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Chika Kuroiwa

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⟵Chika Kuroiwa

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What to Do in Karuizawa during the Winter

Karuizawa is known as a popular summer mountain vacation spot for Tokyo residents, due to its cooler temperatures and many outdoor activity destinations. But in the winter, most of the museums are on “winter break”, it is too cold and icy for hiking, so if you do not enjoy winter sports like skiing and snowboarding, there is not much fun to do. We had a free day in Karuizawa so we tried out a few spots to share with you: Asama Jomon MuseumMMOP Museum Terrace (museum/gallery itself is closed)Lunch with a view of Asama Mountain at ZingaraBouldering at Climbing Gym SoraniShopping at Karuizawa Prince OutletDinner at Chinese restaurant 一品香 Ippin XiangStay at Kyu-Karuizawa Harvest Club and enjoy the hot spring and poolBonus: dinner at Trattoria Abbiocco Sunset at Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza Asama Jomon Museum This museum is a small addition to the town community center. It is quite hard to find at first and not obvious – we ended up parking at the town hall and walking down, but parking is at Miyotacho Ecole Miyota Community Center. The museum is an extension to the community center. You need to first enter the main entrance of the center. Sequential exhibit guides you through the beginning of the period to the later eras Jōmon Museum is one of the few museums open during the winter. It is rather small with three parts to the exhibit, and would take around at most 30 mins. There are both Japanese and English texts. For a fan of ancient Japanese history, I think this would be a fun, quick spot. It is also a good introduction to the Jōmon era for people who, like me, know very little about this period. Jōmon period, 6,000–300 BCE, is characterized by hunter-gatherer inhabitants skilled in pottery and “cord-marking”. This museum houses many examples of such pottery and clay masks and figurines. The much loved haniwa figurines are actually not part of Jōmon period but of Kofun – regardless, in the museum shop and capsule toy machines, there are many haniwa toys sold. Summarized histories in chronological order surround a replica of an excavation site Accessories excavated, including combs and earrings Decorative pottery and clay figurines I enjoyed this part the most – pottery in glowing glass boxes If these photos or the history of intrigue you Jōmon period intrigue you, stop by the Asama Jomon Museum! MMOP Museum Terrace MMOP Musuem is closed during the winter, but the cafe area surrounding is open. There is a landscape design studio called Studio Kyoryu (Studio Dinosaur), which is named dinosaur because their mission is to think so deeply about the land they reach the layers of the dinosaur. Studio Kyoryu is made out of renovated cargo containers Inside is a small shop and very friendly staff Next door is Cabotcove Museum Terrace, dogs are allowed in the covered and heated patio area. We did not try this place out, but noted it for next time – the struggle is real in Japan for dog owners to find a pet-friendly restaurant. Right adjacent is a cafe called Koichiro Coffee. Up the path, there is a steakhouse Feu and Cercle Plus, a wine shop and cafe. Stekahouse Feu Cabotcove Museum Terrace patio Here is a map of the area found on the MMoP museum: Map from http://mmop.jp/ View of Mt. Asama from the path to the north Italian Restaurant: Zingara For lunch we went to Zingara, after calling ahead and making sure there were available seats. Luckily, we got seated at the counter which has a great view of Mt. Asama. The food was really good, and price is not cheap but not expensive. Their thin crust pizza is great and freshly baked, and vongole pasta was delicious as well. Their lunch menu comes with a salad and coffee/tea. Pizza with a view! Freshly baked pizza. The restaurant has unique architecture. Vongole Pasta with broccoli Climbing Gym Sorani This climbing gym is a bit far out of the way from everything else, but we decided to give it a try. For one of us, it was our first time going bouldering. The gym is not heated and very cold, but you warm up quickly once you are on the walls. Because we went on a normal weekday, there were only a few kids and adults, and one staff member. There is an option to take a one-hour beginners course, but we decided to skip it and just listened to a quick set of instructions. The pricing on a weekday is 2200 yen for adults, 1650 for students and 1300 for children, which is very reasonable for a climbing gym. There are many courses to try out, even for beginners, and because a lot of them are geared for children, the reach is not bad. You can rent shoes for 300 yen and chalk for 100 yen, again very reasonable prices. One of the more advanced overhang walls Several beginners levels on the slabs was a good starting point We then had aimed to go ice skating at Kera Ike Skating Rink, but they closed at 4pm and we did not make it in time. For next time! Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza Now with a few hours until dinner, we decided to kill some time by shopping. The Karuizawa Prince outlet mall is huge, and all outdoors so be sure to dress warm. You can visit with a dog but inside the stores they must be carried or in a carrier bag/cart. There is a food court, several restaurants and cafes, a pond, and stores of every kind, so every family member is guaranteed to have fun. You can see the Karuizawa Prince Ski Resort which is right next door 一品香 Ippinsyan Chinese Restaurant For dinner we went to 一品香 Ippinsyan, a delicious casual restaurant ran by a former chef at the Manpei Hotel. Our favorites were the Taiwanese century pitan eggs, spicy boiled pork with garlic sauce, abalone and scallop soup, …
A Day Trip to Muroto, Kochi

