We are always delighted to welcome diverse people from all over the world. On that day we guided 43 guests from India, Spain, Belgium, USA, Australia, Canada, Argentine, New Zealand, Germany, Philippines and UK. We divided into 5 groups. The weather was hot like revival of mid-summer. It was unusual in this time of the year. But soon temperature will drop and it will turn Autumn. In Tokyo or other parts of Japan, we meet many foreigners every day. Many different colors of skin, hairs and different features of faces can be seen. We wonder how foreign people view Japanese people. It is believed that Japan is homogeneous society and mono-racial. One might find that by looking at guides. But it is actually not true. There are several athletes who share different race or ethnicity and participated in Olympics or World Cup Soccer tournaments as Japanese nationals. Recently in US Open Women’s Tennis, a player named Naomi Osaka beat Serena Williams of USA and became the champion of the grand slam tournament. Osaka is a bi-racial woman between Haitian father and Japanese mother. She might not look typical Japanese but we are proud of her as a national hero who […]
Thank you for joining our walking tour on September 29th. We welcomed 10 guests from USA, UK, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Canada even though Typhoon Charmy was approaching to Japan. We tried to keep you dry during the tour but it was heavy rain occasionally. We really appreciated walking with us. Typhoon Charmy was 24th typhoon in 2018. From middle of July to August many typhoons were continuously exist around Japan for 38 days．Since then typhoon or low pressure occurs almost every week in September. It rained all day long and it sometimes rained suddenly. Raincoat was not an option due to high humidity. You have to have an umbrella in this season. Do you think is it too much hassle to bring an umbrella when you are traveling? Don’t worry. When you are caught in unexpected rain showers, you can get one at convenience stores or 100 yen shops. A plastic umbrella is very popular in Japan. The clear plastic covering umbrella can be better than normal one to walk around sightseeing spots. You can view outside well. Another option is purchasing compact foldable umbrella that weight is lighter than your smartphone. There are many kinds of compact umbrella at […]
Thank you for joining our Tokyo Free Walking Tour in Asakusa. On the day of our two-guided tours, on the 23rd of September, we welcomed 20 guests on our walking tour. Guests were from different regions of the world, including Australia, Brazil, Czech France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, and U.S.A. After a humid and scorching weather, the summer season is finally over and the autumn season has now entered without noticing it. Speaking of the autumn season, it normally intensifies our sense of melancholy. In the rural areas of Tokyo, most of the vibrant green paddy fields are now gradually turning into gold color. The appearance of riots of seasonal insects like red dragon flies in parks and fields clearly signify the Autumn season. Additionally, an excess number of typhoons have been frequently hindering our outdoor activities and plans. All of these show the real arrival of the autumn season in Japan. Even in the changes in our surroundings, we can still feel the atmosphere of the summer season as we were able to meet the 20 energetic visitors of Asakusa areas. After overlooking the entire Asakusa district from the rooftop of the Asakusa Information Center, we […]
Today we welcomed 24 guests from US, Germany, Argentina, Israel, Malaysia, Italy, France, Australia and Denmark. Sep.22 happens to be the first day of a long day holiday as well as the day before equinox day. It is said that neither the heat nor cold lasts beyond the equinox day, meaning that we will be released from the humid & heat anytime soon. In our tour, we guides try our best to provide you with information on history and cultures of Tokyo and Japan in general.It is also a great chance for guests to mingle with other guests and exchange their travel experiences. At the end of the day, I think everyone enjoyed the pleasant walk in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. Some guests may have gotten the chance to catch the Tokyo Game Show 2018 on the next day. The Tokyo Game Show is one of the top game shows in the world, where major gaming companies participate to present their latest games and technologies. You get to try the games at each booth but need to queue up early in the morning in order to beat the others to the game you aim at. Others come to this event […]
Thank you so much for joining our weekday tour to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace on Sep. 19th. We are very happy to have 11 guests from Israel, USA, Spain, France and India. The weather was very nice. We hope all of you enjoyed the tour! We started the tour at 10 am from Tokyo Station. We unexpectedly saw the horse carriage parade there two times today. Newly appointed ambassadors (from Senegal and Qatar) were on a horse carriage on their way from the Gyoko-dori Avenue to the Imperial Palace, to see the Emperor to present credentials. We were very lucky to see the parade! Now it is the beginning of autumn, which is the harvest season with delicious food, and its comfortable climate is good for playing sports. Around the Imperial Palace you can see many people jogging. Along the pathway (about 5 km) there are gates which lead to the Imperial Palace in several places, but there are no traffic lights at all. Therefore it is an ideal course for jogging! Also it is the most relaxing spot in Tokyo. From the sidewalk you can enjoy the great views of the palace surrounded by nature, such […]
