next >
Day 1: March 17, 2024
KON-NI-CHI-WA (Hello) from Japan! My name is Yukino Iso; I'll be your tour director and will be guiding you from Day1 (in Tokyo) all the way through to the western area until your last day in Japan. I will do my best to make your trip a wonderful and unforgettable one. We'll be staying in Tokyo for 6 nights and then go to Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka. During the trip you will get to see many aspects of Japan, visiting historical places as well as modern areas, which I believe, will help broaden your view of the world.
I’m really excited! Really looking forward to meeting you!
(March 16)
Last night our first dinner started a little late, but we had great time enjoying “Izakaya”(Japanese bar)-style food. The hotpot was very delicious! We came back to the hotel quite late (a little past eleven), but nevertheless all the members showed up this morning without fail. I was happy to see the students fully
recuperated after the long flight.
Today we visited the west side of Tokyo: Meiji-jingu Shrine, where the spirits of Meiji Emperor and his consort are enshrined. We were lucky to encounter some couples who were getting married. We saw brides dressed in white kimono.
After visiting the shrine, we went to Harajuku District, where we had lunch. Students were so amazed by the many shops which handle "kawaii" (cute) clothing. Some enjoyed eating signature sweets like crepe and colorful cotton candy. Then our coach took us to Shinjuku, where we went up to the top floor of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office. The view was superb! Then a short visit to another area in Shinjuku to see Godzilla head. For dinner we had Italian food in all-you-can- eat style. It was good, but all the students wanted to explore the area (we're staying in area called Kichijoji, a very interesting area ) so right after they finished their meal, they all set off for shops in the neighborhood. Indeed Kichijoiji is one of the most popular places in Tokyo, although it's not located in the center of Tokyo.
It was a long day. I hope that the members will sleep well and recuperate for tomorrow.
It is going to be another long day. So have a good sleep.
March 17
Today we visited three areas: Ginza, Akihabara, and Asakusa.
Ginza, which means "silver mint", was the area where coins were minted during the Edo period. It is now the most expensive area; the price of land is indeed the highest.
Since it is Sunday today, the main street in Ginza district was vehicle-free, what we call "ho-koh-sha Ten-go-ku, which literally means "The Pedestrians' Paradise". So we enjoyed strolling on the middle of the main street where normally cars and buses run.
After Ginza, we stopped by Kanda Myojin Shrine, where we encountered a performance o "taiko" ( Japanese drums). It was fantastic! The beat of the Japanese drums was really overwhelming.
We walked from Kanda Myojin Shrine to Akihabara District, which has now become the center of "anime" "otaku". (Otaku means "geek" or "nurd" in Japanese, but does not have a negative meaning to it.)
Our final destination for today was Asakusa, well-known for Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo, with its front gate, Thunder Gate. We walked from the front gate, through Nakamise Shopping Mall, enjoying the view of the five-storied pagoda and Tokyo Sky Tree.
We had tempura for dinner at a restaurant near Thunder Gate. We enjoyed the dinner very much; deep-fried fish, shrimp, and vegetables along with rice and miso-soup and "tamagoyaki" (a kind of omelette) were served.
Tomorrow you are going to Tokyo Disneyland. We had a long day; we walked a lot. I hope everyone gets a good sleep. O-ya-su-mi-na-sa-i!