Archive for '50 reasons why Tokyo is the greatest city in the world | Map' Category

“Tokyo Solamachi” pre-open

Tokyo SkyTree is to grand open tomorrow May 22nd, and today as its eve, “Tokyo Solamachi”(/Tokyo Sky town) is pre-open to press (official grand opening will be on tomorrow with SkyTree).

Solamachi(http://www.tokyo-solamachi.jp/english/) is a huge commercial complex that binds Tokyo SkyTree station and Oshiage area with 400m long (east-west) and  size of 3.69ha including  various shopping malls on the foot of SkyTree. The facility contains 312 stores or restaurants, aquarium, a bird- eye- view observatory, planetarium and other stuff to attract visitors including those from overseas.

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Shibuya Hikarie grand opening

A huge commercial complex called “Shibuya Hikarie” opened on this April 26th. http://www.hikarie.jp/ This new facility is adjacent to Shibuya station in Shibuya Tokyo, which is one of the busiest stations in Tokyo or even Japan.

The facility has 34 floors above ground and 4 below whose total floor space is 144000 ㎡　and consists of “ShinQs”, a commercial area having about 200 various stores and business area with “Theater Orb”, a musical theater, a disaster-prevention center of Shibuya ward, business offices. Some of the stores are restaurants,food shops, and so forth ,at one of which an ex Takarazuka actor gives advice concerning aesthetic matters to customers.

 

At the grand opening ceremony, the three presidents of Tokyu group’s companies that manage and support the facility showed up and conducted a ribbon-cutting and other activities. They are Chihiro Nihashi, president of Tokyu Department Store that manages ShinQs, Hirofumi Nomoto of Tokyu Corporation conducting a big project of  renovating Shibuya town as a whole, Atsushi watanabe of  Tokyu Bunkamura that runs Theater Orb. They have a strong intent to reinvigorate the town by launching this new store institution setting a target of  having 14 million customers in the first year and this is a part of  their “big project of the century” of renovation of Shibuya including constructing five new buildings, which is planned to be complete in 2026. This time’s Shibuya Hikarie is the primary part of the series of the new construction project.

Actually, my mother visited this Hikarie today, the very opening day, and found so many people there which made a surprisingly crazy situation, yet she received a special small gift as a token of  the opening at a Tokyu store near there.

Tokyo Sky Tree has finally become its full height of 634 m

 The Tokyo Sky Tree, the new TV tower in Tokyo under construction, which has sometimes referred to in this site by other writers and myself, finally reached its “planned full height ” of 634m at  13:34 Mar.18th.  http://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/english/

  With this, the tower now has become the tallest building in Japan as well as the highest  radio wave tower in the world !  However, the tower is still under construction and is planned to be complete in the next spring.

At first a ceremony had been prepared to celebrate this “reaching the top 634m high”, but due to the huge damages caused by the earthquake off  the Northeast Pacific Ocean(/東北地方太平洋沖地震) on this 11th.  

Now, the total number of the casualties of this earthquake disaster  has added up to 6,911 as of  19:23  18th, which is higher than the existing highest one from the Hanshin Awaji Earthquake( West Region and Awaji isle. earthquake) in 1995 and now has become the worst casualties number caused by a natural disaster after WW2 in Japan.   In addition, still  more than 10,000 people are missing and more than 380,000 people are suffering from hard lives in temporary evacuation centers in cold and even snowing areas…   A lot of provisions and necessities, medical help and others  have been provided to the sufferers from all over the world with firendships, all of which are welcomed with huge joy and gratitude. the situations are becoming a bit better though stiil very tough.

Therefore,  the news of  the Tokyo Sky Tree’s reaching the planned top height is a shiny bright and positive  information to make us recall the hope and possibilities of our future. I hope this piece of news also consoles the hearts of the sufferes in the damaged areas even if a little.