Thank you for joining our tour today. Today we welcomed 13 guests from many countries. Now we are in the middle of September. Hot summer has gone by and the weather is gradually shifting to autumn. Soon Japan will enter the best season for travelling. Please come and join our tour. Now let me get back to today’s tour topic ( Meiji shrine-Harajyuku ) . Today’s topic is about a torii which has inseperable with a shrine. The first torii of Meiji shrine is the gathering place of our tour. When Japanese see this torii, most Japanese think a shrine is close by. And also Japanese feel a little tense ,because they know they are entering into sacred world. Torii is said to be the border between the present world and the sacred world. And there are some theories regarding origin of Torii. Here, let me introduce you one of the theories. Since many years ago bird is said to be messenger of god. When it descends from the heaven, it temporary stays on a perch , and this perch has changed to the present torii and has been for many years. I owe it to […]
Thank you so much for joining our tour at the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace on September 15. I sincerely appreciate the participation of the 22 friendly guests from UK, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Israel, South Africa, Canada, America, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Singapore. It was partly rainy and cloudy. Nevertheless, I hope all of you enjoyed walking with us and perhaps got the chance to wear the instant kimono afterwards as well. As some of you may be aware there is a small museum which displays Imperial collections (Sannomaru Shozokan)at the East Gardens on our tour route near Otemon gate. They have nearly 10,000 priceless treasures such as the pictures and art products which have been inherited as the Imperial collection for a long time. Some of them are considered as national treasure. Visiting inside the museum is not included in our tour. The current exhibition is the masterpiece of picture scrolls(Emaki) of the Kamakura period(1185-1333). All of the Emaki were produced by Yamato-e techniques(classical decorative Japan style paintings) composed of illustrated scrolls of scenes or stories on a long screen in a horizontal direction made up of many sheets of papers or silk cloth. The words and paintings […]
Thank all the guests for joining our tours on September 9 in Asakusa. We welcomed 16 guests from Israel, Australia, Taiwan, Vietnam and U.S.A. It was nice weather, but very hot and humid despite September. Nevertheless, I hope all of you enjoyed walking with us. September 9 is Disaster Prevention Day.That day means 9 (kyu) for September and 9 (kyu) for 9th day. Indeed it’s a pun of ‘kyu-kyu’ representing emergency in Japanese. This is to deepen the correct understanding and awareness of emergency medical care and services among the citizens. It was established in 1982 by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Hence, we saw the ambulance vehicle for demonstration between the Sensoji Temple main hall and Asakusa Shrine. As Japan tends to be geographically damaged by natural disasters, people’s interest in calamity prevention increases every year. As some of you may notice, there are various types of komainu(stone guardian dogs) in Asakusa Shrine. On the main approach there is a pair of komainu. Komainu is unique to a shrine and an imaginary creature protecting the area from the evils. In addition there is another komainu right after the entrance silently laid aside on the right. This […]
Thank you so much for joining our regular tour on Sep. 9th. There were 15 guests from Germany, Canada, Philippines, Spain, Israel, and the US, and divided into three groups. It was a sunny and hot day like a summer coming back again. Everyone looked tired a little bit, so we tried to have a break sometimes in the shade, with a drink or an ice cream, ha ha! We also welcomed a one-day trainee student as a guide from a high school in Tokyo. She felt nervous because that was her first experience as a guide, but she enjoyed a lot. We hope that she will come back to our group someday! One of the couple said they were spending there time in Japan as their honeymoon. How amazing! I would like you to enjoy those pictures for your memory, and we are always waiting for your second visit someday, thank you everyone. (reported by Hisako)
Today in Tokyo it was raining and temporally heavily. We are grateful for our nine guests from all over the world who joined, regardless of the bad weather conditions. . Meiji Shrine is famous for its religious meaning, but I think Meiji Shrine has another aspect. Let me introduce. In Meiji Shrine Meiji Emperor and Shoken Empress spirits are enshrined. And this year our country has welcomed 150 year anniversary of the Meiji Restoration. Meiji Restoration means the change from ‘samurai’ warrior’ governing system to democratic governing system. And Meiji Emperor was the first emperor ofthe new era. And at the beginning of the Meiji period, Meiji Emperor declared the 5 pledges to the world. Along this approach to the main hall the signboard where the 5 pledges are written is built. Simply speaking , the content of this 5 pledges is as follows; We must carry out discussions, and all politics decisions must be decided by public opinion. We should abolish bad old traditions of the feudal period, and we should absorb advanced knowledge, culture from foreign countries. Meiji Shrine is the good place for us to remind […]