View from Lovers Sancutary, Muroto Skyline observatory At the eastern most tip of Shikoku Island is Muroto, a seaport city in Kochi with breathtaking nature- where the sky meets the ocean. It was here that the Kukai, a monk and later Buddhist saint from 8th century, attained enlightenment in a cave, and saw the sky and the ocean which he named himself after. Gelato from Kiramesse On the way to Muroto We went on a day trip on a early July Saturday. It takes around 2 hours by car from Kochi city, and it is a nice drive along the Pacific coast. On the way, we stopped by a rest stop called Kiramesse where they have a delicious fresh cream gelato. 40 years ago, my mother was told by her classmate that the Muroto Skyline has fantastic views, so we went. However, the trees had overgrown and covered all views the road may have had so many years ago. There was an observatory called “Lover’s Sanctuary”, which again covered with overgrown trees but offered nice views of the mountains and the ocean. It is only a short walk up a few flights of stairs. There are a colony of cats by the parking lot. Lighthouse A few minutes down the skyline is a lighthouse with great views of the Pacific Ocean, as well as the Hotsumisakiji Temple, 24th pilgrimage site of the 88 Sites in Shikoku. View from the base of the lighthouse Muroto-misaki From there we were finally at Muroto-misaki, the tip of the island. The rock formations by the water at Kanjogahama Beach is slippery to climb but has really unique textures. You can learn more about why the strations formed the way they are in these rocks in the Muroto Global Geopark Center. There are dried corals that have been washed up too! Beware of the little bugs skittering about.. Kanjogahama Beach Go north a bit and there is the famous cave that Kukai had his enlightenment, Kanonkutsu. The scaffolding built by the entrance of the two caves that shelter potential folding rocks destroys the view of the sky and water that is supposedly seen very clearly from the cave. Apparently there are times when the sunrise aligns perfectly from the cave. Now lunch time! We made a reservation for Kagetsu in Muroto Town. They are famous for their kinme-donburi (golden eye snapper sashimi over rice), but I had the seafood-donburi and tried a bit of the kinme too. Both delicious! The kinme-don comes with ochazuke: you can pour tea over the rice at the end. Schoolhouse Aquarium After being full and rested, we headed to the elementary school aquarium: basically, a closed school was converted into a low-budget aquarium filled with fish that were accidentally captured by the town’s fishermen. This location was the most crowded and popular of the sites so far, filled with young couples. It reminded me of the elementary school I went to for a few summers in Kochi, so there is a nostalgic component to the aquarium. There was also a special exhibit of the large amounts of garbage that are captured. The pool of the elementary schools converted into a big fish and shark tank The trash exhibit Some rooms of the school are preserved the way they were, with minor creative tweaks Two cute stingrays :3 After this, we briefly stopped by the Geopark Center before heading back to the city. It was a lot of sightseeing for one day! You could probably stop by even more sights, like the dolphin center, if you stay one night, but we think a short day trip is plenty to enjoy Muroto. If you ever are in Kochi prefecture, pay Muroto a visit!
Where to see Cherry Blossoms this year under COVID-19?

