The One about the Tokyo Christmas Illumination 2018 Part 7: Marunouchi Bright Christmas 2018 ~ Hokuō kara todoita Christmas with Yuming ~ (November 8-December 25)

Across the street from Tokyo Station is the Shin-Marunouchi Building and also the other Marunouchi Building. The region around Tokyo Station is known as the Marunouchi area where other buildings such as the Brick Square, Tokyo Building Tokia, Iiyo! and Marunouchi Oazo also exists. But Read More …

The One about the Tokyo Christmas Illumination 2018 Part 6: Yebisu Garden Place – Winter Illumination 2018 (November 3, 2018 – January 14, 2019)

Ebisu is one of the more popular districts in Shibuya and was founded back in 1928 as a community developed around the Japan Beer Brewery Company (now known as Sapporo Breweries Limited) which was known for Yebisu Beer in 1890. Named after the Japanese god Read More …

The One about the Tokyo Christmas Illumination 2018 Part 5: Omotesando and OMOTESANDO HILLS CHRISTMAS 2018 with Panasonic Beauty (November 7 – December 25)

Located in Shibuya and Minato, Tokyo is the avenue known as Omotesando. Mentioned and confused by foreigners as a city, Omotesando is an avenue featuring zelkova trees and a stylish area that is home to shopping areas such as Omotesando Hills (featuring Saint Laurent Paris, Read More …

The One about the Tokyo Christmas Illumination 2018 Part 4: Roppongi Hills Christmas 2018 (November 16 – December 25)

Located in Roppongi in Minato, Tokyo is one of the largest development projects in Tokyo, Roppongi Hills. Opened back in 2003, the place is known for its major TV studio, museum, cafes, restaurants, shops and the 54-story Mori Tower.  It’s also a popular destination during Read More …

The One about the Tokyo Christmas Illumination 2018 Part 3: Shibuya Ao no Dokutsu in Yoyogi Park (November 30 – December 31st)

Returning to Yoyogi Park is the Shibuya “Ao no Dokutsu” at Yoyogi Park that will be up from November 30th to December 31st. Not far from Harajuku, the area is popular for it’s blue Christmas lights.  The whole place is illuminated in blue and may Read More …

The One about the Tokyo Christmas Illumination 2018 Part 2: Caretta Shiodome Winter Illumination 2018 (November 15, 2018 – February 14, 2019)

One of the coolest shopping areas in Japan is Caretta Shiodome in Minato, Tokyo. It’s the location of the Advertisement Museum, the Sky View on the 46th floor overlooking Tokyo, the location of the Dentsu Shiki Theatre UMI, Turtle Fountain and many cool restaurants. It’s Read More …

The One about the Tokyo Christmas Illumination 2018 Part 1: Tokyo Midtown Christmas (11/13-12/25)

Visiting Tokyo around November/December is an amazing experience if you are a Christmas fan who is attracted to Christmas lights. Granted, where Christmas is seen as a religious holiday for some, spending time with your family and loved ones and days off of work and Read More …

The One about Nezu Shrine Part 7: The red torii gates and Otome Inari Jinja

Last but not least, it’s going through the red torii gates leading to Otome Inari Jinja. As mentioned in the first post about Nezu Shrine, while slightly modeled after Fushimi Inari Jinja, it’s not as alluring as the Kyoto-based shrine but for Tokyo, it’s still Read More …

The One about Nezu Shrine Part 6: Outside the Honden, Karamon and Sukibei Wall

Leading directly to the honden right up front in the center is the Karamon (Chinese gate) which can be found at numerous Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples and Japanese castles. Connected to the Karamon is a Sukibei (lattice-windowed wall) wall surrounding the honden.  Both of these Read More …

Travel Guide: The One about the Sayonara Tax that starts on January 7, 2019

You probably heard that Japan will be kicking off a “Sayonara Tax” beginning in January 2019. With the increase of tourism in Japan (28.69 million international tourists in 2017) and Japan ranked #4 out of 141 countries in the “Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017”, Read More …

The One about the Village Vanguard Sannomiya in Kobe

In Japan, one may come across book stores known as Village Vanguard. It’s hard to describe because all Village Vanguard’s throughout Japan are different. While books are of course prominent, so is a lot of hobbyist merchandise that are sold.  And a Village Vanguard store Read More …

The One about My Final Goodbye to Tsukiji Fish Market Part 3: What to expect at Toyosu Market

Toyosu Fish Market will be open to the public on October 11, 2018 and the inner market for Tsukiji Fish Market will officially close on October 6th.  Tsukiji Market has been around for 83-years. The word’s largest fish market was a popular tourist attraction for Read More …