A big thank you to all who participated in our tour at the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace on March 3. The number of the guests were 22 from 13 countries of UK, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Ukraine, Netherlands, France, Austria, Israel, America, Canada, Australia and Taiwan. The group was divided into five. I hope all of you enjoyed walking in lovely Spring weather. Back in 1600 the Dutch ship named De Leifde stranded on the coast of Oita, kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island. The year of 1600 is one of the most unsettled period in the Japanese history. The ship members wanted to develop a new trading route in Asia. Then the two crews of the ship became a personal adviser to the founder and first Shogun of the Edo period, Ieyasu Tokugawa. It is astonishing that there were two European Samurai in the history of Japan. (Sailing Route) (De Leifde) Firstly William Adams, the English navigator known as Anjin Miura was capable and familiar with shipbuilding, astronomy and mathematics. He taught Ieyasu geography and the basic knowledge of mathmatics, and constructed several ships on the European model for him. Ieyasu rewarded him with a fief, a residence in […]
Thank you very much for joining our tour on Feb 28th. We welcomed 9 guests from Australia, Argentina, Malaysia and Italy. 8 guests out of 9 dropped in our tour on the halfway to the Imperial Palace East Gardens. All of us enjoyed strolling together in the park, where early-flowering cherry trees “KAWAZUZAKURA” were in full bloom with cute deep pink petals. From the end of March to the beginning of April in Tokyo, you will find light-pink “SOMEIYOSHINO”, the most popular and gorgeous cherry blossoms. Please check the CHERRY BLOSSOM FORECAST on the Internet. (Images from https://sakura.weathermap.jp/, Pinterest) You are always welcomed to drop in this tour anywhere along the tour course. Find our flag and join us! The tour to the Imperial Palace East Gardens starts from TOKYO STATION MARUNOUCHI CENTRAL GATE. We are looking forward to seeing you!! ========== Tokyo Free Walking Tour holds regular tours every Saturday & Sunday, and irregular tours in weekdays. If you are in Tokyo, why not come and join us? Visit our website for the latest schedule!
Thank you very much for joining our weekday tour to the Imperial Palace East Gardens on February 27th. The tour welcomed 8 guests from Austria, Canada, Romania and Argentina. We divided us into two groups ― group A and B. It was a slightly chilly day, but the sunshine of early spring made us warm and cheerful. On the way to the Imperial Palace East Gardens, group A happened to meet 4 horses being trained along the large avenue. These 4 horses, owned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, were practicing leading a coach parade for the Ceremony of the Presentation of Credentials (see a report below on January 18). Generally, horses are very coward, because they do not have any ‘weapons’ like horns or fangs. All they can do is to run away from enemies as quickly as possible. So, they always have to be sensitive to their circumstances ― sound, smell or movement of other horses. Nevertheless, when a parade is held, horses are surrounded by a crowd of people. Some children might scream; some cars might honk a beep. Horses in the parade must be endurable and obedient to riders during the ceremony. That is why they […]
We thank all guests who joined our East Garden of Imperial Palace tour on Feb. 24th.We welcomed 28 guests from Australia, Canada, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, UK, and USA. We divided them into 5 groups. It was a sunny and pretty warmer day than the past few days. And you must have enjoyed the plum trees blooming in the garden. As Japanese, we feel a change of seasons from these signs. Speaking of a change of seasons, we can also feel it from the seasonal event. And one of the typical events is coming soon. It is the “Hinamatsuri” on March 3rd, which is often called “Doll’s Festival” or “Girl’s Festival” in English. It is also called “Momo no Sekku,” which means “Peach Festival.” Hinamarsuri is a day to pray for the health and happiness of young girls. Families with girls display Hina Ningyo, which means Hina dolls. It is said that Hina Ningyo take away the bad luck of girls who own them. Hina Ningyo represent the Emperor, Empress, their servants and so on, wearing Heian period(AD794-1192) court costume.Most parents put away Hina Ningyo as soon as Hinamatsuri is over. Because it is believed that if people put away Hina […]
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 […]
On the day of Feb 11, with low temperature and clear sunny sky, we welcomed around six guests from different regions, Australia, Austria, Germany and Philippines. After splitting these enthusiastic visitors into three, each group was assigned with a few guides who also loves this historical town and are honored to guide them. Starting with introducing ourselves and giving our brief orientation about this tour, we went to Asakusa Information Center in order to see better views of the Asakusa areas. This is because the rooftop of this building is high enough for us to enjoy breathtaking views. The sceneries sighted from this location seemed like a pictured guidebook, which can catch visitor’s interests and notify the proper outlooks to their ideal spots from there. Normally, our guides point out the direction of iconic spots, like Tokyo SkyTree, Smida River and particularly an eye-catching object like poop, which is fully painted in gold on the top of Asahi brewer building. By the time we concluded our tour in the last location, Asakusa Shinto Shrine, which is adjacent to the Sensoji Buddhist temple, we were already surrounded by a lot of visitors amid the crowds of people proceeding to the compound […]
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 […]
Thank you very much for joining our regular tour on February 4. We welcomed guests from Taiwan and the US. We hope all enjoyed walking with us. Anyways, did anyone eat “Eho-maki”, the thick sushi rolls on February 3rd, the Setsubun day ? You might find them sold at supermarkets or convenience stores at that time. Eho literally means the good luck direction, and Eho-maki is believed to bring good fortune if eaten while facing the year’s eho. While you eat Eho-maki, you must be silent, look in the year’s good luck direction (south-southeast in 2018), and make a wish. Eho-maki usually have seven ingredients such as cucumber, sweet omelet, shiitake mushroom and eel after the Seven Deities of Good Luck. Eho-maki are about 8-10cm long and should not be cut because they reflect the idea of forming good relationships. Why not try our traditional dishes during your staying? (Hisako)
