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June 20, 2009
FIREWORKS (HANABI) FESTIVALS
IN TOKYO and KANAGAWA 2009
Fireworks displays
and events are held
at various places in
the year. Japanese
pyrotechnics are very
famous and were used
to light up Olympic ceremonies overseas.
Here are some major fireworks displays:
23rd of July, Thursday
The 31st Adachi Fireworks
19:15~20:45
Place: Arakawa River Area
Access: 15 min. from JR Kitasenju Station
12,000 displays
25th of July, Saturday
The 32nd Sumida Fireworks
19:00~20:30 (Opening attraction starts from 18:15)
Area 1: 15 min. walk from Asakusa Station
North Exit on Tobu-Isezaki Line or
15 min. walk from Asakusa Station Exit 5
on Ginza Line/Toei Asakusa Line.
Area 2: 5 min. walk from Asakusa Station
Exit A2 on Toei Asakusa Line, or
5 min. walk from Kuramae Station Exit
A7 on Toei Oedo Line.
21,500 displays

1st of August, Saturday
Hachioji Fireworks
19:00~20:30
Place: Hachioji Shimin Kyujo
Access: 15 min. walk from Yamada Station on
Keio-Takao Line
15 min. walk from Nishi-Hachioji Station
on JR Line.
3,300 displays
1st of August, Saturday
The 24th Kanagawa Newspaper Fireworks
19:15~20:30
Place: Over water opposite Yokohama city
Minato-Mirai 21 Bldg. Rinko Park
Access: 15 min. walk from Yokohama Station East
Exit or Sakuragicho Station on JR Line, or
10 min. walk from Minato-Mirai Station on
Minato-Mirai Line.
8,000 displays
1st of August, Saturday
Exciting Fireworks 2009
The 34th Edogawa &
the 25th
This festival is held around Edogawa river area.
In first 5 seconds, about 1,000 displays of fireworks
will be displayed from 10 different locations in
Edogawa side (
(
19:15~20:30
Place:
Access: 15 min. walk from Shinozaki Station on
Toei Shinjuku Line.
14,000 displays
1st of August, Saturday
2009 Yokosuka Kaikoku Fireworks Festival
19:30~20:10
Place: Umikaze Park, Mikasa Park
Access: 15 min. from Yokosuka Chuo Station East
Exit on Keihin-Kyuko Honsen Line, or
15 min. from Yokosuka Station on
JR Yokosuka Line.
10,000 displays
6th of August, Thursday
Jingu-Gaien Fireworks Festival
19:30~20:30
Place: 4 different Parks in Gaien
-Jingu Kyujo Ballpark
-National Kasumigaoka Athletic Field
-Chichibu-no-miya Rugby Field
-Soft-Ball Park
Access: Sendagaya Station or Shinanomachi
Station on JR Sobu Line;
Gaienmae Station, Aoyama 1-chome Station,
or Omotesando Station on Subways; and
Kokuritsu Kyogijyo Station on Toei Oedo Line.
12,000 displays
* Tickets are required to enter each venue.
8th of August, Saturday
The 22nd Tokyo Bay Fireworks Festival
19:00~20:20
Place: Harumi Event Area (Harumi Athletic Field
5-9 Harumi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
Access: 15 min. walk from Kachidoki Station on
Toei Oedo Line, or 20 min. walk from Toyosu
Station on Yurakucho Line.
12,000 displays
Please note:
*In case of bad weather,
fireworks may be re-
scheduled to the next day.
*For Tokyo Bay Fireworks
Festival 2009, it will not be
rescheduled when it's
cancelled.
*Details may change
without any notice.
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May 24, 2009
The H1N1 swine flu is our big concern today. Here are tips
what you can do to Stay Healthy:
☆ Avoid crowed settings
☆ Wash your hands thoroughly using soap and clean water.
Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
☆ Gargle frequently
☆ Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth to keep germs out.
☆ Wear facemask (both to protect yourself and to prevent
spreading your germs when you are infected)
If you have any symptoms of cold or flu
such as runny nose, sore throat,
high fever, headache, dullness or loss of
appetite, contact your physician before
visiting the clinic.
