Looking down on Tokyo? Only from the Sky Deck of the Mori Tower at Roppongi Hills, which at 270 metres above sea level, offers some better than ordinary vistas of the megatropolis skyline. I had some complimentary tickets to the observation deck (thanks Masakatsu!) that were due to expire the next day, so whatever the… Continue reading Looking down on Tokyo
Category: Tokyo
Sumo – visiting Kokugikan on day 7 of the September basho
A day at the sumo is one of the most exciting experiences in Japan. My Swedish friends, who were sumo newbies, asked me to help them get tickets and go along with them. It’s not hard to accept an invite like that one.
Local festival in Nakameguro
Sunday was a sunny day in Tokyo, which was good for a lot of local festivals that were being held around my neighbourhood. In nearby Nakameguro, I came across a small festival based around a jinja (Shinto shrine) called Kitano Jinja.
Madeline the micro cafe in a Citroen
A lot of things in Japan are compact, including this French style retro micro-cafe inside an old Citroen car called Madeline.
Chocolate Yamanote Line train
The Yamanote Line is the central nervous system of Tokyo’s transport system, looping around the city joining 29 stations. To commemorate 100 years of the Yamanote Line, Japan Railways (JR) has released one train in an apparently original chocolate brown colour, instead of the normal silver carriages with the light-green stripe.
A morning mission to Takao-san
Takao-san is a popular mountain to the west of Tokyo with a number of hiking tracks and Yakuoin temple, and I’d never been out there. This is surprising given that it’s only an hour from Tokyo and easy to get to, quick to climb, and (supposedly) has views across to Fuji-san. I think what had deterred… Continue reading A morning mission to Takao-san
Tokyo micro car parks
Micro car parks with only a few car spaces are popping up over Tokyo as fast as old buildings are demolished. I’ve noticed a few blocks of land near my office where it seems that there’s a building one day, and a two-space car park the next.
Japan’s most colourful election candidate
Mac Akasaka (マック赤坂) is no regular Japanese political candidate. He’s standing in the general election on 30 August for his own 日本スマイル党 (Japan Smile Party), with the intention of making us all a little bit happier. I found him at Shibuya Crossing this evening, poking out of the sunroof of his white Rolls Royce, shaking… Continue reading Japan’s most colourful election candidate
The min min sound of summer
One of the quintessential Japanese summer sounds is the cicada chorus coming from the greenery of the local park on a hot, humid day. Ever wondered what the creatures that make that min min sound look like? I got close enough to a cicada (semi 蝉) to find out that they’re not exactly tiny. Nor… Continue reading The min min sound of summer
Shaky Tokyo shakes again
Tokyo’s been a bit shaky this last week. We had three sizeable earthquakes between Sunday night and Thursday morning.