Tour Report: July 9, 2016

Thank you for all the guests who attended the Tokyo Free Walking Tour on July 9th. Even though it was raining hard because of the typhoon, still we had the regular tour as usual.

During the two-hour walk, the guides were very responsive to the inquiry of the guest because most of them were very attentive and curious at the same time.  Actually, some of the guests learned  Japanese histories and knew about famous locations in Tokyo beforehand through social medias or guide books.

Some guests were interested in  pine trees, which are well maintained in this East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.  Commonly, these trees are matching up so well with castle building and these majestic sights can easily catch the visitors’ attention.  In Japan, the words “pine”, “bamboo” and “plum” are occasionally used to describe ranks of dishes’ quality when you place an order at a restaurant.   The “pine” means the highest rank.   The “bamboo” follows and “plum” is the lowest in rank.  For instance, someone would say “Please give me a pine of Gyūdon.”   This means the highest quality of Gyūdon – is a Japanese dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with beef and onion simmered in a mildly sweet sauce flavor.