Archive for 'Tokyo' Category

no need for booking in advance of the Imeprial Palace tour course visit

A  tour course in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo has changed its policy and now you don’t have to book prior to the date in advance anymore. The Imperial  Household Agency declared and actually started this new policy since this June 25th. (http://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/index.html)

Now you can make a on-the-day booking for the tour and the palace started hosting such a tour even on Saturdays (the tour used to be available on only weekdays). In addition, the number and capacity of the tour has increased; a current-day registration is available twice a day for the both of the two tours.  One is for the tour in the morning (starts at 10:00am) and the other is for one in the afternoon (starts at 1:30pm). The capacity for current-day registration is 300 people, while that for advance registration is 200 people.  One tour takes about 75 minutes.   It is supposed  this new policy is arranged in order to increase foreign visitors to the palace as a part of promotion of  inbound tourism . Actually,  about 60% of the visitors to the palace are foreigners. So, the government is pareparing for starting  recoreded  guiding services coming in various languages as well.

 

a “new” Tsukiji fish market opening in October

As I wrote in my previous post, some main functions of the Tsukiji Market are going to be relocated to Toyosu in Tokyo, however, a new fish market at the current Tsukiji market area is going to be open on this October 15th. (http://www.tsukiji.or.jp/english/index.html)

The new fish market at Tsukiji will include about 60 intermediate wholesale shops that will keep their business there along with the current outer market with about 400 shops even after the coming relocation as above mentined. Now the Tsukiji market has carried out a new project of promoting its own traditional concepts and business skills called “Tsuki-Waza/ Tsukiji’s crafts and techniques” being created and practiced by the shops there. They host seminars to promote those traditions and techniques as cultural assets of the market  as a part of  comemmorating the upcoming 100th anniversary of the market area.

Tsukiji market opening time being changed

Tsukiji market,one of the biggest food markets in the world, is nowadays worldwide famous as the central market of Tokyo dealing fish, vegetables, commodities, and having cafe, restaurants, and stuff.  The management of the market  declared the market’s opening time for lay visitors to the fish, fruit and vegetable market sections to change. Currently, the opening time is 9:00am and is going to be 10:00am on and from the coming July 1st.

However, the opening time of other facility sections and corners, such as restraurants, sourvenir shops, and others will remain  the same as the current one of 9:00am.   Some main functions od the market are going to rerelocated to Toyosu this November, so, visiting some sections at the market at Tsukiji is highly advised  before the relocation.

The Tokyo Olympics’ emblem selected

The new official emblem design of theupcoming Tokyo Olympics 2020 have been chosen and released on April 25th.

The design is based on Kumi-ichimatsu-mon, a traditional Japanese art design of  checkered pattern which became popular and prevalent im the Edo period about 300 hundred years ago. The adopted design was created by an designer Asao Tokoro.

The design consists of  various shaped tetragons each of which represents a deffirent culture, nation, people and the total shape represents the diversity and unity of those defferent things and beings. The color is deep blue and the design is thought to be usable for various items and goods such as posters and shirts.

 

 

Hokkaido Shinkansen(Bullet Train) launched

JR Hokakido and East Japan launched the Hokkaido Shinkansen(/Hokkaido Bullet Trains) services on this Mar.26. And with this, Alll the four main lands of Japan are now directly connected by the Bullet Train services.  (http://hokkaido-shinkansen.com/)(http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/index.html)

The bullet train services between Tokyo and Shin-aomori(/new Aomorri, in Aomori prefecture in Tohoku region in the mainland) launced in 2010, and now the new services between Shin-aomori and Shin-hakodatehokuto started, which finally connected the mainland and Hokkaido island.  With this completeion,  Tokyo to Shin-hakodatehokuto takes now 4 hours and 2 minutes at fastest (used to take about 5 hours and 30 minutes), and Shin-aomori to Shin-hakodatehokuto one hour and one minute at fastest(used to take about one hour and 50 minutes) . 10 round travels are provided  between Tokyo and Shin-hakodatehokuto  and  one round travel between Sendai and Shin-hakodatehokuto by “Hayabusa”( a nickname of a type of the new trains) a day and one round travel between Morioka and Shin-hakodatehokuto, and one round travel between Shin-aomori and Shin-hakodatehokuto by “Hayate” a day as well.

Grand opening of “NEWoMan”, department store complex in Shinjuku

A major department store chain “Lumine” opened its new commercial facility complex called “NEWoman” at the south exit of Shinjuku station Tokyo on this Mar.25. (http://www.newoman.jp/)

This new facility showed up in one of the busiest areas in Japan consists of 5600㎥of 6 floors and  2000㎥ of three floors just above the station areas connected to a part of the station facilities. NEWoMan provides about 100 shops and expected to make 20- billion- yen revenue in its first year. Foods , cosmetics, fashion shops, cafe, a daycare,  clinics, an event hall ,and so forth are there and mainly targetting working generations  of females in thier 30-40s.

The fifth anniversary events of The East Japan huge disaster

On this March 11th,  a lot of  ceremonial events of the East Japan Huge Earthquake Disaster were held nationwide, some of which were hosted by municipalities, some were by  private businesses, some were by religious organizations, and so forth. And The Japanese Government hosted the offcial fifth Anniversary ceremony at the National Theater in Tokyo. (http://www8.cao.go.jp/tsuitou/tsuitou.html) (http://www.reconstruction.go.jp/english/)

At the official event, emperor, empress, pm Abe and other governmental representatives participated , and some representatives of bereaved families o the disaster and damaged Tohoku region’s prefectures were invited and shared the occasion.  The Emperor and Abe gave remarks of condolences to the victims and the families, and sufferers, and  wished a shiny future with good recovery from the tragedy.

