posted by Traveller on Aug 27

Tokyo Tower. Before I steep foot in Tokyo City, I came across a lot of information on this Tokyo Tower from travel books and tour agency’s brochures. With such a wide publicity, it definitely warrants a visit.

Let me say a bit about this Tokyo Tower first.  This orange-white tower was built in 1958 as a broadcast tower with a height of 333m. It was reported that it is actually 13m taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris.   It opens daily from 9am to 10pm with admission charge.

There is an observatory deck where you can have an excellent view of the city.  At the base of the Tower, it has an aquarium, wax museum and trick art gallery.

While the tower is quite dated, it stills remains the most recognizable and tallest structure in Tokyo City. During the night, when the tower is illuminated, it is quite remarkable.

I was there during both the day and night.  While I must say that it is not truly a piece of masterpiece, a brief visit as part of the overall tour package is ok.  Click here to see some of the picture of this the Tokyo Tower.

The Tokyo Tower stands on the eastern side of Shiba-koen (park). If youhave some time, you can walk to the near by Zojo-ji. This is a family temple of the Tokugawa clan. It is said that Zojo-ji remains one of the most monumental temples in Tokyo City. There is a giant bell made of metal. It was reported that the bell was made from the melted metal hairpins donated by the ladies of the shougun’s court.

While the Shiba park area does not have the most attractions, nonetheless, it is a good place to stay as the base. It is a city-within-a-city itself. Train station and sub-way stations are all near-by for you to take to any to the designations. The nearest JR station is the Hamamatsucho station. The two nearest sub-way are the Onarimon station and the Diamon Station. There are many eateries and convenient shows as well.  Click here to see some of the picture of Shiba Park area.

If you are wish to stay at the Shiba Park area, check out here to search some Shiba Park Hotels.

posted by Traveller on Aug 22

Roppongi in Tokyo, there are absolutely nothing to see and do there during the day. Are you sure? You must be kidding, right? Yes, I am absolutely sure if you ask the Tokyo local 10, 20 or 50 years ago. Absolutely nothing! However, night time was another story all together.However, not today as I was there a few weeks ago to witness its grandeur. Since the opening of Roppongi Hills in April 2003, things changes. It was noted that there are up to one million visitors visited Roppongi Hills in the first three day alone of its opening.

First off, if you are an art lover, you are in for a treat. Roppongi is known for its Art Triangle Roppongi. Why? This is because, there are three excellent art centers forming a triangle. They are the Mori Art Museum at Roppongi Hills, The National Art Center, Tokyo, and the Suntory Museum of Art at Tokyo Midtown. 

The Mori Art Museum opened in 2003.  This museum is the cultural heart of Roppongi Hills, offering a wide spectrum of contemporary art to the public. Apart from the exhibits, the Mori Art Museum also held a diverse of public programs. As it closes quite late and with the adjacent observation deck, it is definitely an interesting place to visit.

The National Art Center, Tokyo is Japan’s 5th national art institution. It has a very unique architecture with a striking sinuous giant glass facade. The National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies is by its side. The National Art Center, Tokyo has one of the country’s largest gallery spaces which have exhibits focusing on modern and contemporary art.  The National Art Center, Tokyo is located in a quiet location with surrounding greenery.  You can come here to relax and have a quiet time. In this building, there is a library, shops and restaurant.

Suntory Museum of Art focuses on the theme of “Art of Life”. The original Suntory Museum of Art opened in 1961. The new museum was designed by Kengo Kuma and has shop for all ages to enjoy.

If you are here for shopping, you are at the right place as well. Roppongi Hills houses more than 200 cafes, restaurants and shops. It also has a nine-screen Virgin Toho Cinemas, the Ashahi TV studio, several parks and the Grand Hyatt Tokyo. Go up to 52nd floor of the Mori Tower where the Tokyo City View observation is located, and you are able to see Mt. Fuji in the distance on a clear day.  Roppongi has a distinct foreign feel. You don’t find any traditional Japan here. This is mainly due to the foreign presence in the past. Oh ya, you will find the giant spider here as well called Maman. Click here and see how the spider looks like!

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posted by Traveller on Aug 15

Whenever I visit a city, I will always find out where are their popular or traditional open market, weekend market etc.. This is because it always excites and trills me to browse through the hundreds of stores selling all sorts of things that I have never seen before. From my experience, it is only from these markets, you will be able to find exotic, unusual or special things about the country. My experiences had never failed me as I always ended up getting something usually and exciting. I have never disappointed before.As usual, when I was in Tokyo, I also find out where I can visit such a place.  To my delights, I came to know about this place called Asakusa. The grandest sight in Asakusa is the temple called Senso-ji (Asakusa KannoTemple). Another distinct feature of Asakusa is the close-to-the ground feeling of the common people. This is not seen or felt in other parts of Tokyo. Another notable structure is the Kaminarimon which hung with a gigantic red paper lantern. This Kaminatrimon marks the entrance to the temple.Getting to Asakusa is rather simple. The simplest way is to take a taxi. Depending where you stay in Tokyo (be warned, Tokyo is rather big), the taxi fare can cause you a fortune. The best way, in my opinion is to take the sub-way or train. Another interesting way to get there is by the river boat.

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