50. The best riverboat entertainment – yakata-bune

Sumida river is the most beloved river of the shitamachi Tokyo downtown and also home to the yakata-bune — a traditional Japanese boat whose internals look like a typical Japanese pub. Package deals offer a boat and all-you-can-eat-and-drink food and alcohol for large groups, who gorge on beer and okonomiyaki as their vessel plies the current. Read the rest of this entry »

49. The finest art cafés

Tucked on the fifth floor of a nondescript building in the back streets of Aoyama, the A to Z Cafe brings Yoshitomo Nara’s works to life in an imagined recreation of the artist’s atelier.
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48. Vegan restaurants that make even carnivores’ mouths water – Takao Yakuo-in

When it comes to excellent vegan cuisine, look no further than … a Buddhist temple. The monks of  Takao Yakuo-in （高尾山薬王院）　monastery prepare elaborate vegan courses （精進料理）for visitors on a reservation-only basis. The multi-course, multi-plate spreads are a special treat for carnivore and non-carnivore alike. ¥2,500 to¥3,500 per person. Read the rest of this entry »

47. The most fiscally reckless, visually spectacular fireworks displays – Sumida-gawa river

Tokyo has a huge number of major hanabi-taikai, or fireworks festivals, every summer, but the gathering at Asakusa and Mukojima along the Sumida-gawa river has got to be the most spectacular. Over 20,000 individual fireworks are launched every year on average, and in 2009 alone, a whopping 948,000 residents flocked to the area to view the show. Read the rest of this entry »

46. Cocktails are maniacally fresh – Bar Rage

In cocktail-crazy Tokyo, bartenders approach their subject with the artistry and focus of Michelin-starred chefs. The mixologists at Aoyama’s swanky Bar Rage source top-quality, fresh ingredients from around the country for their seasonal drinks. They hunt down the tastiest passion fruits from Okinawa, or the sweetest kumquats from Miyazaki to give classic cocktails a Japanese twist. Read the rest of this entry »

45. You can eat like a sumo wrestler – yoshiba

Sumo wrestlers are always going head-to-head in a fast and furious slapping match against 300-pound opponents, which is why they require a steady diet of chanko nabe （ちゃんこ鍋）stew to keep their stamina up and their butts padded.

Yoshiba （吉葉）is located in a former sumo stable, and you can chow down like a champion at a table right beside the clay ring. Read the rest of this entry »

44. Monumongous supercute mascot characters – Shibuara Water Recycling Center

Talk about hiding in plain sight. When Tokyo’s Bureau of Waterworks decided to paint its official P.R. mascot character ‘Mr. Earth’ atop the roof of their Shibaura facility, they didn’t mess around. Although you can’t see it from street level, it’s actually visible from several kilometers above the Earth’s surface. (東京都下水道局芝浦水再生センター)
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43. Onsen with the best Feng Shui – yukari

Strictly built according to the principles of Feng Shui, Yukari (深大寺温泉ゆかり） is a beautifully appointed hot spring in Tokyo’s western suburbs. The baths are marked with the cardinal directions for proper orientation during soaking. Read the rest of this entry »

42. You will never see a more expansive sake list – Kuri

In terms of sheer variety, Tokyo is the best place in the world to try sake, and it’s likely that you’ll be able to find most of it at Kuri （庫裏）in Ginza. The sake menu is a tome that lists over 100 varieties. After the third cup, you might be brave enough to try the hoya no shiokara (fermented sea pineapple guts), which isn’t half as bad as it sounds. Read the rest of this entry »

41. The world’s best service -department stores

Sure, at some stores around the world, the staff are experts in their field, hoping to wait on your every wish and command. Japanese department stores such as Mitsukoshi and Isetan have that, of course, but they add in a few other perks: an army of uniformed women running automated elevators and bowing greeters at the door. Read the rest of this entry »

40. The most prolific festivals – Three Great Edo Festivals

While festivals of all shapes and sizes are staged throughout the year, any Japanese will tell you that there is no festival like a summer festival. Most well known are the ‘Three Great Edo Festivals’ of Kanda-matsuri in Kanda, Sanno-matsuri in Nagata-cho, and Fukagawa-matsuri in Tomioka, Koto-ku. Read the rest of this entry »

39. Its red-light district is the least dangerous – Kabukicho

Kabukicho is full of sketchy hostess clubs, airplane-themed ‘showtime cabarets’ and ‘pink salons’ (don’t ask), but also … college students hanging out with acoustic guitars? Yes, the Shinjuku red-light district is not ‘classy,’ but it’s still Tokyo. So feel free to wander through it any time of the day, maybe picking up a cone of Häagen-Dazs on the way. Read the rest of this entry »