modern public toilets in Tokyo Shibuya city. All toilets have well designed form because those are designed by 16 architects and designers. People can use it comfortably, regardless of gender, age, or disability, and toilets are kept clean. I think it’s worth to visit to feel Cool Japan. URL: THE TOKYO TOILET | The Nippon Foundation (nippon-foundation.or.jp) Your feedback is important and helpful to us. If you enjoyed our tour, please consider posting a review on our TripAdvisor/Facebook etc. Your comments will help contribute to higher-quality tours. Once again, thank you for choosing Tokyo Free Walking […]
Many thanks for joining us on our tours at Imperial Palace in the afternoon on December 2nd. We welcomed 8 guests from the USA, Singapore, and the Netherlands. It was a tremendous opportunity for us to meet wonderful guests from many countries and to share interesting conversations. We’ve posted group photos and snapshots so that you can look back on the fun times we had. Today we visited Gyoko-dori Avenue connecting the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station, where we could enjoy the beautiful view of ginkgo trees, but did you know that it is also gorgeous at night? Every winter, a portion of Gyoko-dori Avenue is lit up, offering a very fantastic view. The street will be illuminated from November 28 to December 25. If you would like to enjoy a different view from the daytime, why not revisit Gyoko-dori Avenue? Once again, thank you so much for joining us on our tour. We always make efforts to improve our tours and highly appreciate your feedback on our TripAdvisor/Facebook etc. Your comments motivate us to continue our volunteer activities. Please tell your family and friends about how you enjoyed our tour. Next time you’re in Tokyo, please join another one […]
Thank you for choosing our tour at the East Garden of the Imperial Palace on November 25, 2023. We welcomed 6 guests from UK, US, and, New Zealand. I hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. Today is about 10 degrees Celsius cooler than yesterday. We brought warm clothes but ended up warming up as we walked. The trees in the East Garden have started autumn leaves and the view is really picturesque. The Ginkgo tree-lined avenue along Gyoko Street in front of Tokyo Station is a recommended spot for taking photos. The ginkgo is the symbolic tree of Tokyo. You might even encounter a bride and groom capturing their special moments. After sunset, you can enjoy the LED illumination. Hot pot dishes are also a great choice for dinner. November 23 was a Japanese national holiday, Labor Thanksgiving Day. This year, it happened to be on the same day as Thanksgiving Day in the United States. The tradition of Black Friday Sales entered Japan in 2014 when Toys ‘R’ Us started it. In 2016, AEON also began […]
Thank you so much joining our tour today! We welcomed 7 guests from USA, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Philippines. Today was a great day for the tour and both guides and guests enjoyed the walks very much. As promised, some photos are attached to remember the fun times we had. group A group B Autumn in Japan is a magical time of year when the landscape transforms into a vivid palette of warm reds, oranges, and yellows. The cool, crisp air and the gentle rustling of leaves create an atmosphere that is truly enchanting. Ninomaru Garden, a small but wonderful Japanese garden in the East Garden, is about to enter the beautiful season of autumn leaves. This is a photo taken in early December of another year. Please come to enjoy the autumn season of Japan. We always strive to give high-quality tours. Your feedback is very important and useful to us. If you have a moment, please consider posting comments about tours on TripAdvisor /Facebook, etc. Your remarks will certainly help us improve and continue developing our tours. Also, please tell your family and friends about us. Next time you’re in Tokyo, please come to another one of our tours. […]
Thank you for choosing our tour at the East Garden of the Imperial Palace on November 18, 2023. We welcomed 7 guests from UK, US, and, Israel. I hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. The regular Saturday tours are usually conducted in the afternoon, but today the tour took place in the morning. We enjoyed a delightful tour with our guests under the clear and pleasant weather. Due to Shibuya Station improvement construction, all trains on the Yamanote Line outer loop between Osaki – Shibuya – Shinjuku – Ikebukuro were closed on November 18 and 19. We were worried that some guests might face difficulties joining the tour or experience considerable delays due to the train suspension. Fortunately, we were relieved to find that our guests were not significantly impacted. Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress met with the President and his wife of Kyrgyzstan on November 17 at the Imperial Palace and hosted a luncheon. While Western cuisine has consistently been served at luncheon and dinner parties for foreign guests, this time, at the suggestion of […]
Thank you for choosing our tour at the East Garden of the Imperial Palace on November 11, 2023. We welcomed 17 guests from US, UK, Slovenia, South Korea, India, and Vietnam. I hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. November was hot this year, but it’s finally cooling down, feeling more like the typical fall weather we’re used to. Every year on November 11th (11.11), we celebrate Pocky Day, as the number “1” resembles the Pocky stick, a chocolate-covered biscuit stick. It was established by the Japanese confectionery manufacturer, Glico, for promotion. https://www.glico.com/global/ The 30 nominees for the 2023 Trending Buzzword Awards in Japan have been revealed. The winner will be announced in December. I’m hoping for an award for the catchphrase “I’m wearing pants!” from one very successful Japanese comedian, Tonikaku-Akarui Yasumura, who is known as “Tony” who appeared on a British audition program. The phrase “Don’t worry, I’m wearing” made the top 10 in the 2015 Trending Buzzword Awards in Japan, and now it’s nominated in English again. If you are interested, enjoy his performance on YouTube. […]
Many thanks for joining us on our tours at Imperial Palace in the afternoon on November 4th. We welcomed 22 guests from the United States, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Russia, and Estonia. It was a tremendous opportunity for us to meet wonderful guests from many countries and to share interesting conversations. We’ve posted group photos and snapshots so that you can look back on the fun times we had. Did you notice the long line in front of the rest area today? It was the line to enter “Imperial Household Museum San-no-maru Shōzōkan” which was opened yesterday, under a new name (former name San-no-maru Shōzōkan) with greatly expanded exhibition space and other facilities. The opening commemorative exhibition, “Imperial Household Miyabi: Inherited Beauty,” will be held from November 3 to June 23 next year. The opening commemorative exhibition features a wide variety of masterpieces representing each period, including “Words about the Attack on Mongolia,” “Animal and Plant Painting” by Jakuchu Ito, “Kasuga Gongen Kenki” by Ryukane Takashina, “Sarashina Nikki” by Fujiwara Teika, which are all National Treasures. The exhibition will be held for about eight months.If you are interested, why don’t you […]
Thank you to those who participated in the tour. On that day we hosted 25 people from USA, UK, New Zealand, Mexico, Philippines, Serbia, Australia and Germany. We divided into three groups. It was a mild clear sky autumn day. We hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached to remember the fun times we had. The leaves on the street are turning brown and yellow, so called autumn leaves. In the East Garden, Japanese typical autumn fruits, Kaki (persimmons) were coming out. These fruits taste like mixture of apple, orange, and melon. Seeing Kaki fruits coming out is one of the signs that autumn season already arrived here. We could truly share the peaceful moments with one another on that day. But sadly in some parts of the world, wars are raging and many people are dying. We used to welcome people from these war zones. We are worried if they are safe. We wish the wars end very soon. We always wish for the world peace. We believe our activities contribute to keeping the world in peace by communicating with one another face to […]
