The Tokyo Traveler

Parades and parties are on the Halloween calendar in Tokyo!  Summer and O-bon is the season of ghosts in Japan, but Tokyoites have embraced the fall fun of a western-style Halloween with a few events around the city. Participate or just watch the Hello Halloween Pumpkin Parade down Omotesando-dori towards Harajuku.  The festivities in the area run from 11AM to 6PM on October 26th.
Tokyo Disney’s Halloween 2008 got an early start on September 12th and will run through October 31st.  Feel free to visit the park in costume but be sure to check the costume guidelines before heading out.
Adults …read more

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Held in beautiful and spacious Hamarikyu Gardens, the Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony offers a unique opportunity to experience a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony.  Demonstrations and lectures will be held in an effort to familiarize both citizens and international visitors with the ancient history and rituals associated with tea in Japan.
In October 1587, the feudal warlord, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, hosted a tea ceremony occasion at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto, serving tea to his guests whether or not they were interested in tea. It is said that he created over 800 place settings and brought a golden tea room into the shrine …read more

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Tokyo landmarks are turning pink in honor of breast cancer awareness month.  As a woman, and as someone who lost a dear friend to the disease this summer, I am proud to share with you what Tokyo is doing to help raise awareness of this disease that affects 1 in 8 women, and those that they love, worldwide each year.  Breast cancer does not recognize borders, language barriers or cultural differences – it is an equal opportunity disease.
This year, The Peninsula Tokyo becomes only the second officially recognized Japan landmark to be illuminated pink as part of a Global Illumination …read more

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According to legend, the ground shook and the cherry blossoms bloomed out of season on an October day in 1282 when Nichiren Daishonin, a famous Japanese Buddhist priest, passed from this world.  Nichiren Daishonin was the founder of Nichiren Shoshi, a 750 year old orthodox Buddhist denomination centered at Taisekiji, near the foot of Mount Fuji, and is considered by many to be the One True Buddha.
His immortal life is celebrated at O-eshiki festivals throughout Japan each October with parades of mando and of matoi (firemen’s standards of the Edo period) accompanied by drummers and flautists.  A mando, literally “10,000 …read more

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A 1,000 mile overland race, La Festa Mille Miglia, will kick off from Harajuku on October 11th and traverse through Tokyo, Fukushima, Tochigi and Kanagawa prefectures before finishing in Yokohama on the 14th. 
One hundred and sixteen classic cars will compete in the 12th running of this race where the average driver is 50 years old and no replica automobiles or cars built after 1967 are permitted to race.  A 1923 BUGATTI BRESCIA T22 is the oldest car in the race while a 1967 TOYOTA 2000GT MF10 is the youngest.  Ferraris, Aston Martins, MGs and Alfa Romeos are also among …read more

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Ready for GAME time!  That is the theme of Tokyo Game Show 2008, an event where you can see and even demo some of the latest video games from makers NAMCO BANDAI, TOMY, Sony and Sega.
The event is sponsored by the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) whose members consider computer entertainment software to be a cultural form and host the Tokyo Game Show 2008 in order to contribute to the growth of the industry.  The Tokyo Game Show 2008 will include areas dedicated to video games for stand-alone systems, PC’s and mobile devices and companies from China, Holland, Taiwan …read more

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The 21st annual Tokyo International Film Festival will take place between October 18th and 26th at various venues around the city and offers visitors a chance to view films never before seen in Asia and insight in to the world of Japanese cinema. 
The Tokyo International Film Festival has adopted a green theme this year with a slogan of Action! for Earth.  In keeping with the theme, a number of films on the subject of ecological awareness will be screened over the nine festival days. (TIFF Special Screenings)
The main event of the festival is the competition that features fifteen …read more

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Combine some bourbon, amaretto and a little cranberry juice and you have the award winning Red Carpet Cocktail created by Takahiro Watanabe of the Keio Plaza Hotel’s Polestar Skybar.  Sounds like a tasty drink to sip while overlooking the Tokyo skyline from the hotels’ 45th floor in Shinkjuku, and it’s only one of the award winning drinks created by Watanabe over the years!

In honor of the award, the staff of the Polestar Skybar have teamed up with the Liquid Culture team at The Japan Times to offer an afternoon workshop in the art of the cocktail.
Reserve your Red Carpet …read more

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School is back in session, improv school that is!  Have you always been fascinated with improv theater and thought that maybe someday you’d like to give it a try?  Now you can!
All native-level English speakers are welcome to attend a weekly two hour improv workshop hosted by Chris Wells, director of the Tokyo Comedy Store  for the past 13 years and an improv performer himself.  Workshops are held every Tuesday night, from 7 to 9PM, in Azabu-juban and are reasonably priced at 2,100 Yen.   Each workshop starts with exercises based around a theme for the evening which are followed by …read more

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Summer is almost a memory and fall is fast approaching in Tokyo.  The Japanese are well known for being proud of their four seasons and autumn is no exception. In Japan the changing of the seasons are celebrated throughout the country with festivals, seasonal foods and special events.
In the fall, the harvest of new rice is celebrated at temples and shrines and moon viewing, tsukimi, is all the rage.  Residents and visitors alike head out for walks in the parks of Tokyo to take in the colorful fall foliage with almost as much delight as when they head off to …read more

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