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Tour Report of Meiji Shrine & Harajuku on March 17, 2024: Sakura season is just around the corner!

Thank you to those who participated in the Tokyo Free Walking Tour (TFWT) at Meiji Shrine & Harajuku today, which was a little bit windy, but a sunny and crispy day.  There was a St. Patrick’s Day parade on Omotesando street, and also because more and more tourists are visiting Japan looking forward to viewing Sakura, Cherry Blossoms, both Meiji Jingu and Harajuku were so crowded. We welcomed 8 guests from the USA, Germany and the UK.  We hope you all enjoyed and shared interesting and joyful conversations with each other during the tour. As mentioned in the title, the Sakura season is coming soon.  According to tenki.jp, the flowering date in the Tokyo area is expected to be March 21.  One of our guests said he planned the itinerary after carefully researching the flowering period. Of course, Japanese people often check the flowering date of cherry blossoms because the cherry-blossom front is moving northwards in a short period.  Just when you think it’s blooming, Someiyoshino, the most popular kind of cherry blossom, quickly falls apart like in one week or so. However, please don’t worry!  For those who might miss the cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo, how about including […]

The East Garden of the Imperial Palace Tour on March 16, 2024

  • 2024.03.16

Many thanks for joining us on our tours at Imperial Palace in the afternoon on March 16th. We welcomed 15 guests from the United States, Germany, Hungary, and Argentina. 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. Currently, the forecast for cherry blossom blooming in the Tokyo area is March 22. So the cherry blossoms are expected to be in full bloom starting next week. If you have time, please enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms in Japan. 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 of our tours (Asakusa, Meiji Shrine/Harajuku, and Ueno Park). We’d love to see you again.For more information about our tour, please visit our website athttps://tfwt.jp/top/east-gardens-of-the-imperial-palace/https://www.facebook.com/TokyoFWTor Tokyo Free Walking Tour athttps://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g14129528-d3587204-Reviews-Tokyo_Free_Walking_Tour-Marunouchi_Chiyoda_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html(Posted by Akito)

Coming soon! Golden Dragon Dance at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa! Tour Report of Asakusa and Ueno Park on March 10,2024

  • 2024.03.11

Thank you for choosing our tour at Asakusa and Ueno Park on March 10. We welcomed 34 people from USA, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, Netherland, Israel, UK, Germany, South Korea and Russia. 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.      We would like to let you know about one of the annual events of Sensoji Temple. The Golden dragon dance will be performed in the precinct of Sensoji Temple on March 18. The Golden dragon dance is performed three times at 11:30 am, 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm. Kannon Bodhisattva, the principal image of Sensoji Temple, appeared on March 18 in the year of 628. It is said that golden dragon descended from the sky to the earth on that day. “Ennichi” is held on the 18th of each month. “Ennichi” is important day for Sensoji Temple. The Golden dragon used for the dance is 18 meters long and 88 kilograms weight and is manipulated as if it can move by 8 people. These 8 numbers come from the 18th day. The main hall of Sensoji […]

Tour Report of the East Garden of the Imperial Palace 9 March 2024, Find the Tokyo Tower

  • 2024.03.10

Thank you very much for participating in the tour of that day. On that day we hosted 22 guests from Italy, USA, Singapore, South Korea, and Chile. The weather was fine although it was sometimes windy and overall cold. We enjoyed the stroll of the garden looking out the transition of the season from winter to spring. We hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snap shots are attached to remember the fun times we had. The imperial Palace is the typical and most famous tourist spot and most convenient location in the city since it is the heart of the city. From there you can view not only the imperial palace ground, Japan’s symbolic and historical site but other symbolic figures such as red brick Tokyo Station, where we met as well as the red and white Tokyo Tower. The below are group photos. We had 4 groups. Tokyo Tower can be seen at the point we usually take group photos, in front of Tatsumi Yagura Defense Fort. The tower was established in 1958 and the height is 333 meters. It is just 3 meters higher than […]

Weekday Tour Report of the East Garden of the Imperial Palace on March 5 2024

  • 2024.03.07

Thank you for choosing our weekday tour at the East Garden of the Imperial Palace on March 5. We welcomed 10 guests from Greece, Switzerland, Vietnam, and Malaysia. I hope all of you enjoyed and shared interesting conversations with us during the tour. As promised, group photos and snap shots are attached to remember the fun times we had. It was cold and a light rain. We were so surprised that one of our guests ran the Tokyo marathon and completed the race. That was amazing! The latest announcement of Japan Weather Forecast Association says that the earliest cherry blossoms will bloom in Tokyo on March 19th. Spring will come in two weeks. This news makes us so happy! In addition, we give a great news for all our future guests. We’ll join Sakura Festival in Chiyoda as guides of free walking tour in East Garden of the Imperial Palace. Sakura Festival in Chiyoda will be held from March 22 to April 2 at Chidrigafuchi, a famous cherry blossoms viewing spot. It is near East Garden of the Imperial Palace. We will host special walking tour at East Garden of the Imperial Palace every morning 10:00AM during this period except […]

Tour Report on the East Garden of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, 2 March 2024

