Major Areas in Tokyo

Planning your trip can be quite difficult if you are not familiar with the place you are visiting. It is best to book a hotel nearby the places you would like to visit or somewhere easily accessible. So here is a list of various areas in Tokyo what to do there:

 Akasaki/Roppongi Area

This area has a great night life. You can shop and dine here too. Tokyo Midtown and Roppongi Hills are major landmarks in this area.

Asakusa/Ueno Area

Get a feel of the old Japan in this area. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions. Enjoy shopping at the ameyoko streets, visit Ueno Park and surrounding museums and shopping malls here.

Ginza Area

Here you can find luxurious shops, hotels, theaters, restaurants, clubs and department stores. It is a high end area where adults can shop and dine.

Shinagawa Area

It is the shopping and entertainment central in Tokyo. Here you can find many hotels situated nearby the JR Shinagawa station. The railway hub can also be found here.

Shinjuku Area

Shinjuku is considered as one of the busiest areas in Tokyo. There are many convenient hotels in the area and it is a good spot to shop and enjoy.

Ikebukuro Area

This is another busy Tokyo district where you can find great entertainment. It has a railway hub, shopping malls, restaurants and theaters to name a few.

Shibuya Area

Just like Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, this busy district is great for shopping and entertainment especially for the younger crowd.

With these descriptions, it is easier to choose what to do and where to stay while you are in Tokyo. Enjoy!

Discover Enka

Eastern music is something quite different from what the west has to offer. With the constant exposure to each other’s cultures, however, the juxtaposition of musical elements is inevitable. Still, it is inevitable that indigenous music remain the same. This holds true to a genre in Japan called enka.

The truth is that enka is used to refer to two kinds of music. The first one hails from way back in the Meiji and Taisho period when speeches were made into music. The idea was to avoid the disapproval of the government towards political speeches by masking the words in music. The second genre refers to music that emerged after the war, during the Showa period. This type of enka is quite popular and has been compared to American country music (not because of the musical style but because of the theme and audience).

Though you might find varying descriptions and definition of enka, I like the one presented in Okada:

Enka is usually singing sad aspects of life, irrecoverable destiny, desertion by the lover. It is an expression of love, but love will never be successful and sorrow and tear follow happy memories. It can also be a song of a woman who is resentful to her destiny as her lover is gone to another woman. Anyhow Enka is song of resignation. Resignation must be sweet so that it is endurable.

Indeed, with that definition, it makes you think of country songs. Want to hear some enka? Visit Barbara’s Enka Site. I learned a lot from it.

Domo Kun

One thing about Japan that catches the interest of many people around the world is anime. This Japanese cartoon art is very unique and the characters are simply more interesting than other cartoons – at least in my opinion. Anyhow, I recently discovered a Japanese character by the name of Domo Kun.

I am not sure that he falls under the anime category but he is one weird and interesting character. Domo Kun looks like a rectangular block of tofu and has a deep brown color. I accidentally ran into this little guy on the Internet and I had no clue as to who he was.

I know better now. He is technically not part of anime but in fact, he is the mascot of the NHK television station. I don’t know what it is about him but he has quite a following – both in Japan and outside of the country! So what else is there to know about Domo Kun?

Well, he was hatched from an egg (weird looking chick, isn’t he?) and he loves to eat meat and potato stew – Japanese style, of course. Make sure you don’t offer him apples as he extremely dislikes them, due to some sort of DNA mystery. And when you know him to be upset, stay clear of him as he is known to pass gas over and over again during these times.

If you want to know more about Domo Kun, visit his official US web site. You can also go to eBay and find tons of Domo Kun merchandise.

Photo courtesy of dailyinvention

Hakone Kowakien Yunessun Spa

Do you love wine and other similar drinks that contain alcohol? Do you like relaxing in the great outdoors? Do you like hot springs? Do you like being pampered? If you answered yes to these questions, then I suggest trying out the Hakone Kowakien Yunessun Spa . This place is one of a kind. Located at the foot of Mt. Fuji, the spa offers a wonderful experience to suit all sorts of tastes.

