Japan Travel Guide

Do you know Narita SKY ACCESS Line? Maybe you don’t know this new line, because Service on this line has just started on July 17, 2010.

The whole line is operated by Keisei Electric Railway, while some parts of the line are operated by other companies as well, such as Hokuso Railway. The new line is used by Skyliner services operating at up to 160 km/h using new Keisei AE series EMUs.

The project involved the refurbishment of 32.3 km of existing track on the Hokusō Line, as well as the construction of 19.1 km of new track to Narita Airport, partly using disused rights-of-way originally planned for the cancelled Narita Shinkansen project.

Trains also utilize the Keisei Electric Railway’s Main Line between Keisei Ueno and Keisei-Takasago. Trains run at a maximum speed of 160 km/h, thus completing the run from Nippori to the airport in 36 minutes, 15 minutes faster than the current 51 minutes. Trains also run towards Haneda Airport from Narita Airport via Keisei-Takasago using Toei Asakusa Line, the Keikyu Main Line and the Keikyu Airport Line.This makes it possible to connect the two airports around 65 minutes, as opposed to the current minimum of 106 minutes. Fares for the route will be ¥2,400 from either Nippori or Ueno stations.

photo credit: syuu1228

The evening sky of oldtown Tokyo is brightly colored with several tens of thousands of fireworks.

Date: 7/31 , 2010 19:05 start
(held in case of light rain but postponed if the weather is bad)
Place:
Venue No.1: from downstream of Sakurabashi Bridge to upstream of Kototoibashi Bridge
Venue No.2: from downstream of Komagatabashi Bridge to upstream of Umayabashi Bridge
City:Taito-ku and Sumida-ku, Tokyo

One of the major fireworks displays of Tokyo. On the last Saturday of July, the oldtown evening sky turns into a spectacle of dazzling colors from several tens of thousands of fireworks. This annual event is said to have originated in the custom of the common people of Edo viewing fireworks while enjoying the cool of the summer evening. According to other explanations, its roots are said to lie in the Suijin Festival dedicated to the water deity held to appease the souls of those who had died of starvation or of plague and to drive away pestilence during the reign of Tokugawa Yoshimune, the eighth Tokugawa Shogun (1684-1751). In the late Edo period, the festival was called Ryogoku Kawarabiraki and attracted many Edo townspeople. Traditional shouts of “Kagiya!” and “Tamaya!” voiced when the fireworks are set off, originate in Ryogoku Kawarabiraki when spectators yelled out the names of the leading fireworks manufacturers (Kagiya and Tamaya) at the time. The festival survived the Meiji Restoration, and in the latter half of the 19th Century (Meiji – Taisho – early Showa eras), it was held almost every year. Although suspended because of too much traffic or too many buildings in the neighborhood, from 1978 onwards it was revived under a new name, Sumidagawa Hanabi Taikai (Sumida River Fireworks Display). This has now taken root as one of the delightful scenes of the summer season in Tokyo.

Good spots for viewing the fireworks display are along the Sumida River which flows through the eastern part of Tokyo and empties into Tokyo Bay. In particular, the neighborhood around Asakusa Station throngs with crowds of spectators. It used to be held near the Ryogokubashi Bridge, but today, it has been moved upstream. Venue No.1 covers the area from downstream of Sakurabashi Bridge to upstream of Kototoibashi Bridge while Venue No.2 is located from downstream of Komagatabashi Bridge to upstream of Umayabashi Bridge. Because the river is narrow and has a river terrace, with buildings huddled together close by, only fireworks of a maximum of one gosundama (about 15 cm in diameter) are permitted. Yet fireworks seen from the spaces between tall buildings are really quite breathtaking.

photo credit: -ratamahatta-

photo credit: w00kie

photo credit: w00kie

Kinugawa-onsen is a hot spring village filled with nature, located along the Kinu-gawa River which runs through Nikko National Park.

Since early times, people have loved this hot spring saying, “Kawaji-onsen for wounds and Kinugawa-onsen for burns.” It is conveniently located and takes only about two hours travel from Asakusa, Tokyo.

There are also a number of theme parks and skiing areas nearby. If you go a little further, you can also enjoy a visit to Nikko to see Nikko-tosho-gu Shrine, a world heritage site, as well as Nikko-Futarasan-jinja Shrine and Rin-o-ji Temple. This is what makes Kinugawa-onsen one of the most popular destinations in Japan.

photo credit: jetalone

I recommend you to use Odakyu line.

