Miscellaneous

Craft workshops are recommended in Art & Design page as well, and hereunder has some more information.

Asakusa History

Asakusa was founded as fish village. About 1500 years ago (in 7th century?) one fisherman scooped Kannon sama (Goddess Kannon) from Sumida River while netting fish from the river. Dedicated her to the temple which was the origin of Sensouji Temple. Tokugawa Shogun visited and devoted. After Meiji Restration, town becomes one of the shopping and entertaiment district in downtown Tokyo, lasted as such before Ginza took place. After the World War 2, Asakusa returns back into cultural center of Japanese tradition as seen in Edo era. One of the interesting places to live in Tokyo.

Time Zone

All of Japan has a single time zone, nine hours ahead of GMT or UTC. There is no system of Daylight Saving Time (Summer Time) in Japan, so you don't need to change your watch/clock by season. Hokkaido in summer gets sunrise at 3:30 am, early birds get three yen (JPY3) Hokkaido in winter sunsets at 3:30pm, long hour night owl activities! Interested in Lunar/Solar calender in Japan? Please click here to be "lunatic". Easy to handle your body clock, but watch out for the jet-lag! Wherever you come into Japan from GMT+1 or GMT-7, try stay awake until it gets dark, then finally sleep well like log or child, so next morning (JST = GMT+9) will be super fine without original time difference.

Delivery Service

Of course, Kiki's Delivery Service shall do your heavy luggage. If you bought too many presents and souvenirs in Japan, don't pay airlines for excess luggage fee, but post them to your sweet home at any post office found in Japan (including airport post offices). It is as easy as Step 1-2-3 as shown at this page. No Japan Post Service around you? Alternate service by cute Black Cat, not Jiji but KuroNeko, will be right beside you in any town, you may at least send to your departing airport as shown on this page. If you had ski gear or snowboard gear, Ski Ta-Q-Bin are also recommended. Let's travel with free hands and warm heart, shall we!

LIVE Camera Tokyo


Sensouji with main temple and thunder gate ....... Buddhist temple in Asakusa

Shibuya "Scramble" Crossing ....... one of the top 5 busiest stations in JR East area with about 1 million passengers get-on and get-off everyday. And of course this cool town is the place where Fast and Furious (Tokyo Drift) was filmed!

Akihabara-1 and Akihabara-2 is world most geek town (^_^) with all the electric and electronic gadgets plus maid cafe as well as cat cafe, gandum cafe, eva cafe and more!

Trains nearby Hamarikyu Garden (between Shimbashi and Hamamatsucho) has not only Shinkansen but JR Ueno-Tokyo line, JR Yamanote line, JR Keihin-Tohoku line are also captured. Soon, you will enjoy these sounds of Tokyo, wecome to Japan!

Trains north of Shinjuku Station has JR Yamanote line, JR Chuo Rapid line, JR Chuo Sobu line, JR Saikyo line, JR Shonan-Shinjuku line and Rinkai line. You are lucky to see Narita Express there passing by. Airplanes are approaching towards Haneda Airport seen on right top of the screen.

SkyTree is 634 meter in Sumida-ku (next to Asakusa).

Haneda Airport & Tokyo Station are the transportation hubs of Japan, both easy/short access from Asakusa.

Rent a car and enjoy driving Japan

Serching camping car? Hunting camper van? Honda has cheap without frills, very simple and minimum yet enough facility. N-VAN is highly recommended. About JPY8,000 for 24 hours, can easily run 20km per liter.

Honda N-VAN Official

Especially in Hokkaido where there is not much traffic light nor traffic itself, but lots of nature in wild, gorgeous view, excellent dish and hot spring to relax. Turn your radio on (not internet radio but local wave one) to listen to Russian music, drive eastern and northern coastal roads to view Russian islands! Need rest over night? Just pull over at Michi-no-Eki (Road-Station) so that you can bathe among local people. Just please watch out for fox, deer and bear, and let's ask their approval to enjoy driving. Hereunder has some useful links

Drive Traffic

You may drive your (rent-a-) car in to following ferries to cross the ocean!

