The Tokyo Traveler » shibuya

How Tokyoites Celebrate Halloween

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:00:17 +0000

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 will enjoy the Metroplis GlitterBall 2008 at WOMB in Shibuya from 7PM on October 30th. All-you-can-drink (until midnight) presale tickets are available online for Y2,500.

Just because you are in Tokyo this Halloween doesn’t mean you can’t dress up and celebrate!

Image Credit: Flickr, Donguri Garden Halloween

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler

Fashion retailer H&M Comes to Tokyo

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:00:01 +0000

H&M, the trendy budget conscious fashion retailer, is set to open three new stores in Tokyo over the next year and on Saturday, September 13th they will celebrate the grand opening of their first Tokyo Store in the fashionable Ginza district. They will follow with a store in Harajuku in November and another in trendy Shibuya next fall.

In reporting on the openings, Japan Marketing News describes the various locations and talks about the challenges that H&M faces entering the fickle Japan fashion market. H&M was established in Sweden in 1947 and has over 1,400 stores in 28 countries. H&M has offered collections designed by Madonna and has a line of beach wear dedicated to Kylie Minogue.

I haven’t been in many H&M stores but I will definitely be checking them out to see if they offer anything larger that a US size six – but don’t get me started on finding clothes or shoes that fit in Japan….that’s a whole different story!

Image Credit: FLicrk, Toronto Retail Window Display

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler

High Dynamic Range Images of Tokyo

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:00:04 +0000

I recently came across some great images of Tokyo that intrigued me. I did some research and found out that the images were High Dynamic Range Images (HDR) that are created when multiple exposures of an image are combined. This images are fantastic and often resemble a modern painting or a scene from a futuristic movie or cartoon. Here are a few of my favorites:

A Shibuya Side Street

The entrance to a shrine in the Gotanda area of Tokyo

The Imperial Garden in Autumn

Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba

The image that peaked my curiosity and led me to the other images presented here was an amazing HDR image of The Peninsula Hotel Tokyo. If you like these images as much as I do you will want to peruse the Japan HDR Flickr Group or my search of Tokyo HDR images.

Image Credit: Flickr, Shibuya Side Street in HRD, Shrine at night in HDR, Surface of water, Imperial colors of autumn

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler

Coming to Tokyo? You’ll want to check this Map out!

Tue, 20 May 2008 11:00:21 +0000

So your significant other came home and told that you have an opportunity to move to Japan. What’s your first thought? I was excited but after the excitement wears off the questions start to swarm through your head like a tornado. Where will we live? What resources are available to me as a foreigner living or visiting Tokyo? These questions may also come up if you are coming to Tokyo on business or even if you have booked a much needed vacation to the land of the rising sun. Where is my hotel? How close is it to my office, the sights I want to see?

If you read A Little Bit about Tokyo, you will know that there are 23 special wards, 26 cities, 5 towns and 8 villages in the 1,359 square miles that are all part of the Tokyo prefecture. Web-Japan has put together a great click-able map of Tokyo that will take you to the various various city and ward sites where you can find links to foreign resident guides, city overviews and maps, medical facilities and often links to sightseeing spots in the area.

Here are some examples of the vast amount of information that is available:

If you click on Shinjuku city it will take you to the city’s official website and you are only a click away from reading the Shinjuku City Oultine which tells you all about the city emblems, history and provides some statistical information. A few more clicks and you can find “A Leisurely Stroll Through Shinjuku” which will guide you to many of the parks and museums in the area.
If you are heading for Hachioji. You can read the Guide on Disaster Prevention or check out the ginko-lined road.
You can find out how to deal with medical emergency in Shibuya or download an edition of the bi-monthly City News Shibuya.

If you want to more more about the area where you will be living or visiting in Tokyo take a moment to check out the click-able map of Tokyo – it’s a great portal to an amazing amount of information!

Photo Credit: Wikimedia, Tokyo-All-Wards

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler