The Tokyo Traveler

Plan to visit the Aoyama Cemetery on your next trip to Tokyo.  Believe it, or not, Tokyoites use this cemetery as a place to enjoy the cherry blossoms each spring and as a jogging or walking are year round.  Aoyama Cemetery offers a beautiful park-like setting in the heart of Tokyo.
“Aoyama Cemetery, perhaps best described as an urban oasis, has been in existence for over 130 years. As one of the four city-owned cemeteries, it is the eternal resting place of over 120,000 graves, including many politicians, writers, Hachiko the famous loyal dog, and nearly 200 foreigners since the Meiji …read more

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Have you even wondered what Japan was like during the time of the post WWII occupation? Many of us are very familiar with the Japan boom of the 80’s and the bust that followed in the 90’s but most of us have only read about post WWII Japan in text books that don’t really touch on what life was like for the Japanese and the occupying forces during this time.
“Everything along the coast must have been built close together, because now it is endless rubble. There is no open country when you leave town.
You are smack-jam in another community …read more

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Itabashi-ku is home to over 500 thousand people in a little more than 32 square kilometers.  In English, Itabashi means “plank bridge” which recalls an early, innovative bridge, that spanned one of the rivers flowing through the ward in the Heian Period (794-1185).
The area is home to a number of sights and attractions including the Itabashi Art Museum and the Itabashi Historical Museum (pictured below).

The Itabashi City website offers information for foreigners and visitors including seasonal events and traditional arts & crafts from the area. The sightseeing guide around ITABASHI ART MUSEUM provides some great options when planning a visit …read more

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Kendama is a game that came to Japan in the Edo period and was a popular form of entertainment.  Kendama is also know as Nichi Getsu Ball, or Sun Moon Ball, in Japan and is based upon the French game ‘Bilboquet’ meaning ‘cup and ball’ which has roots that can be traced back to the 11th century.  Yep, it’s an old game and it was one of the first real toy crazes in the early 1700’s according to the British Kendama Association. 
A kendama (pictured on the right) is a traditional wooden toy that consists of a ball connected …read more

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Many of the idioms that native English speakers use regularly are not understood well by the Japanese and often make no sense to them when translated literally.  For those of you interested in the Japanese language you may find it interesting to know that the reverse is true for some Japanese expressions.  Nihon no Kotowaza has put together a great listing of these idioms with sound files and comparisons to the equivalent English expressions.
This is one of my favorites:

Pronunciation:
Juu-nin to-iro (listen)
Literal Translation:
Ten people, ten colors.
The equivalent idiom in English would be “To each their own” or “Different strokes for different …read more

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Fugu poisoning strikes a licensed chef in Shibuya – maybe he’ll be more careful next time?
Geisha, Interrupted, a fellow Japan blogger and writer of the book “Bar Flower: My Decadently Destructive Days and Nights as a Tokyo Nightclub Hostess” was featured in the Japan Times.  Read the Geisha, Interrupted interview and check out some of the other bloggers who have been included in the Japan Times Blogroll.
Tracing the roots and of “The Tale of Genji”, the epic novel about Japan that celebrates its 1,000th anniversary this year.
An editorial on Japan as a tourist destination from The Japan Times talks about …read more

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This shot of Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa captures the view that can be seen as you approach the temple from Nakamase Dori.  It’s a hard view to photograph if you don’t own a wide angle lens and this HDR image does a great job of doing just that.
As you leave bustling shops and crowds of Nakamise Dori behind, you pass though an impressive gate on your approach to the Senso-ji Temple, which sits in essentially the same spot and in the same configuration that is has for hundreds of years.
Shops on either side sell religious tokens and incense and pamphlets …read more

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Tokyo is in focus at CNN.  The city is currently featured in their My City_My Life series which offers some insights from  people who call the city home.
Riyo Mori, Miss Universe 2007, has allowed cameras to follow her from her home in Shizuoka to the big city of Tokyo and talks about her love of shopping in Ginza and along Takeshita Dori in Harajuku.  Read an interview with Riyo Mori or watch the her video tour of the city. (Riyo Mori video tour Part 1 and Part 2)
Jean Snow is a Canadian who blogs about design and pop culture in …read more

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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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Edogawa, founded in 1937, is one of the more populated wards of Tokyo with over 600 thousand people making their home in just over 49 square kilometers.  Tokyo Bay is the southern border of Edogawa and it is bordered by Chiba Prefecture to the west.
Events
In March and April, see the Cherry Blossom Festival along Komatsugawa Promenade or at Komatsugawa-Sakaigawa Shinsui Park.
In June visit the Koiwa Iris Garden to see over 50 thousand flowers in full bloom.
One of the largest fireworks shows in Tokyo is held on the banks of the Edogawa river in early August each year.
Blow your own …read more

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