Check the Odakyu’s website:

http://www.odakyu.jp/english/freepass/enokama_01.html

From Shinjuku Station

If you want to use JR Line as follow.

From Shinjuku

• JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line (connect to JR Yokosuka Line)
  • Price : ¥890
  • Duration : 1 hour

From Ikebukuro

• JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line (connect to JR Yokosuka Line)
  • Price : ¥890
  • Duration : 1 hour

From Shibuya

• JR Yamanote Line &  JR Tokaido Line & JR Yokosuka Line
  • Price : ¥890
  • Duration : 1 hour
  • You have to change trains at Shinagawa from JR Yamanote Line to JR Tokaido Line, and at Totsuka station change to JR Yokosuka Line.

photo credit: Jake Keup

photo credit: geraldford

Kamakura – The origine of Samurai -

Before the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, civil power in Japan was primarily held by the ruling emperors and their regents, typically appointed from the ranks of the imperial court and the aristocratic clans that vied there. Military affairs were handled under the auspices of the civil government. The system of government he established became formalized as the shogunate.

Kamakura has many historically significant Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, some of them, like Sugimoto-dera, over 1,200 years old. Kotoku-in, with its monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha, is the most famous.

This iconic Daibutsu is arguably amongst the few images which have come to represent Japan in the world’s collective imagination. Kamakura also hosts the so-called Five Great Zen Temples (the Kamakura Gozan).

The architectural heritage of Kamakura is almost unmatched, and the city has proposed some of its historic sites for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list.

Kamakura has many festivals (matsuri) and other events in each of the seasons, usually based on its rich historical heritage. They are often sponsored by private businesses and, unlike those in Kyoto, they are relatively small-scale events attended mostly by locals and a few tourists.

January in particular has many because it’s the first month of the year, so authorities, fishermen, businesses and artisans organize events to pray for their own health and safety, and for a good and prosperous working year. Kamakura’s numerous temples and shrines, first among them city symbols Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu and Kencho-ji, organize many events too, bringing the total to over a hundred

photo credit: y_katsuuu

If you get to Misaki, you should buy one-day, or two-day pass at Keikyu Shinagawa or Yokohama Station.

• Misaki Maguro Pass ( Misaki Tuna Pass) [recommend!]
  • one day pass
  • Adult ￥2,980 / Child ￥2,240 (from Shinagawa)  | Adult ￥2,880 / Child ￥2,190 (from Yokohama)
  • You can buy this pass at Keikyu Shinagawa or Yokohama Station
  • Includings as follow
    • Round trip ticket from Shinagawa to Misakiguchi
    • Free ticket for Keikyu Bus (*Misaki area)
    • Lunch Voucher Ticket (*You can select the list, check the list http://www.keikyu.co.jp/train/img/maguro.pdf sorry Japanese only, if you want English menu, give us your comment on this article)
    • Spa Voucher Ticket  (*You can select the list, check the list http://www.keikyu.co.jp/train/img/maguro.pdf sorry Japanese only, if you want English menu, give us your comment on this article)

• Miura Peninsula One day Pass
  • one day pass
  • Adult ￥1,900 (from shinagawa) / ￥1,400 (from Yokohama)
  • You can buy this pass at Keikyu Shinagawa or Yokohama Station

• Miura Peninsula Two day Pass
  • one day pass
  • Adult ￥2,000 (from shinagawa) / ￥1,600 (from Yokohama)
  • You can buy this pass at Keikyu Shinagawa or Yokohama Station

From Shinjuku

• JR Yamanote Line and Keikyu Line
  • You have to change trains at Shinagawa from JR Yamanote Line to Keikyu Line.
  • From Shinjuku to Shinagawa : ￥190(*You should buy Free Pass Ticket at Shinagawa Station)
  • Duration : 20min( to Shinagawa)　/ 70min(from Shinagawa to Misakiguchi)

From Ikebukuro

• JR Yamanote Line and Keikyu Line
  • You have to change trains at Shinagawa from JR Yamanote Line to Keikyu Line.
  • From Ikebukuro to Shinagawa : ￥250(*You should buy Free Pass Ticket at Shinagawa Station)
  • Duration : 30min( to Shinagawa)　/ 70min(from Shinagawa to Misakiguchi)

From Shibuya

• JR Yamanote Line and Keikyu Line
  • You have to change trains at Shinagawa from JR Yamanote Line to Keikyu Line.
  • From Shinjuku to Shinagawa : ￥160(*You should buy Free Pass Ticket at Shinagawa Station)
  • Duration : 12min( to Shinagawa)　/ 70min(from Shinagawa to Misakiguchi)

photo credit: y_katsuuu

Do you know Misaki ?

