Great Veiw of Tokyo from Bunkyo Civic Center

This is the Bunkyo Civic Center where you can experience a wonderful veiw of Tokyo from an observatory on 25th floor.
(The Tokyo Dome City amusement park can be seen in the foreground.)

The west side is a view of Shinjuku, you can see the metropolitan office building and the skyscrapers.On fine day, you can also see Mt. Fuji clearly.
(This photo is taken by telescopic lens.)

This is the east side of Tokyo, you can see the Tokyo Sky Tree.
It seems that the buildings never end until the horizon.

The Tokyo Sky Tree.
It became the world's tallest and the most beautiful free-standing broadcasting tower.
The tower and the giant commercial facilities will open on May 22nd 2012.
(This photo is taken by telescopic lens.)

The Bunkyo Civic Center's observatory is admission free and the opening hour is from 9:00 to 20:30.

Bunkyo Civic Center (Official website)
Around 10min. walk from Hotel Niwa Tokyo.

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Cherry blossom season is coming !

Every year in this season many medias report the forecasts of cherry blossom blooming.
According to the forecasts, here in Tokyo, the blooming day will be March 30 and will be in full bloom on April 5 or 6 this year.
There are many cherry tree veiwing spots close from Hotel Niwa Tokyo in a walking distance.

You can see a lot of people enjoying the blooming "Sakura" from last year's picture!

This is Chidorigafuchi pedestrain path.

Beside the pedestrain path is a moat and a cherry blossom hill.

Cherry trees in full bloom are so beautiful.

A shrine's guardian dog and a cherry blossoms.

A traditional Japanese building and sakura looks great together !

We can hardly wait for sakura to flower !
Annualy the Sakura Festival is held from the end of the March until the beggining of the April at Chiyoda city.
Chidorigafuchi-moat and Kitanomaru-park where the festival is held is around 20min walk from Hotel Niwa Tokyo.

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Plum Blossoms at Yushima-Tenjin Shrine

Yushima-Tenjin Shrine is well known for a viewing place of plum blossom in Tokyo.

This is the guardian dog of the Shrine, the relief of the base it stands is carved with plum tree motif.

Also, Yushima-Tenjin Shrine is very famos for "shrine of learning" since Sugawara Michizane, a god of scholarship, is enshrined.

These days, a lot of students and their family visit the Shrine to pray for passing the entrance examimation.
They write their wishes on an ema, a small wooden tablet, and hang it so that their prayer is heard.

Usually the beggining of March is the best season for plum blossoms but this year about half of them are in bloom now, because of the low temperature weather continued in Tokyo these days.
That means we can enjoy the plum season longer than usual !

There are many colors fo plum in the garden, such as white, pink and ruby.

It is said that Sugawara Michizane, he is a actual nobility of Heian period, loved plum blossoms.

Yushima-Tenjin Shrine is around 20min walk from Hotel Niwa Tokyo.

We definitely recommend to go for a walk on a warm season !  

Girl's Festival Dolls - "Hina Ningyo"

March 3rd is "Hina-matsuri", the Japanese Girl's Festival  or Girl's Day in Japan.
The festival is for wishing girl's growth and happiness, most families that have female children display these dolls at home.
They are usually decorated with peach blossoms , grilled bits of rice cake, sweet white liquor called "Shirozake" and so forth.

From the top tier, the two dolls infront of a gold folding screen are imperial dolls, the Emperor and Empress.
"Sannin-kanjo" is three court ladies which holds a "sake" equipment at the second tier.
Third tier holds a five male musicians "Gonin-bayashi". Each of them have a musical insternment in their hands except the singer, who holds a fan.
On the fourth tier is the Minister of the Left and the Minister of the Right. Between of them there is a "Hishimochi", a diamond shaped rice cake.
Fifth tier holds the three helpers as a protector of the Emperor and the Empress.
Sixth and seventh tier, there are a variety of miniature furnitures, tools and carriages are displayed. 

It is said that the custom of displaying dolls began during the "Heian" period (794-1185).
These dolls are made almost 60 years ago. You can see a delicate work on each of them.

The dolls are displayed until March 3rd. Please come and see the beautiful "Hina-ningyo" at Hotel Niwa Tokyo! 

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Setsubun and bean throwing ceremony at Misaki-jinja Shrine

This is Misaki-jinja Shrine, a guardian god of Misaki-cho area including Hotel Niwa Tokyo.

Today, not only children but a lot of people gathered to the shrine to catch on to the lucky fortune! 

Today is "Setsubun" , the day before beggining of spring according to the lunar calender, literally means "the day between two seasons".

Setsubun is very popular annual event in Japan and the most important ceremony on Setsubun is a bean throwing and catching.

The shrine's priest throw beans hoping for a good fortune and drive away an evil spirit.

Under the shrine building, many people reaches thier hand to catch those beans which are thier lucky fortune and happiness for this year.

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