They have over 25 water attractions which will definitely give visitors what they want. The main attraction is called The Godâ’s Aegean Sea and it is composed of three islands with relaxing spa waters. The God’s Aegean Sea also includes a variety of water massaging devices. Also, experience the wonder and drama of dynamic special effects by a fully illuminated water screen high above on the ceiling.

What appeals more to me, though, is the Wine Spa. The Spa’s web site describes it as:

A unique spa containing real red wine. The huge wine bottle is 3.6m tall and is very remarkable. Bathing in wine is a rejuvenation treatment for the body, and it has been said that the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra loved to bath in wine. There are regular performances of pouring real wine into the spa a few times a day.

Ok, I thought Cleopatra bathed in milk but oh well, a bath in wine is something that any wine-loving person should experience, don’t you think?

Another interesting feature is the Coffee Spa. Caffeine junkies should not miss out on this. Naturally, the bath is made of coffee in hot spring water. I think I shall spend some time dipping in wine and then wake myself up with a dip at the Coffee Spa.

Take your pick!

The Ghibli Museum

If you find yourself in Japan and you want to visit a place that will offer you one of the best kawaii experiences, I suggest heading over to the Ghibli Museum. Located right smack in the middle of a residential area about 30 minutes from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, the Ghibli Museum provides a one of a kind experience. Its director, Hayao Miyazaki, expresses his sentiments about the museum and describes it as:

A museum that is interesting and which relaxes the soul
A museum where much can be discovered
A museum based on a clear and consistent philosophy
A museum where those seeking enjoyment can enjoy, those seeking to ponder can ponder, and those seeking to feel can feel
A museum that makes you feel more enriched when you leave than when you entered!

I have not have the chance to personally pay the Ghibli Museum a visit yet but from what I have heard and read, it is rife with kawaii  just like many other places in Japan. You will be in for a treat of cuteness at this place. They are open on all days of the week except for Tuesday, from 10:00 in the morning to 6:00 in the evening. They also have a cafe, dubbed the Straw Hat Cafe, which is open from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. However, if you want to enter the cafe, do so before 6:00 pm as that is the latest that they allow people to go in.

The Ghibli Museum is very popular and they only sell admission tickets in advance so if you are planning on a trip there, make sure you buy your tickets beforehand. Do visit their web site for more information.

Shop Straight From Japan

Japanese items have long since held a certain attraction for many people outside of Japan. Indeed, you will see a lot of Japanese goods – mostly kawaii items – on sale in various online stores. You can even find these on sale on Ebay. But wouldn’t you like it if you can actually get these things straight from Japan?

With Jzool-Agent, an online service recently offered by Jzool.com Co., Ltd., anyone from anywhere in the world can directly purchase items from the best online stores in Japan. This is indeed welcome news for those who love all things Japanese! In their press release, they state:

Jzool-Agent (http://agent.jzool.com) is primarily a service that buys domestic Japanese products on your behalf. It will handle orders in English and sends products to most locations in the world.

Users can request a free quote of any product they see on a Japanese shopping site by providing Jzool-Agent with its URL. It’s as simple as that. Jzool will calculate shipping costs, add a service charge of 20% or less and notify the customer of the total in U.S. dollars. At that point the requesting customer can decide whether to go ahead with the purchase or not.

All sites linked from this directory is automatically translated to English, French, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Russian and Arabic by making use of Google’s translator API, so most users will be able to get most if not all of the product’s details and explanations in their own language.

I like this last feature – translation into the language of the buyer. That is in fact one of the most common complaints that I hear when talking about online Japanese stores. I don’t know too many people who can read Japanese so this will definitely make the shopping experience better. Head on over to Jzool now, won’t you?

Visit The Asahiyama Zoo

Japan has so many things to offer her visitors and for those who are animal lovers, there is also something for you. The Asahiyama Zoo is located in Asahikawa in Hokkaido, Japan. It is also the most popular zoo in all of the country. So why are people flocking to this zoo?

The animals of course! And the zoo has taken things one step further. According to Japan Now:

In the past, Japanese zoos focused on displaying only the animals’ figure. But Asahiyama Zoo started to design its facilities so that the animals’ habits and behavior can be seen as well.