Hello, it’s cherry blossoms seasons again under COVID-19.　 Do you remember last year when Governor Koike called for refraining from cherry-blossom viewing, saying, “Please refrain from cherry-blossom viewing this year. The cherry blossoms will bloom again next year.” To our surprise not much progress yet in terms of the fight against COVID-19. A rope was stretched in Ueno Park so that people cannot sit and picnic under the cherry blossoms. As documents and history have proven, the Japanese have loved cherry blossoms for over 1000 years by going out with their lunch boxes and dancing under the flowers. That DNA has been in crisis for the last two years. All right, even if we cannot picnic or drink beer under the cherry blossoms, we still can go and view them. Here is a list of our recommendations. No. 1 Chidori-gafuchi Ryokudo About 260 cherry trees bloom on both sides of the moat, and it is so beautiful when reflected on the surface of the water. The light up is exceptional. Unfortunately, it seems that night illumination and night boats will be canceled this year, but daytime boats is still available with reservation. The boat on the petals at the end of cherry blossoms season is magnificent! Now the local government offer, “live camera of the moat”. Check the flowers and crowds with this before going out. Stay safe! https://youtu.be/yIoPisyFE64 No. 2 Sumida River, Asakusa Along the Sumida River, over 600 cherry blossoms are to bloom on the banks of the river, making it one of the “100 Best Cherry Blossom Spots in Japan”. It is also famous that Yoshimune Tokugawa, the eighth shogun, planted cherry blossoms on the embankment so that it would strengthened by many cherry blossoms viewing visitors stomping on it. Our recommendation is to go down the Sumida River to Hamarikyu Gardens by water bus. Book your seats in advance. *Hamarikyu Garden will be closed until the further notice according to the latest announcement. (updated March 22, 2021) 3 / 20-4 / 7 is a special cherry blossom viewing schedule, so make a reservation in advance and enjoy a smooth visit. https://www.suijobus.co.jp/event_cru/sumida_river_route/#detail Hamarikyu Garden No. 3 Shinjuku Gyoen There are 1000 cherry trees in the large park, and there are many types, so even if Yoshino cherry trees are scattered, you can enjoy other types of cherry blossoms for a while. The advanced booking is required during the cherry blossoms period (2021/3/23-4/25）It is only in Japanese, ask us for help if necessary. We will be happy to support you. https://peraichi.com/landing_pages/view/ll5gi Shinjuku gyoenShinjuku gyoen In Tokyo, you can find cherry blossoms tress everywhere, so we do not worry too much that you miss cherry blossoms. Besides spots mentioned above, a few more places that we like are; Cemeteries: Metropolitan Government Cemeteries are free to enter 24 hours a day. It is nice to take a walk in Aoyama Cemetery, Somei Cemetery, Yanaka Cemetery, which are easy to access. The Tokyo National Museum (Tohaku) is another favorite of ours. At this time of year, there is an annual “Cherry Blossom Viewing at the Museum (3 / 16-4 / 11)” project, and it is interesting to see cherry blossoms, picture scrolls, lacquer work, and sword patterns related to cherry blossom viewing. It feels good to see the cherry blossom viewing party drawn on the picture scrolls of the Heian period, and to take a walk in the normally closed garden area. Advance reservations are required online this year, so make a reservation before you go out. https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=2028 There are 800 cherry trees in Ueno Park, so it’s a good idea to walk along the way to Tohaku. TohakuTohaku GardenYanaka cemetery We hope that next year there will be a grand cherry blossom viewing. Stay Safe! See you then in Tokyo!
A First Visit to Kengo Kuma’s Long Awaited Kadokawa Musashino Museum!

The Museum “emerges” as a giant rock from the ground On August 1st, Kengo Kuma’s latest project in the Greater Tokyo area partially opened to visitors! Kadokawa Musashino Museum is part of a larger complex called Tokorozawa Sakura Town, designed by the Kengo’s firm KKAA. While most of the complex is not yet open, the Museum is allowing visitors to book tickets in advance and visit in their designated time slots. You can book your online ticket here! I went on a weekday afternoon, and the journey from central Tokyo took me a little over an hour. The station I got off is Higashi-Tokorozawa Station, using the Musashino line. From there, it was a scorching hot 12 minute walk to the museum area. I arrived at the museum a few minutes before my time slot. They let me in to wait in the socially-distanced line inside. They make sure to check your temperature and disinfect your hands before entering the building. Right now, there are only two parts of the building open on the 1st floor (which is below the level you enter, so it goes partially underground). The first is Kengo Kuma exhibition, which centers the narrative around this particular museum and his other buildings around Tokyo. On the other side of the floor is the manga room: two levels filled with manga that you can read and borrow. Kengo Kuma Exhibition Beautiful models on display A great overview of the numerous Kuma projects around Tokyo You can expect to spend 30mins ~ 1 hour in this exhibition. There are some short interview videos you can watch, but I would recommend watching a Nico-video of Kengo Kuma explaining the building and exhibition himself through a live video: https://live2.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv327121977 The second floor, the level you enter, has a space for a museum shop that hasn’t opened yet, and a small cafe corner. There aren’t table seats, instead they are all benches. There are plenty of space to sit in the surrounding plaza. The infinity pool in front of the museum: small children were playing in the water On the other side of the infinity pool is the Tokorozawa Sakura Town building, which hasn’t opened yet. There is a food truck in the plaza, and a large auditorium. Without shops or people, it seems desolate To the west of the museum is a beautifully modern shrine. All the details are designed, even the hand-purifying water fountain (it’s COVID-19 friendly!). Unline Kuma’s other shrine in Kagurazaka “Akane Shrine”, the material he uses is stone and metal, although the interior is luxuriously finished with wood. With not much yet open in this complex, I feel like it’s best to wait a while to visit, especially since it is quite far from central Tokyo (and far from the station once you get to Higashi-Tokorozawa). There’s a small TeamLab installation in the adjacent forest. Perhaps I will update this post with further information when more is available.
Yakushima: The Island of Mononoke