Shin Nihonkai Ferry

Sunflower Ferry

Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry

Taiheiyo Ferry

Silver Ferry

Or, you may fly cheap there, and rent a car from/to your airport!

peach

Jetstar

SPRING

Travel beyond/within sightseeing

Ultimate reality is yourself. Whole universe equals to your own soul. You must have read somewhere that Japan also has so called Infinite Divine, you may call The Is, Allah, Amitabha, Buddha, God, Sakti or Shakti, Shen, Vishnu, LaoTianYe. Here in the Far East Asia, we admire them as Amidabutsu, Amidanyorai, Kamuy, Kami-sama, Hotoke-sama, KanNon-sama, Ojizo-san, Oshaka-sama, Tiida, Wonari. They are all linked (some says same-same-but-different) beyond Time and Space, and your culture may call them as cosmic being, own inner power, awareness, universal principle, floating energy of universe, also aether in all astral spheres. This millennium is finally when human beings may re-learn what we might have forgotten. Please do not only purchase T-shirt of Asakusa (called sightseeing and tourism) but we would like to highly invite you to travel within yourself through this Japan Trip. Not only Ainu natural awareness in Hokkaido, Osore-zan (Mt.Osore) in Aomori-ken, Zashiki-warashi in Iwate-ken, Ise Shrine in Mie-ken, 88 temples in Shikoku, Kawatana in Nagasaki, Utaki in Ryukyu islands ....... some can be refered in column below tagged as Entertainment and Experience (Japan)....... but also to try meditation or contemplation or mental concentration, for example, dokkyou, kanjou, mokusou, meisou, nenbutsu, tibetan exercise, yoga, zazen, etc.

All sufferings would be vanished when #1. All matters do not matter #2. All feelings be neutral in peace #3. No perception, no recognition #4. No karmic activities #5. No discrimination!

Let's not attach nor cling. Let go. Let it be. Yes, everyone can do it at anytime because Amitabha is welcoming each one of us.
(^_^)

Also, if you were interested in, let's try opening up the Akashic Records while relaxing wherever you feel good in Japan, inside temple or shrine, in bamboo trails, on white sand beach, in remote village of middle of no where, or even while enjoy riding Tokyo Metro. If it was still new to you, you may please surf on ....... only if you were ready:p

The Akashic Records

How to access

Past life regression session

Western Australia? next to Sri Lanka (^^)

A woman who links to Akashic Records

Happy Girls Talk

....... when you have spare time. There is no fear, life is beautiful as it should be (^^) There is no worry (and be happy, rings bell?), now is the high time should be fulfilled and appreciated, and you are always on your right truck, ooooops proper English should be written as track? but isn't it nice to be picked up by local 660cc small engined truck for unexpected tour in beauties? anyway, your spirit is towards right direction within your body in this life time, yes, Life Is A Highway, pleased to be aware that there is no mistake. It's all ILLUSIONS (audio and PDF). Welcome to Tokyo Ryokan, JAPAN.

Find-A-Job

First of all, working should be leading you mindful happiness and soulful content. If not being able to find a company like this one, you should start up your own thing. Not yet ready, not yet brave enough, not yet having an ideal (forgot your ideal?!) then let's do looking for a place, serching a position, hunting a job, shall we? The window seems like closed? No, the other side, main gate is wide opened! New life will start with brightness once people realize what we haven't yet realized, in another words, it's about realizing that you don't realize what you're doing:D The 100-year-old man who climbed out the window of hospital then disappeared? Let's follow him before we get 100 years old. There is actually a man who lives more than 100 years here in downtown Tokyo, who opened his own cafe when he was in his 80s, now delivery his beans to neighborhood customers on his own bike! There is also a 100-year-old man who did climb Mt.Fuji the other day!

Still worry a bit? Please, you should not be because happiness is right inside of you if you swept all worries away. And here's some job list you may be able to fit in .......

WorkAway

Reddit "senpai" helps you

WWOOF Japan

Tokyo Notice Board

Ohayo Sensei

Working Holiday Programmes

(WHP is only for young adults from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Korea, France, Germany, UK, Ireland, Denmark, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Iceland, Czech, Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia, Netherlands and more to be listed)

JET Programme

Hope you can find something like this => Harappa Cafe

Entertainment and Experience (Tokyo)

Yanesen (YAnaka, NEzu, SENdagi)
While you are in downtown Tokyo, you may like to fulfill traditional Japanese culturel activities.

Tokyo Tradition
While in Tokyo, you may like to experience Tokyo's traditional culture

Nature Tokyo Experience
Is this Tokyo? Wild nature in Tokyo? Let's feel earth in the far east capital city.

