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With cherry blossoms in full bloom in Tokyo, the city's looking forward to welcoming people from around the world as well as the new season. This week in Tokyo will be the perfect day to get out for cherry blossom trees 'Sakura' and enjoy photo shootings and/or to hold 'hanami' parties under the flowering trees. But the peak bloom period lasts only a few days, so hurry before they're gone!Also you may try the cherry blossoms at night (called yozakura). You can avoid crowds an...d enjoy the evening light ups with spotlights that flowers seem to float in the night sky. It's so beautiful and shows you totally different fascination from that of the daytime. See more

Happy Friday! 1.24 hours in Tokyo! ()... 2.Early Morning () 3.Discover Japan's Kitchen "Tsukiji Market" () 4.Tsukiji serves some great seafood dishes. Enjoy it! () 5."Hamarikyu gardens". A really relaxing and beautiful place to go in the heart of Tokyo( ) 6.Take a break with matcha green tea ( ) 7.It's fun to pick up the waterbus to Asakusa () 8.Time for shopping around Asakusa area ( ) 9.Sensoji Temple: Make a wish! () 10."Tendon", one of popular lunch dished at Asakusa () 11.Explore "Ueno", tokyo's most significant cultural center () 12.Let's move to World's Largest Electronics Store, "Akihabara" () 13.View from the Tokyo Station. Time for Dinner () 14.Get a drink at "Aka-Chouchin" (Red Lantern) in Shinjuku () 15.End your day with Ramen ( ) 16.It was a lot of fun. Goodnight! () Have a nice weekend!

We all have long been waiting for the blooming of Sakura and finally it has come to Tokyo.It still gets cold in the morning and evening but people go out to celebrate the flowering of cherry blossoms with home made foods and drinks. This is called "hanami" (outdoor party under the trees). Recently in overseas, "Sakura" became popular name instead Cherry Blossom. In Japan, the most popular variety of cherry blossom is the Somei Yoshino. Why don't you get your Bento and share a... relaxing time with friends under the Sakura trees. Sakura See more

Happy Friday! One of recent topics on the internet is this cute kitty! You will really have no idea what it's made of. A speciality hand-made marshmallow store based in Tokyo has created this almost too cute to eat kitty marshmallow.Please try this when you have a chance. Have a nice weekend! ... Cafecat See more

What is Yakiniku? Japanese BBQ Yakiniku(Japanese word for "grilled meat") has an unique style that is different kinds of Korean style. The meat is usually thinly sliced and grill over a table grill or iron plate only pieces as you eat for about a minute on each side and then dip in the sauce to eat. There are variety of meat offered by Yakiniku restaurants in Japan. "Gyutan" is one of the popular cut to order and we usually grill these thinly sliced beef tongue and flavor i...t with salt. Delicious! Please try them if you have a chance. BBQ See more

When spring arrives in Japan might seem like a time for pink and white cherry blossoms and outdoor activities. However as spring flowers, the pollen will flow, so peopele suffer itchy eyes, runny noses and sneezing and overall awfulness. We call it "Kafunsho". If you are new to Japan in this season, here are few words to deal with it. Arerugii = 'Allergy' Headache = 'Zutsuu' Kafun = 'Pollen'... Kafunshou = 'Hay fever' Medicine = 'Kusuri' Runny nose = Hanamizu ('hana' means nose and 'mizu' is water) Stuffy nose/congestion = 'Hhanazumari'. Symptoms = 'Shoujou' in Japanese. Also, covering your face with a mask is the most common way to cutting off pollution particles. You can buy masks and spray at any pharmacy like Matsumotokiyoshi. Bringing medications(if you take) in an original packaging is a good idea as well.

Happy Friday! Hokuriku Shinkansen, new bullet train line from Nagano to Kanazawa, is scheduled to open on March 14. The new line directly connecting Tokyo <-> Kanazawa to 2 and half hours. The trains will have a maximum operating speed of 260km/hour. A total capacity of this train is 934 including one grand-class car and a green or first class car.For those who may have planned travel to Hokuriku area, the new train route will let you access to Nagano, Niigata, Toyama, Gifu, ...Ishikawa and Fukui with one of the world's safest, fastest and most reliable forms of transportation.Yes! The Hokuriku Shinkansen line is included in the Japan Rail Pass. Have a nice weekend! 3/14 943260km230 JR See more

Nowadays, ramen is, without a doubt, the top national dish of Japan. Also it's became a worldwide famous food. But there are so many other national dishes other than Ramen.So, what will be the next Ramen?We're going to answer it: Japanese-style "Curry".Japanese curry's flavor is quite different from Indian or Thai curry. It's usually eaten with rice includes meat and vegetables mixed together along with pickles. The style and ingredients are vary from household to household. ...Not only curry rice, kare-pan (deep-fried curry-filled bun) is also popular as well as kare-udon (curry-flavored soup with noodle). Have you ever tried Japanese curry? Please share your experience with us. 100SNS See more

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Tokyo's firebombing. Postwar Tokyo has arisen from the devastation of war to become one of the world's largest metropolitan cities today.In the middle of the city, there is Tokyo's one of oldest and best Japanese gardens called "Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens". The construction of this park was started in 1629 the early Edo period by Tokugawa family(very famous Japanese feudal lord). The garden was badly damaged by fire, but rebuilt over m...any years. In spring, various colors of cherry, ume, azalea and Japanese iris bloom even all year round. This garden could be the place for your relaxing, peaceful time when you are tired from walking around Tokyo. 3/1070 See more

Happy Friday! Are you a mayonnaise fan? If so, which one do you really prefer? Today, we want to talk about Japanese-style mayonnaise. Have you ever try it out?Japanese mayonnaise has slightly sweeter taste compared to American mayonnaise. Perhaps this is because Japanese-style mayo usually uses egg yolks instead of whole eggs, rice vinegar instead of distilled vinegar and plant-based oil instead of a soy-based vegetable oil to create rich texture and give unique flavor that ...tastes different from regular American mayo.Japanese mayo can be used in many ways and it is commonly used to coat cooked vegetables like boiled broccoli, Takoyaki Balls, Pasta, Pizza and the list goes on. You might want to give it a try, Japanese mayo is a totally different experience. Have a nice weekend!

Shamisen is an old Japanese percussive musical instrument. It's similar form of guiter with three thick strings and a long neck and it's played music by plucking the strings with a hard (called "Bachi"). In most popular Shamisen's body is made out of wood and covered with snake skin. Shamisen was popular instruments in the Southern Islands of Ryukyu (Okinawa) but in the late 16th century when it's arrived on the main island of Japan and soon became popular. In recent Okinawa ...boom influences musicians and creators to produce a variety of music by Shamisen, as well as traditional handicrafts. You can purchase a Shamisen from several stores around Japan. It's just great for listing Shamisen music is so relaxing and beautiful. 3/4

In Japan, March 3rd is the day parents celebrate their daughters' happiness, growth, and good health on this day. It's call Hina-Matsuri (also called Doll Festival or Girl'd Day) which is an annual popular event in Japan.Families celebrate the day by placing up dolls(called Hina-Ningyo) on tiers of shelves with red steps of ornamental hina-dan (or tiered displayred) at home. These dolls are dressed in costumes of the imperial court. Hinamatsuri has more than 1,000 years of ...history from the Heian Period. Every year during Hina-Matsuri time, you have a chance to see these little vivid dolls around the country. 3/3 See more