Below is a link to an announcement of
Japanese Bureau of Social Welfare
and Public Health Headquarters of
the Governor of Tokyo Bureau of
General Affairs.
http://www.fukushihoken.metro.tokyo.jp/iryo/kansen/sinpojiumu/presskansen090501/index.html
Q & A for the Influenza A (H1N1) by the Bureau of
Social Welfare and Public Health:
http://www.fukushihoken.metro.tokyo.jp/iryo/kansen/sinpojiumu/SwineInfluenzafaq/index.html
Here are some other useful links:
World Heath Organization: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/
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May 01, 2009
Tokyo Lease furniture store has a new website introducing various types of nice, clean second hand furniture. Why not be the lucky person to find some furniture for incredibly low price by visiting the URL below. It's up-
dated on a regular basis.
http://used-furniture-japan.livedoor.biz/
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March 30, 2009
Tolls for expressways and payments
Tolls for Japanese expressways are the most expensive
in the world.
For example, when you go to Nagoya from Tokyo by driving
ordinary car, you have to pay toll of 7,800 yen.
From Tokyo to Osaka, it's 11,600 yen.
Payments will be made either by cash, or by credit cards without
limitation of amount, or ETC below.
You can use the following cards for payments:
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Nicos, and Diners Club.
ETC Process
ETC=Electronic Toll Collection

If your car is equipped with an activated ETC system,
you can go through the blue 'ETC only' gate. If your car
doesn't have ETC system or you wish to pay cash or
by credit card, please go to the green gate.
Some gates have the sign like above right
'ETC(blue) / OTHER(green)', you can go through this gate
with or without ETC system.
1. Application for ETC card to credit card companies
2. Acquire ETC card from credit card company.
3. Purchase and installation of ETC device. It costs about
30,000 yen - 40,000 yen.
4. You can start to use ETC on expressways.
*Late night discount, early morning discount or mileage
discount are available in selected areas. Please contact
East Nippon Expressway Company Ltd for more information.
*Starting from the end of March, you can go all over Japan
for 1,000 yen on weekends and holidays if your car is
equipped with ETC system. This is a part of economic
promotion which LDP party has announced, and this is
in effect for the next 2 years.
http://www.e-nexco.co.jp/ (Japanese)
Metropolitan Expressway Company Ltd.
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6th April (Mon.) - 15th of April (Sun.) 2009
Haru no Zenkoku Kotsu Anzen Shukan
(Spring's National Traffic Safety Week)
starts next Monday.
Speed limit in most of the local streets in Tokyo
is from 30km/h - 50km/h. Even on express ways
it's from 60km/h to 80km/h.
You will loose your points and
your license can be suspended if you don't follow the
rules such as driving over the limit, illigal parking,
or ignore signs like Stop Sign.
Drinken driving is strictly prohibited in Japan.
If you drink and drive, your license will be suspended instantly
or you could be convicted or loose your license
from the result of alcohol level in your blood.
To talk on mobile phones holding the hand-set while you are
driving is also illigal in Japan. Even just holding a mobile phone
without talking you may get a ticket.
During this Traffic Safety Week, police will be standing in
most of the main streets and could be hiding anywhere.
It is important to drive safely EVERYDAY, ANYTIME.
All road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, should be
aware of Japan's road rules.
If you don't know the rules, please get a book called
'Rules of the Road'.
It is an easy-to-read translation of the "Rules of the ways
of the Road" prepared by the National Public Safety Commision.
Road usage diagrams and traffic signs with English translations
of meanings enable understanding of basic driving rules.
It is available in 5 languages
(English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Hangul)
from JAF offices from 1,000 yen per copy.
Drive safely, and enjoy Spring in Japan!!
TOMARE (Stop) sign. You must stop at stop signs.
March 11, 2009
Sakura is the name for cherry trees and their blossoms in
Japanese. There are over 200 varieties throughout
The most well known kind is ‘Somei Yoshino’ with pale pink
blossoms which bloom and fall about a week before leaves
come out. Many Japanese have gatherings under the blossoms
with their own drinks and food, even dancing and singing after
few drinks of sake. ‘Yama-zakura’, wild cherry trees, ‘Yaezakura’,
double-flowered cherry trees and ‘Shidare-zakura’, weeping
cherry trees, are also well known.
Japan Meteorological Agency announces a forecast of
predicted dates of cherry blossom blooming dates on the
first Wednesday in March each year. They usually start blooming
in Kyushu in mid March but in
some time in May.
Cherry blossoms are used for Japanese sweets and their tea
is served especially at happy
occasions. Their picked leaves
are also edible and used to wrap
sakura-mochi. Cherry trees are
often used to make small containers
for tea leaves and ornaments, and barks
are also used for ornaments, as
well as Chinese herbal medicine.
Sakura is often used in emblems by many schools and
institutions including Japanese Police and Self-Defense Force.
The famous spots for viewing ‘sakura’ can be found at
http://blog.realestate-tokyo.com/archives/cat_50043305.html
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March 01, 2009
'The Weather News' has predicted the flowering dates of cherry AOYAMA REIEN (AOYAMA CEMETARY) Address 2-32-2 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Open All day every day Trees Over 400, mainly Somei-yoshino Entrance Free Comments Total area 26 hectares. There is an antique Getting 10-minute walk from Gaien-mae Station URL - ARK HILLS Address Ark Hills Open All day every day Trees 150 Somei Yoshino trees Entrance Free Comments Behind Suntory Hall at Ark Hills and all along the Getting 1-minute walk from Exit 13 of Tameike-Sanno URL http://www.ehills.co.jp/rp/dfw/EHILLS/morishop/ark/map_e.php
blossoms.
The best time to view cherry blossoms will be late March to early April.
However, it depends on the weather and temperatures.
As temperatures have been comparatively high this year, the trees
will begin blooming several days earlier than usual, around March 20
in Tokyo and Yokohama according to The Weather News.
Here is a list of popular locations for cherry blossoms:
TOKYO
Hours
Fee
market in Nogi Jinja (Nogi Shrine) which is about
10-minute walk from Nogizaka station. It is held
on second Sundays every month exept November.
There
(Ginza Line), or Nogizaka Station.
(Chiyoda Line)
Hours
Fee
Spanish Embassy's wall, 150 Somei Yoshino trees
from a 700 meter-long archway of blossoms.
While the Cherries are full bloom they are lit up
from sunset until 10pm. A cherry blossom
festival is also held at Ark Hills Karajan.
There
Station (Namboku Line or Ginza Line) 1-minute
walk from Roppongi 1-chome Station.
(Namboku Line)
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|
| |
|
Address |
2-3, Kudan-Minami, Chiyoda-ku, |
|
Open |
All day every day |
|
Trees |
About 300, mainly Somei-yoshino |
|
Entrance |
Free |
|
Comments |
Chidori-ga-fuchi is one of the moats of a former |
|
Getting |
5-minute walk from Kudanshita Station. |
|
URL |
|
|
| |
|
Address |
1-1, Hama Rikyu Teien, Chuo-ku, |
|
Open |
9:00 - 17:00 (Last admission 16:30) |
|
Trees |
About 100 |
|
Entrance |
300 yen |
|
Comments |
This beautiful |
|
Getting |
A short walk from Tsukiji Shijo Station. |
|
URL |
|
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LIST 3
TOKYO
|
| |
|
Address |
1, Goten-yama, |
|
Open |
All day every day |
|
Trees |
630 |
|
Entrance |
Free |
|
Comments |
Many cherry trees are around the Inokashira pond |
|
Getting |
5-minute walk from Kichijoji Station South Exit |
|
URL |
|
|
JINGU GAIEN (Meiji Jingu outer gardens) | |
|
Address |
1-1, Kasumigaoka-cho, Shinjuku-ku, |
|
Open |
9:00 - 16:30 every day |
|
Trees |
About 500 |
|
Entrance |
Free |
|
Comments |
There's no toilet. Drinking party is prohibited |
|
Getting |
5-minute walk from Gaien-mae Station |
|
URL |
http://www.tcvb.or.jp/en/infomation/2area/map/06ma_jingu.html |
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TOKYO
|
SHIBA KOEN / | ||
|
Address |
4-7-35, Shiba Koen, Minato-ku, | |
|
Open |
All day every day | |
|
Trees |
About 100 | |
|
Entrance |
Free | |
|
Comments |
A nice place to visit with the temple as a backdrop | |
|
Getting |
3-minute walk from Onarimon Station | |
|
URL |
||
|
SHINJUKU GYOEN | ||
|
Address |
11, Naito-cho, Shinjuku-ku, | |
|
Open |
9:00 - 16:30 (last admission 16:00) | |
|
Trees |
75 types and more than 1,500 trees, including the | |
|
Entrance |
200 yen | |
|
Comments |
This garden near the shopping district of Shinjuku | |
|
Getting |
5-minute walk from Shinjuku Gyoen Station | |
|
URL |
http://www.env.go.jp/garden/shinjukugyoen/english/index.html | |
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