Forest in hiking trail ‘Shiratani Unsuikyo’ We celebrated the end of the decade in Yakushima, an island south of Kagoshima, covered with luscious cedar forests and moss covered granite rocks. It’s an island that seems right out of a Studio Ghibli film with monkeys spilling out onto the roads, deer running through hiking trails and trees older than 3000 years old. In fact, director Miyao Hayazaki of Ghibli got a great deal of inspiration from the forests of Yakushima in his films, especially in Princess Mononoke. In this post, I’m going to walk you through our experience in Yakushima from what we ate, what we saw, where we slept and what we loved! Yakushima is one of a series of volcanic islands at the edge of the Philippine plate boundary. From Tokyo, we took a flight to Kagoshima airport from Haneda, then from Kagoshima to Yakushima’s small local airport. I emphasize small. There’s a tiny cafeteria, one check-in counter, one bathroom outside the gate (so make sure to finish your business before you go through security). Stay Seaside Hotel shuttle service picked us up from the airport and took us to our hotel. It’s not the Four Seasons, but we enjoyed our stay there. There are two ‘classes’ to the hotel: the new wing has nicer rooms, views of the ocean and sleep wear. We stayed in the older wing in a traditional tatami mat room. What was best was the food: the breakfast buffet had a variety of choices, including sashimi and cod-roe, as well as local specialties. Dinner was a different course menu every night and it was quite delicious. There is a public bath in the lower level to help you wind down after a long day hiking or sightseeing. The hotel rents out hiking goods, from shoes to backpack covers, and you can even do your laundry in the basement laundromat. View from our hotel room Food We took all of our breakfast and dinner at the hotel, but for our first lunch we went to Katagiri-san. Yakushima is known for Tobiuo, flying fish. Katagiri-san serves a delicious tobiuo dish served with rice and tea soup, which you mix in with other condiments after you enjoy it with just rice. The oden there was very good as well. For another lunch, we went to Sankara Hotel and Spa, a luxury villa-style resort. They have a simple lunch course menu for around 2400 yen. The food was decent, although to be worth 2400 yen you will just have to think about how you are paying for the great service (which really is great – valet parking, smiles on the staff, mochi making New Year’s activity). The view from the hotel is great and for travellers willing to spare quite a bit more for their accomodation, I would recommend this hotel. For dinner, we had the pre-ordered course menu at Seaside Hotel. We really enjoyed their food, which ranged from sashimi to tempura to hot pot. It was very filling, delicious, and varied every night. Trekking On the second day, we went on a guided tour to hike the Shiratani Unsuikyo trail, around 5 hour round trip but took us 6 with lunch and explanations in the middle. This trail is famous for the moss-covered forest and giant cedar trees, especially those that were cut down during the Edo period and have new interesting growth on top, or those that formed over a dead cedar that is now gone, leaving a ‘cave’.
Kagari- a gem in the back alley of Ginza

Kagari 篝 is a not-so-hidden gem, found in one of the narrow alleys behind the main street of Ginza. They specialize in Chicken Paitan Ramen (鶏白湯), a type of ramen with chicken-based broth. The entrance looks fancy, just like a traditional Japanese restaurant! There is a line outside, so if you go during busy hours, you may need to wait a while (there is no roof). We went at around 11:30 on a weekday, and luckily, there was no line. Once inside, you order and wait. The inside is just as fancy, so enjoy the wooden atmosphere. The service is fast and efficient, as a ramen shop should be. Just when your stomach starts growling, your bowl is served… Ahh.. perfect. The broth is rich in flavor, it’s almost as thick as a potage soup. The noodles twine well with the soup. The colorful vegetables are a plus; who knew tomatoes are good as toppings for ramen? Kagari offers few types of paitan ramen, my recommendation would be the one with truffles. You can smell the truffle, even before taking your first sip. There are many chicken paitan ramen stores around Tokyo, but Kagari is obviously among the top competitors. It is a must eat, if you’re around Ginza!!
Cupnoodles Museum- a must visit for Nisshin fans