Washoku Cooking
Japanese cuisine cooking class, Sake & Matcha class, available in Asakusa

Rakugo
It is a traditional Japanese sit down comedy with all performances conducted in Japanese, therefore, you may say that this is bit advance class (^^). It originated in the end of the 17th century, and there are about 300 classic Rakugo stories. The linguistic confusion would be somehow mitigated by lively facial expressions and traditional props (performers use only a hand towel and a folding fan)

Manzai
It is a style of stand-up comedy in Japan, which usually involves two performers, a straight man (tsukkomi) and a funny man (boke) trading jokes at great speed. All in Japanese language, indeed, much more advanced in Japanese modern culture. Originally based around a festival to welcome the New Year, Manzai traces its origins back to the Heian period. In recent times, Manzai has often been associated with the Osaka region, and theiri comedians often speak in the Kansai dialect during their acts. Takeshi Kitano is a famous Manzai comedian in from Asakusa.

Kabuki Single Act Tickets
It is a traditional Japanese form of theater with its origins in the Edo period. In contrast to the older Japanese art forms such as Noh. Kabuki plays are about historical events, moral conflicts, love relationships and the like. The actors use an old fashioned language. KabukiZa Theater is located in Ginza.

Noh? Yes, please!
Five main theaters in donwtown Tokyo. National Noh Theatre in Sendagi. Kanze in Ginza. CeruleanTower in Shibuya. Yarai in Kagurazaka. Hosho nearby Tokyo Dome in Suidobashi.

Engeki at Mokubakan
In Edo period, SanzaYakusha was Hanagata but most of actor/actress played in Koyagake, you may say that Engeki is bit casual type of Kabuki. Expect closer relation between stage and audiences. Far less international touristic experience, heavily touch-the-ground raw type.

Costume Play (Cos-Play)
Wanna be Geisha and Maiko instantly? Wanna make your girlfriend/wife like Geisha and Maiko for your life? Kimono walk in Asakusa, taken professional picture in their studio and around temple and shrine. Very first western born Geisha, Sayuki, was also here in Asakusa. Basic lesson for Kimono at Cocomo and Vasara.

Drum Taiko (WaDaiko)
As good as Kodo, thanks to the Olympic gold medalist of Askausa, you may enjoy good taiko drum lesson throughout Tokyo.

Entertainment and Experience (Japan)

Zen in Awaji
Would you like to experience beyond yourself? In another words, would you like to find true meaning of why you are here on this planet? Lofi music on Youtube might give you some sort of relaxation, but only for such short while. If you are interested in calm heart regardless what's happening around you (no matter what you face) The East including Japan has this, here in Japan, we call it Zen (not Yen) ....... your remaining life may find worth visiting this small island of Awaji.

Osore-zan (not -zen but Mt.Osore) in Aomori
You are not interested in Zen meditation? but interested in feeling your loved one who had passed away sadly? then, Osorezan or Mt.Osore is the souls meeting spot. Your body may not be capable doing so (yet) but their sharman can do on behalf of you. One of the best sulphur onsen is also at the site, surely your heart and soul will be purified in many ways. Mind you, this is not a sightseeing tourist attraction but for one who's been struggling between death and live, just like front and back of thin paper (n_n)

Zashiki-warashi (your inner-child's friend) in Iwate
You think that you are not lucky yet? nor worth living more? Your "invisible" friend may surely support you in various ways to enrich your life journey. Here's some experiences for example.

Unique, "reluctant" and funny shaman in Nagasaki
Wanna know why you are reading this? Nearby JR Kawatana station in Nagasaki also has a shaman who is actually a restaurant owner there (^^) ....... again, it is worth visiting him so that you will be able to find actual living person doing more than "magic" ....... anyway, life is wonderful stage, and you are the master!

Studying of Buddhism Through English
Already been to Tibet, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Mongolia, China, Korea? You may please add Japan in your bucket. Actually, international language is not English but Smile. And tell you the truth of no needing studying at any academy, you may just hit the roads of Shikoku island ....... called 88 Temple Pilgrimage. You may also like surfing on Route 88. Well, in the end of this column, you seem like already finding your purpose and goal of this life! Yes, each daily life is our class of universe, surely perhaps which is more than maybe (n_n)

Temple lodging called Shukubo(u)
It is true that religion has been becoming theme park, if not, at least on surface, looks like sightseeing spot. Nontheless, it is good experience of touching the universal floating energy especially while you are on holiday without being annoyed by small daily stuffs back home (^^) Best is to enjoy all Yings and Yangs wherever and whenever, and guess what? you may be able to reach to the Nirvana point of view through staying in those temples, ideally where public relations (especially on-line advertisement) is not being seen. Yes, let's follow the soft and creamy light so that you'll be able to find yourself as light-being-self.