Misaki is a harbor at the extreme south of the Miura Peninsula, in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. It is administratively part of the city of Miura.

Misaki is an important fishing harbor, mainly specializing in the processing of tuna, for which it is the second largest harbour in Japan.

Closing the harbor to the south is the island of Jogashima, connected to the city by a bridge. It is a popular destination for week-end tourism. The lighthouse on top of Jogashima was built by the French engineer Léonce Verny at the end of the 19th century.

Misaki is one of the closest tuna wharf around tokyo, so many Japanese go to have nice tuna and other fresh fish there, you can feel different from fish market.

photo credit: ajari

photo credit: ajari

photo credit: *pb*

Chichibu is in the westernmost part of Saitama. Unlike other parts of the prefecture, it is largely mountainous and the population is concentrated in river terraces along the Arakawa River. It is Saitama’s largest municipality in terms of surface area and shares borders with Tokyo, Yamanashi, Nagano and Gunma prefectures. Most parts of the city belong to Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park.

Because the region is not suitable for growing rice, many people have depended on sericulture farming. Limestone from Mount Buko, which rises south of the city center, is another major source of income for the region. The city is shifting its focus toward sightseeing, taking advantages of its rich natural environment and relative closeness to the Tokyo metropolitan area. The city is also famous for its brewing industry, and you can feel Japanese real country side.

On December 3, Chichibu holds an annual night festival. It attracts crowds from Chichibu, Saitama prefecture, neighboring Tokyo, and the Kantō region. Kawase matsuri is Chichibu shrine’s summer festival. It takes place every July 19 and July 20. Eight groups carrying special dashi floats march along to festival music around the city. Mikoshi (sacred portable shrines) are brought to special places in each neighborhood where they are enshrined. Neighborhood association heads wash the mikoshi in the Arakawa river.

Other attractions of the city include:

photo credit: M.a.t.t.i.a

You can find a guide-interpreter and search by region, knowledge area, language, and other search criteria, and directly contact the guide-interpreter to make a booking for their service.

Check this site! and have a nice travel in Japan!
http://www.guidesearch.jp/

photo credit: w00kie

Kawagoe

Spend time wandering through the rows of historical stores in “Little Edo.” Be sure to try the simple, traditional sweets.

Located in the center of Saitama, Kawagoe City flourished as a castle town in the 17th century during the Edo Period. The city has been designated an important preservation district for groups of historic buildings where rows of magnificent merchants’ houses in the traditional storehouse-style stand side-by-side. It is called “Ko-edo,” or “Little Edo,” because of its city architecture. The feudal lord of Kawagoe Castle ordered a bell tolling the time be built in the 17th century. The bell has been rebuilt several times, and the present 4th-generation bell is a symbol of Kawagoe, together with the streets lined with these traditional houses.

The area around Saiwai-cho, Moto-machi, and Naka-machi with the Ichibangai or the first street at the center, is one of the oldest towns in the Kanto region, where houses, including a draper’s mansion, the Osawa family, and other palatial houses remain. Kita-in Temple boasts Kyakuden, a reception hall, and a study hall Sho-in, both of which are important cultural properties. You can also see the Gohyakurakan, Buddhist images modeled after 500 Buddha disciples.

Another specialty of Kawagoe is Kashiya-yokocho, a confectionary lane. It is a five-minute walk from the Fudanotsuji bus stop. Shops selling Japanese candies, sweet potato cakes, rice crackers, and other snacks stand in a row on both sides of the stone-paved lane. Their simple, nostalgic taste will satisfy both your tongue and heart.

The Kawagoe-matsuri Festival celebrated in the fall is one of three best festivals in the Kanto region. You will see exquisitely decorated seven-meter tall floats parading the city.