Meiji Jingu Stadium holds a special place in the hearts of Tokyoites. Constructed in 1926, the 37,000 capacity arena is home to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows—the more humble counterpart to the flashy Tokyo Giants in their big shiny dome across town. (Source: https://bit.ly/2LH5Mn9) Despite the rise of soccer, the historical claim of sumo, and the obsession with figure skating, baseball is still Japan’s national sport. Now if you’re wondering how Japanese baseball compares to Major League Baseball, then you can keep on wondering. If you are baseball fan visiting Tokyo, why not try watching a game at the Meiji Jingu Stadium? Cheap tickets, clean toilets, amazing fans…what else? (Source: https://bit.ly/2ITUNoQ) … 続きを読む

This month, we will be taking a look at one of Tokyo’s latest attractions, VR Zone Shinjuku. This virtual reality theme park opened at the start of summer 2017 and is now one of the hottest spots in town. Located in Kabukicho near the infamous Robot Restaurant, this futuristic wonderland is a sight to behold. If you’re a gamer or otherwise interested in checking out some of the cutting edge virtual reality, then this is a highly recommended place for you. (Source: https://bit.ly/2JyRovt) One-day tickets for VR Zone Shinjuku can be purchased for 4,400 yen. You can reserve tickets on either the VR Zone website or via a special app. … 続きを読む

Tokyo’s Fire Museum, dedicated to the history of fire-fighting in the city, is housed in the fortress-like Yotsuya Fire Station in Shinjuku Ward. The museum offers a vivid introduction to both past and current fire-fighting efforts. Admission is free and most exhibits come with English-language explanations. The Types of Exhibits Found In The Fire Museum Basement Level The Fire Museum can be entered on its basement floor straight from Exit 2 of Yotsuya-sanchome Station on the Marunouchi Subway Line. Entering on the basement level, you walk right into the museum’s collection of vintage fire engines, many of them dating back to the 1920’s. All of them were in service in … 続きを読む

Shin-Okubo Station, on the Yamanote Line, is a small station with only one exit. At first glance, the area seems ordinary, the streets lined with convenience stores, chain ramen, and beef bowl shops. Turn to the east, however, head towards the underpass of the bridge, and you’ll have stepped into a whole new world. For K-Pop Lovers in Japan On both sides of the street, Okubo-dori, posters of Korean pop stars and actors line the store fronts. K-Pop and popular Korean drama soundtracks fill the air. In each store, you can easily find K-Pop merchandise (both official and unofficial) ranging from posters, buttons, and albums to jewellery and clothing. Although … 続きを読む

(Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/shodan/211781390/) The Samurai Museum in Kabukicho, Shinjuku is a fairly recent museum that has quickly become very popular with foreign visitors (despite the relatively high entrance fee). As well as exhibits of samurai swords, armour and other weapons including guns, visitors can try on samurai armour and try their hands at samurai cosplay. Exhibits The Samurai Museum is on two floors. Visitors are given a tour of the exhibits by enthusiastic English-speaking guides who at first demonstrates a number of samurai sword moves and lets out a blood-curdling scream for good measure. The detailed explanation includes information on the weapons on display and what was happening in Japanese history … 続きを読む

(Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pouchin/6647636715/) Hidden between the skyscrapers of Shinjuku, close to the nightlife district of Kabukicho, the discreet Hanazono Shrine invites calm and meditation in an otherwise unrelenting urban environment. Host to numerous festivals and with a rich history, Hanazono is certainly worth checking out if you’re in Shinjuku. Hanazono Shrine was first established in the mid-17th century but has undergone countless redevelopments and expansions throughout its long history. Although many of these changes have been largely cosmetic, the biggest overhaul of the shrine came in the wake of the firebombing campaigns of WWII, which sadly destroyed large parts of the complex. Hanazono literally means “Flower Garden”. The land surrounding Hanazono … 続きを読む

(Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/manuuuuuu/6124027531/) Why not take a stroll down “Memory Lane”? That is the literal translation of Omoide Yokocho, as you can get a nostalgic feel of the 1950s olden Shinjuku. Chow down on some tasty meat on a stick called yakitori while sitting in a slightly cramped bar space surrounded by Japanese salary men who come to drink beer after a hard day’s work. There are about 60 restaurants, most selling yakitori and oden, a one-pot winter dish, tightly crammed into a four-lane space. If you’d like to get a real feel of the Japanese after-work life nostalgic of the flourishing post-war era, don’t miss a visit to Omoide Yokocho. … 続きを読む

(Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hikosaemon/5698226549/) Shinjuku Gyoen Park is a large, 144 acre (58.7 hectare) park in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward, and is an urban island of Japan’s seasonal beauty. Shinjuku Gyoen has gardens, woods, a large and picturesque pond, and hundreds of cherry trees (sakura) which make Shinjuku Gyoen one of Tokyo’s most popular cherry blossom viewing venues in early April. Shinjuku Gyoen is home to more than 20,000 trees from all over the world and is a nature lover’s delight in the variety and beauty of its flora, yet with a skyline punctuated with towers. Shinjuku Gyoen includes a French formal garden, an English landscape garden, a Japanese traditional garden, a “Mother … 続きを読む

Meiji Jingu Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Shibuya, Tokyo. The shrine is dedicated to the divine souls of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. Emperor Meiji was instrumental in opening Japan to the outside world after a long period of self-imposed isolation. The shrine is also sometimes called just Meiji Jingu or Meiji Shrine and is Tokyo’s largest and most famous Shinto shrine. Meiji Jingu Shrine is built in the traditional nagare-zukuri style with Japanese cypress and copper. It is located in a beautiful part of Tokyo in a forest that covers an area of about 175 acres. The evergreen forest consists of around 120,000 trees of … 続きを読む