Just outside the West exit of modest Ikebukuro station, the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre is the center of the Capital’s musical performances. Boasting one of the world’s largest pipe organs, which is incorporated in several performances throughout the year, dozens of musical groups and individuals play in this newly renovated space. There is also a mid-sized…
Category: Architecture
Shinjuku Station New South Exit
In an effort to simplify the overwhelming chaos of Shinjuku Station, the powers-that-be now bring you the “New South Exit” of Shinjuku Station. One of the first things you will realize is that it doesn’t actually replace the “old” South Exit; it’s just a new structure built on the southern side of the street from…
Eihei-ji
Eihei-ji temple is one of the head temples of the Soto Zen Buddhism sect and the temple grounds contain over 70 buildings housing up to 250 monks. Located in Fukui Prefecture, the area would not receive a lot of tourism if not for Eihei-ji’s tourist friendly policies and information. Tourists can explore much of the…
Kabukicho
If there is any neighborhood that has attained notoriety in Tokyo, it would be Kabukicho. This area north of Shinjuku station is infamous for its many vices: gambling, prostitution and yakuza (Japanese gangsters). There is even a permanently repeating recording by the local police played over neighborhood loudspeakers warning people of the dangers of Kabukicho. While…
Kiyosumi Garden
Perhaps one of the most under-rated Japanese traditional gardens in Tokyo, Kiyosumi Garden is a beauty of a park in Eastern Tokyo. Originally the property of an Edo period merchant family, it became a public park in 1932. Kiyosumi gardens best feature are its plentiful landscape rocks, highly valued in Japanese landscaping. Many of these…
Hida Takayama
Hidden away in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture, Hida Takayama is probably most famous for its biannual Takayama Matsuri, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from across Japan to see one of the most amazing parades of historic floats in the entire country. The next festival takes place in April 2017, giving you some…
Yurikamome
The official name of the Yurikamome (which is the name of a black-headed seagull) is Tōkyō Rinkai Shinkōtsū Rinkai Line, but nobody bothers with that, preferring just “Yurikamome”. Running along the Tokyo Bay waterfront and connecting the “mainland” at Shimbashi station to the man-made island of Odaiba, the ultra-modern line features driverless trains, which means you can sit…
Otaru
Otaru is a port city on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, about 25 minutes from its capital, Sapporo. Otaru thrived as a trading center until the mid 20th century when coal mines around the city started to run dry. Today, Otaru serves as a bedroom community for the Sapporo workforce as well as a wonderful…
Hotel Okura
The historic lobby and main wing of the Hotel Okura is already gone, in the process of an extended renovation ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. From the time the hotel opened in 1962, it has been an iconic building, hosting U.S. Presidents and heads of states from around the world. The hotel’s Orchid Room…
Moerenuma Park
In the world of man-made parks, few can rival the beauty of Moerenuma Park in Sapporo. Artist Isamu Noguchi designed the park as one huge sculpture, built on the site of a waste treatment plant. Vast areas of green space are broken up by amazing geometric play structures, water features and even a 100m hill that…
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