The One about the “Urusei Yatsura” Cafe at Tokyo Ikebukuro Parco

The popular manga and anime series “Urusei Yatsura” has been a fan favorite for many people around the world as it is one of Takahashi’s (“Ranma 1/2”, “Maison Ikkoku”, “Inuyasha”) most popular series that the mangaka had created. So popular, the manga would lead to Read More …

The One about Edo Wonderland in Nikko – Part 9 – Ninja Stars (shuriken), Food Vendors, Palanquins (machikago) and more!

One of the popular sections at Edo Wonderland is for people to throw shuriken (ninja stars).  For a small price, you can throw shuriken at targets.  It reminded me of when I was younger and I would purchase ninja stars (and my parents taking them Read More …

The One about Edo Wonderland in Nikko – Part 8 – The One about the Edo City Firefighter Archive Museum

One of the coolest things to see at Edo Wonderland are a few of the museums inside the village. These are not huge museums but they do feature some fascinating things from the past. The first museum I went to was the Edo City Firefighter Read More …

The One about Edo Wonderland in Nikko – Part 7 – The Cat Mascot – Nyanmage

While Edo Wonderland does a great job of bring that Edo Period feel to the theme park, a theme park in Japan wouldn’t be complete without a mascot and Edo Wonderland has a samurai cat named “nyanmage”. To be truthful, I thought it was a Read More …

The One about Edo Wonderland in Nikko – Part 6 – The Oiran Dochu Parade

In the early afternoon at Edo Wonderland, the staff will direct everyone towards the main strip in the village for the Oiran Dochu parade (or the Oiran Courtesan Procession). This one is interesting because many will think this is a parade for a geisha, but Read More …

The One about Edo Wonderland in Nikko – Part 5 – The live shows at Edo Wonderland

In the last blog post, I discussed the live shows  and how one can find out what times the next show would start. While I would usually discuss the live shows first, in this case, I wanted to discuss the times of the shows because Read More …

The One about Edo Wonderland in Nikko – Part 4 – What time does the show start?

I have received several messages about Edo Wonderland in regards to show times.  So, before I continue on with my coverage of Edo Wonderland, there is something important that I need to mention. The times of the shows are in Japanese!!!! So, looking at the Read More …

The One about Edo Wonderland in Nikko – Part 3 – Entering Edo Wonderland

Once you arrive to Edo Wonderland, you will go through a row of trees and certain areas that showcase what people used during the Edo Period.  As you go through the path, you then discover a village with mountains around it.  This village is Edo Read More …

The One about Edo Wonderland in Nikko – Part 2 – How to use a JR Pass to get to Edo Wonderland and when to leave Edo Wonderland

Before I discuss the Edo Wonderland theme park, in part 1, I wrote about how to get inexpensive tickets via KLOOK.  In part 2, I need to discuss something very important and that’s how to get to Edo Wonderland and how to leave Edo Wonderland. Read More …

The One about Edo Wonderland in Nikko – Part 1 – How to purchase inexpensive tickets

Located in the Kinugawa Onsen area of Nikko, Tochigi is a cultural theme park known as Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura. For those who want to experience traditional Japanese culture with a surreal feeling that you have time traveled to the past during the Edo Period Read More …

The One about Sarugakuzuka (Sarugaku Shrine) in Daikanyama

Daikanyama is no doubt a place known for its high-end shopping, boutique shops, art galleries and restaurants but located not far from the former Asakura residence (a historical landmark) is Sarugakuzuka (Sarugaku Shrine). Supposedly this is a shrine (built around the Taisho Era – 1912-1926) Read More …

The One about How my 2010 Interview with Tibetan singer Alan Dawa Dolma happened!

I received a recent e-mail in regards to a J!-ENT interview I did almost a decade ago with Tibetan singer, Alan Dawa Dolma. Best known for her music in Chinese and Japanese (as the artist alan /note: In Japan, they love to use names in Read More …