Cupnoodles (it’s 1 word and copyrighted, did you know that?). The one and only, the world famous instant delicacy in a styrofoam cup. Are you a big fan? Because I sure am. You can guess my excitement when we visited the Cupnoodles Museum in Yokohama last week. Located in Minatomirai, it is one of the key features of the Yokohama bay area. Entry is 500 yen, no need to reserve. However, if you’re looking to make your own Cupnoodles, you MUST book online ahead of your visit. EntranceRamen art Once you enter, you will find yourself surrounded by Cupnoodles and instant ramen throughout the years, from the very first instant Chicken Ramen. This room is a perk for hard core Nisshin fans. There is also a room for a short video clip about Nisshin and its founder Ando Momofuku. Ramen throughout the yearsRamen around the worldAndo Momofuku, the founder Once you’re done roaming around the exhibition, it’s time to make your own cup noodles. Head to the 3rd floor, and line up to get your cup. Most of the time, this museum is crowded. You MUST reserve a time slot in advance, and go to the My Cupnoodle Factory (where you make your own Cupnoodles) in that designated time. It’s 300 yen to make your own Cupnoodles; you’re only allowed one cup per each guest. After receiving a cup, it’s time to decorate! Use the markers provided to design your very own Cupnoodles. Once you’re done, you need to head over and decide the flavor and ingredients. You first need to choose your soup from 4 flavors: shoyu (soy sauce), seafood, curry and chili tomato. Then, you get to choose 4 ingredients from the following 12: Hiyoko-chan fish cake, garlic chips, green bean, cheese, crab flavored fish cake, kimchi, shrimp, corn, Nazo niku (minced pork), green onions, egg, and a limited seasonal ingredient. My Cupnoodles FactoryChoose your ingredients..from these 12Time to close it up!Sealing the cup You can take your My Cupnoodles home safely, since they give you an inflatable bag that’ll act as a cushion. The whole process takes about 30~40 mins. End product! Paying my respect to Shibanban, a Shiba dog I’m currently obsessed with. There’s a food court that serves noodles from many parts of Asia on the 4th floor. They’re all very small portions, so you can try them out as snacks, or just hang out and relax after all the decorating you did. The view from the terrace is great, you get a perfect view of the Yokohama bay. Food courtNoodles from ChinaNoodles from South KoreaView from the 4th floor terrace There’s a gift shop on the 1st floor, where you’ll find many Cupnoodles related souvenirs. Go all out on your ramen obsession. Overall, I’d say 2 hours at this museum is enough. There is also a Chicken ramen factory, where you can make Chicken ramen from scratch. However, that workshop takes time, and it’s always fully booked. My suggestion would be to just book the My Cupnoodles Factory along with your entrance ticket, which they sell on Lawson Ticket as a set deal.
Summer Festivals in Tokyo 2019

It is festival season!　Primarily festivals are associated more with Shinto, Japanese native religion, but in summer we have Obon that is the main summer festival for Buddhism and local community. Check it out almost every weekend you encounter some kind of summer festival all through Japan. Here are main festivals in Tokyo, but there are more locals ones near you for sure. Check it out! July 9 Tuesday, 10 Wednesday 2019, Senso ji Temple in Asakusa Hozuki ichi This festival has been carried from 18th century, wishing for good health and fortune with Hozuki, plant with red seed flower market. https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/things-to-do/mitama-matsuri-1 July 13 Saturday to 16 Tuesday 2019 Yasukuni shrine in Kudanshita Mitama Matsuri 2019 Big lanterns, Bon dances ,and food stalls. Join bon dances in Yukata. https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/things-to-do/mitama-matsuri-1 July 24 Wednesday to 27 Saturday 2019 Kagurazaka Kagurazaka Matsuri Bon dances, Hozuki ichi flower market. Bring your own Yukata and have them dress you up for free! https://kagurazaka.fun/kagurazaka-matsuri-2019 to be continued

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