  • 2024.03.04

Many thanks to the guests who joined the tour on that day. We welcomed 7 guests from USA, Singapore, UK and Belgium. 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. Recently I watched TV news that flea market in Japan is very popular for foreign visitors. Going to flea market is main reason to come to Japan for some of them. I thought that just old or unnecessary items were sold in flea market, however it is valuable antique items for visitors who is collecting and interested in Japanese cultural items. The TV news reported people who bought Ukiyoe pictures, battledore, Kokeshi doll and mailbox. After watching this news, I checked where flea markets are held in Tokyo area. And I reraised that many flea markets are held in Tokyo than I thought. Example: If you like Japanese cultural items and want to get them at reasonable price, I think it’s worth to visit. One more information for guests in the future. Our meeting place is the Marunouchi Central Gate (ground floor) at JR Tokyo Station. Please find […]

Tour Report of Meiji Shrine & Harajuku on March 3rd, 2024 : Hinamatsuri (Doll’s Festival Day)

Thank you to those who participated in the Tokyo Free Walking Tour (TFWT) at Meiji Shrine & Harajuku today.  Today was the most suitable and comfortable day for walking.  Moreover, today was “Taian,” the most auspicious day in the old Japanese 6-day calendar, so our guests luckily met five or six traditional Shinto wedding processions and several families with a new-born baby. We welcomed 5 guests from Switzerland, USA, and Germany.  We hope you all enjoyed and shared interesting and joyful conversations with each other during the tour. Today, Doll’s Festival or Girl’s Festival called “Hinamatsuri” in Japanese was held.  Most families with girls display dolls for the Doll’s Festival.  This is an occasion to pray for young girls’ healthy growth and happiness.  Hinamatsuri is celebrated each year on the 3rd of March.  The display of the dolls depicts the wedding party of imperial families.  A traditional set of dolls includes the Emperor, the Empress, three court ladies, five court musicians, the minister of the left, the minister of the right and three servants.  But, these days, most sets of dolls are getting simpler, that is the pair of dolls, the Emperor and Empress because of the recent housing situations.  […]

Enjoy kinomo experience tour in Asakusa on February 28th

  • 2024.03.01

Thank you so much for joining our tours at Asakusa in the morning on Feb 28th. We welcomed 16 guests in total from America, Australia, Spain, Brazil, Ireland, Holland and Canada. 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. In recent days we often see many foreign women wearing Japanese kimono and enjoy taking a photo in front of Sensoji temple or Asakusa shrine. In former days we saw some foreign women wearing Japanese kimono, but not so many. The increase of experience tour seems to be one of reasons. And also the increace of rental shop is one of reasons, too. Today those rental shops prepare various kinds of kimonos, accessaries (bags, hair ornaments ,etc.), zori sandals and they have staff for hair set, dressing. And visitors can experience kinomo with affordable price. Since former days foreigners have been interesting in a Japanese traditional kinomo. There were many foreigners who wanted to feel Japanese people’s delicacy . But in those days foreign visitors couldn’t easily experience kimono, because in those days in Japan renatal kimono service didn’t […]

Tour Report of the East Garden of the Imperial Palace, formerly Shogun’s castle, 24 February 2024

  • 2024.02.25

Thank you very much for participating in the tour of that day. On that day we hosted 7 guests from Germany, Taiwan, Turkey, Canada, Singapore, and Poland. The weather was fine so we were comfortable walking on the tour course although it was a cold winter day. Some early blossoming specie of cherry blossoms have bloomed as well as plums in the garden. Photos taken during the tour are posted to remind you of wonderful time we spent together. When we guide the East Garden, we describe the place as a former castle premise of Shogun. Shogun is a practical leader of Japan in the feudal period besides Emperor. Emperor has been a divine symbol of the nation and rarely intervened in the national politics. Shogun we refer to in the tour is Tokugawa Shoguns who ruled Japan between 1603 and 1867 for 15 generations. Some of foreigners might be familiar with the name “Shogun” as a famous novel title and its adaptation to TV dramas. The novel was written by James Clavell and made into 1980 NBC TV mini-series as well as recent version of it produced by FX network. The story is based on a biography of the […]

Collection of Hon’ami Koetsu and the Golden Hall of Chusonji Temple on exhibit, the tour report of February 21

  • 2024.02.22

Thank you for joining the Ueno Park tour on February 21. We welcomed four people from Germany, Canada and Netherlands. Although it was a little cold and rainy all day, I hope you enjoyed walking with us. As you may know, Ueno Park is one of the best cherry blossom spots in Tokyo. There are about 800 cherry trees in the park and they are estimated to start to bloom on or around March 19. The following 7 to 10 days may be the best time to see them.  Photos taken during the tour are posted. As we referred during the tour, the two special exhibitions are currently underway at Tokyo National Museum, Japan’s oldest and largest museum in Ueno Park. Hon’ami Koetsu(1558-1637) is one of the great multi-talented artists in the beginning of the Edo period. The exhibition specializes in Koetsu’s works and you may be able to see the six national treasures represented by Writing Box with a Pontoon Bridge and many other awesome artifacts. Koetsu developed his own style in wide range of fields: calligraphy, lacquerware, tea bowls, paintings, and decorative arts. His works had a significant impact on Japanese culture. He established a reputation for a […]

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