The animals’ natural behaviors can be observed at a number of very innovative facilities. For example, at the penguin aquarium, there is an underwater tunnel where the swimming penguins look like they are flying in the air. You can also watch them eat underwater during the feeding sessions that feature scuba diving. The orangutan facility measures more than 10 meters high and is filled with rock-climbing walls, oversized hammocks, and ropes. This design provides a great setting for you to watch the tree-dwelling orangutans show off their skills.

Though this concept is not all that new – there are many zoos in other countries with a similar set up. In Japan, however, the Asahiyama Zoo has done it best. I was browsing their web site and I just couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement as I saw the pictures and descriptions. Here is my favorite.

I want to see how a polar bear swims!

The Passion For Ferris Wheels

If you have ever been to Osaka, you would know about one of the first things that people notice upon arrival – a gigantic red ferris wheel. Dubbed the Hep Five Ferris Wheel, this structure is at the roots of the Japanese people’s passion for this ride. Come to think of it, not too many people would probably know about this passion. That’s why I thought to share excerpts from a feature article in Yomiuri Shimbun:

The Hep Five Ferris wheel is one of the first such rides in the nation to be installed not in an amusement park but in the heart of a city.

When the ride was built inside the Hep Five building in 1998, people were amazed by its eccentric location and eye-catching appearance.

While the world’s first Ferris wheel appeared in 1893 in Chicago, the first one in Japan was constructed in Osaka more than 100 years ago, at a time when the city was intoxicated by the nation’s recent victory in the Russo-Japanese War.

An advertisement for that attraction, dubbed the “Great Wheel,” features an illustration of the ride, which was decorated with several Japanese flags, and some exhilarating promotional hyperbole: “You can’t be called a citizen of this conquering nation without having experienced the excitement of this new ride.”

The advertisement was carried on a guide map for an exposition held from April to June 1906 at Tennoji Park in Tennoji Ward to commemorate victory in the war. The ride was one of the expo’s featured attractions.

Today, this ride is an ubiquitous part of amusement parts and fairs – in Japan and other parts of the world.

Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire

Hara-kiri? I am sure that you have heard of – or even used – this term before. This term is actually more formally known as seppuku, which referred to a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai honor code, seppuku was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies, as a form of capital punishment for samurai who have committed serious offenses, and for reasons that shamed them. Seppuku is performed by plunging a sword into the abdomen and moving the sword left to right in a slicing motion. (Source: Wikipedia)

In his book, Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire, however, David Mura, dramatizes something else. He showcases the life of sansei, or third generation Japanese American. The main character is Ben Ohara, a sansei who is mired deep in a quest to find out what really happened to his father who died and his only brother’s disappearance. The Chicago Tribune has a review which narrates:

For Ohara, suicide begins at home. His father, interned during World War II, held his own shame as one of the so-called “No-No Boys,” a nisei (second generation Japanese American) who refused to join the American army and went to jail instead. That shame eventually led him to take his own life. Ohara’s brother, an astrophysicist with a drug habit, walks out into the Western desert, never to be seen again.

If you are interested in reading this book, you can get it from Coffee House Press for $14.95. It might be a good gift this Christmas.

Lonely? Get Yourself A Pekoppa Toy

Do you live alone? Do you NOT relish the thought of coming home to an empty apartment without anyone to interact with? Or maybe, you live with other people who you do not really get along with, prompting you to go directly to your bedroom.

If so, then you might want to get yourself a Pekoppa toy, one of the newest hits in Japan. It is just like a small plant which is merely beginning to grow. Unlike any other plant, however, the Pekoppa toy can respond to the sound of your voice. Speak and you will be delighted to see its two leaves flutter or its stem bend towards you, as if acknowledging what you are saying.

The Pekoppa toy is the brainchild of Japanese company Sega Toys Co. Ltd. Since its release in September of last year, more than 50,000 units of the Pekoppa toy has been sold, attesting to its popularity. According to Minako Sakanoue, spokeswoman for Sega Toys, the Pekoppa toy serves as a psychological buffer for interaction for people of all ages. She is quoted as saying “If you have no subordinates who would listen to your grumbling in the office or no children who would talk with you, Pekoppa will be by your side, gently nodding.”

Though in truth, you know very well that the toy does not understand a thing you say, I can very well see how it can help some, psychologically. Later on, in June of this year, they will also be releasing a flower version dubbed Hanappa.