“Hyakudan Hina-matsuri” at Meguro-gajoen

Lots of events related to Hina-matsui (Girls’ Day’s festivals) were held nationwide in Japan on the March 3rd, the Girls’ Day.  One of the popular events was  the “Hyakudan Hina-matsuri”(/ hina doll decoration event on one hundred stairs ) at Meguro-gajoen in Tokyo (Jan.22-Mar.6).(http://www.megurogajoen.co.jp/event/hinamaturi/)

This year, for the first time  traditional Hinadolls from three prefectures in Tohoku region, namely,Iwate,Miyagi,and Fukushima were decorated and exhibited.

 

Tokyo Marathon 2016 and Friendship Run

Tokyo Marathon 2016 was held on Feb.28th. (http://www.marathon.tokyo/en/) This time the marathon was the tenth and more than 36,000 people joined the big event. The start point of  the square in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Office Buildings in Shinjuku, Tokyo was covered with the runners and specutators.

And  the forerunner event “Tokyo Marathon Frienship Run 2016” was also held on Feb.27th. (http://www.marathon.tokyo/news-media/news/news_000056.html)

In the Friendship Run, 919 foreign runners and 530 Japanese runners joined.  The public speeches at the opening ceremony were made in both Japanese and English and the international friendship atmosphere was around.  In addition, three other forerunner events of  press conferences of Men’s elite Athletes, Women’s elite Athletes, and Wheelchair Athletes were held on the same day of 27th.

a new hotel open near Ueno station

A new hotel “Life Tree” opened near Ueno station, which is one of the oldest and hub stations in central area in Tokyo on this Feb.2nd.(http://www.lifehotels.jp/ueno/)

It takes about 5 minutes to Ueno station from the new hotel. The station area is home to a lot of  popular tourists’ destinations such as traditional Japanese-western restaurants,  Ueno park, the most popular cherry- blossom veiwing spot in Tokyo,  Ueno Zoo, art museums, national museums, Kaneiji temple, Ame-yoko old shopping street,and so forth.   And  ueno is close to other popular areas, such as  Asakusa, Ginza, Yanaka and others.

Setsubun, soybean-scattering festival at temples

Setsubun, a winter-closing day’s festival when people scatter roasted soybeans to dipel evil and becon good fortune is popular and that scattering -bean festivals were held on  Feb.3rd nationwide.

For example, the festival hosted at Ikegamihonmonji temple in Tokyp on that day was viewed by a lot of visitors  of over 10,000 there.

The Word(s) of The Year 2015

The Word of The Year 2015 hosted by U-CAN was announced on Dec.1st and two words were chosen.  One of them is “Triple Three” and the other is “baku-gai”(/ explosive shopping).

 

The first one is a great titles of a baseball player who has achieved “a batting average of 300 or higher, 30 or more home runs, and 30 or more base stealings in the same   single  season”.  To achieve this is so difficult that only eight players have achieved this title during the 80 years of the Japanese pro-baseball history and the last one was made in 2002. However, this year two players have achieved the remarkable title for the first time in 13 years, namely Yuki Yanagida of Doftbank Hawks and Tetsuhito Yamada of Yakult Swallows.

 

And the second word “baku-gai” or “explosive shopping” is a nickname of the current phenomenon of  huge or even binge shopping done by Chinese tourists in Japan.  This year the number of  Chinese tourists visiting Japan has increased so rapidly and a lot of them enjoy shopping at comodity stores, electric appliance stores, restaurants and so forth. At the award’s ceremony of the Word of The Year,  Luo Yiwen from China, the president of LAOX, one of the major home appliance  store chains popular among foreign visitors including Chinese “explosve shopping customers” received the award on behalf of the the baku-gai phenomenon. The store chain prepares a various services for those customers, such as providiing chinese speaking staffers. The situation is expected to maintain and satisfy even more foriegn tourists to Japan.

 

Imerial Palace Inui Street temprorarily open

The “Inui-dori “(Inui Street) in the Imperial Palace in Chyoda-ward, Tokyo was temporarily open to the public Dec.5-9th. (http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/event/inui.html)

Totally, 202,820 people visited the street  on the five open days with 28,000-45,000 visitors each single day.  The Imperial Palace in Chiyoda-ward is now  a quite popular tourist destination visited by tourists including  foreigners, even though the open area are limited. The popularity might increase even more from now on.

 

Tokyo Motor Show 2015

The 44th Tokyo Motor Show  was held  Oct,29-Nov.8 at Tokyo Bigsight.( http://www.tokyo-motorshow.com/en/)

A lot of new type cars  were shown and attracted visitors.

“Movie Campus”, the 12th Movie Week of Agency for Cultural Affairs Symposium

The special symposium, “Movie Campus” of  “the 12th Movie Week  of Agency for Cultural Affairs”  is to be held at Kaguraza in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo on this Oct.24th. (http://bunka-cho-filmweek.jp/symposium.html)(http://www.walkerplus.com/event/ar0313e123255/)  (http://www.bunka.go.jp/english/)

The Week is Oct.22-25 at the above avenue. At the event well-known movie directors and personalities particiate in panel discussions and “Gamera vs. Barugon”(1966, Daiei),an old special effect Japanese monsters movie will be run.