I don't have a place that I...
by scotty1
I don't have a place that I would say you must go to. I believe that we are all different and we all like different things. I can only tell you what I liked and hopefully it will help you make up your mind if you are interested in the place. Out of all the places that I enjoyed most while in Tokyo I think I would choose Ueno Park as the best place to capture the atmosphere of Tokyo. It is an easy place to get to. The JR line,The Hibiya line and the Ginza line will all take you to the Park. There are many things to see and do in this area and you could easily spend the whole day here. The park is beautiful and as you walk up the main walkway you can hear the crows calling. You see shrines and temples and pretty trees. There is a boating area and a large pond that is filled with exotic wadding birds. There is a tranquil feel to the area although it is in the middle of a busy city. It is a great place to start your holiday as you really capture the feel of Japan here and if you keep walking to the back of the park you will reach Tokyo Zoo, The Botanical gardens, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Cultural Hall, National Science Museum, Museum of Tokyo University of Arts and The National Museum of Western Art. They are all located within the park.Just outside the park is a lovely Tokyo style shopping area with thousands of little shops as far as the eye can see. It is located opposite the south exit of the JR line at Ueno station. Cross the road and you will be in the Ameyoko Arcade.It is a great place to stroll and look at the market-style shops.You will also find plenty of restaurants and evev a McDonalds takeaway. Being crammed into the underground trains at rush hour. I will never forget the feeling of being packed in like sardines.Total culture shock and I loved it . We often talk and laugh about our time spent in the rush hour underground trains, something I will never forget
Useful URLs for visitors
by stonefree
This is the URL link section that provides the useful URLs for you visitors to Tokyo to get prepared with current informations. Check'em out ; )
what's up in Tokyo?
Tokyo Tourism Info
YES! TOKYO
Tokyo Notice Board
tokyo journal
TokyoQ
how's the weather?
Weather Underground - Tokyo, Japan
Akihabara
by vigi
Wow! Lotsa things to see in Ikahibara, amazing they have so many high-tech electronics stuff. I bought one mini-HiFi here, and I only realized the boxset is very very big and heavy to carry after I paid. I always carry heavy stuff back home while travelling!!!
ALWAYS STAY ON THE LEFT SIDE!
by AusPinay
Don't be daunted by the huge crowds using the trains in Tokyo. We have all seen how packed the trains are either in photos, in media, etc. No worries, they have a cool system!
While there we have not felt inconvenienced at all as the Japanese are very efficient and courteous people. After getting off carriages, they automatically get on/stay on the left side of the escalators/walkways. This allows for those who are rushing to go so they can use the rightside of the laneway/escalators, etc. They folllow this strictly!
See the pageantry of a Shinto wedding
by Bunsch
On a beautiful Saturday in March, we decided to visit General Nogi's house and its attached Shinto shrine. The General was a count who was involved in the battle for Port Arthur, losing many of his men in the process. Apparently, he sought permission to commit ritual suicide to atone for the defeat, but his emperor refused. A decade or so later, as the emperor's funeral cortege was leaving the palace grounds, the general and his wife killed themselves. Their devotion to the emperor and each other was honored by creating a shrine particularly devoted to happy marriage. We wandered around, simply enjoying the beauty of the site. The landscaping was so exquisite, with many sakura and other ancient trees and tremendous use of moss and shrubbery to delineate various areas of the grounds. After we'd looked at the house and stables, we went down the hill to the shrine itself and were incredibly fortunate to find that a wedding was about to take place. The bride and groom were posing for traditional photographs as we arrived, but shortly thereafter they each went to be dressed in special clothing. A shrine attendant swept the granite walk with a twig broom. Then there was the sound of a taiko drum, which marked the beginning of the procession -- other musicians, the groom and his attendants followed by the bride with her parents, a factotum dogging her footsteps in order to keep a large red parasol over her head. A large party of what were presumably family members tagged along behind the group. The guests had been instructed to stand on either side of the walk and clap as the bridal party passed, but so many of them were taking photographs that the applause was tepid. (Wasn't I fortunate to have Mishu with me to translate all this? It made for such a rich experience!)
I'll say more about Japanese wedding traditions when I write about the Meiji Jinju.
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A cloud of blossoms over the street at Ark Mori
At the Ginza
JumpingNorman with sister at a Tokyo temple
Full of discounted goods
