English The Gateway to Mt Nantai, is how you could sum-up the Futarasan Chugushi Shrine. More modest that most of Nikko’s temples, the Futarasan Chugushi Shrine is in fact two places in one. The first, Chugushi Shrine, is located on the shores of the Chuzenji-ko with the Futarasan Shrine located on top of Mt Nantai […]
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English A few weeks ago we uploaded a small video of Lake Yuno-ko during a strong snow storm or blizzard (take your pick) which prevented us to take the time to shoot a nice video of the place, its bridge and its waterfall… So we decided to wait for better weather conditions in order to […]
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English In many western countries, the chrysanthemum, or Kiku, are flowers used for funerals. In Japan, the Kiku has a very different meaning: It is the country’s official symbol. The Japanese monarchy is referred to as the “Chrysanthemum Throne”. The imperial crest uses a stylized version of the Kiku blossom. You can even find the […]
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English If you are looking for something different to visit in Tokyo, I would highly recommend Yanaka, with unfortunately the exception of Yanaka Ginza (Soon on TokyoStreetView). Yanaka is one of the places in Tokyo that has been frozen in time and that could, at least for us foreigners, be a bit weird. Indeed Yanaka […]
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English Nikko is one of Tochigi prefecture most famous places, known for its huge cultural history, temples, waterfalls and scenery. Among Nikko’s wonders both the lake Yuno-ko and the Senjogahara Marshland are a ‘must-see’ all year long. A good friend of mine (http://blog.benoa.net/) who also happens to be a professional photographer decided to make the […]
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English By far our favorite shopping spot in Tokyo, Daikanyama is also one of the trendiest spot that many tourists ignore when visiting Japan. With respect to Omotesando, Daikanyama offers a far better shopping experience with trendier shops and restaurants than the mythical and usually overcrowded Japanese avenue. Granted Daikanyama may look like a maze […]
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English Best known as the senior’s version of Harajuku, Sugamo and its Jizo-Dori shopping district give you a unique perspective on Japan and it’s senior citizens daily lives. On this 800m long street you will find no less than 200 shops that sell pretty much everything that a Japanese senior citizen needs and loves. Of […]
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English Autumn in Shiba Kōen is a beautiful time of year. The trees surrounding the Zōjō-ji temple change into brilliant yellow, orange, and red hues. We will revisit the Shiba Kōen and Zōjō-ji temple with a video presentation soon, but couldn’t help but share the beautiful, colorful leaves with you in the meantime. We hope […]
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English Before it became a museum, this place was in fact a private property owned by Nezu Kaichiro (1860-1940) president of the Tobu Railway in Japan. Nezu Kaichiro left provision in his will to establish a foundation, to preserve his personal collection and make sure that future generations could share his love of the tea […]
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English The Icho Namiki Avenue in Gaienmae is a rather typical large avenue in Tokyo all year long with the exception of few weeks a year (Mid November ! Mid December) when all the ginkgo trees lined up on each side the avenue turn to gold. This turns a rather banal place into a magical […]
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English Happo-en is far from your average gorgeous hidden Japanese garden in central Tokyo. While its history still eludes me, it is said that Happo-en was the cherished mansion of Ōkubo Tadataka throughout his life 1560~1639 (also known as Ōkubo Hikozaemon). It is however after 1951 that Happo-en became what it is today and took […]
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English It seems that Tokyo comes with an endless list of parks to visit, and to be fair we have yet to finish covering them all. Among them you may stumble upon Rikugien, another gorgeous park close to Ikebukuro. What’s interesting here is that Rikugien is a beautiful garden to visit all year long, offering […]
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