About Yanaka on Digi Promotion in English:
http://www.digi-promotion.com/tokyo-neighborhoods/yanaka/
Yanaka Ginza
Cat and Temple Town, Yanaka
Showing posts with label temple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label temple. Show all posts
Jun 5, 2009
Yanaka Giza, Yanaka, Tokyo
May 13, 2009
Nakamise, Sensoji, Asakusa, Tokyo
Please see Sensoji, Asakusa, Tokyo
Nakamise is the shopping area between Kaminarimon Gate and Hozomon Gate at Sensoji, Asakusa. Fun place to munch on manju, ningyoyaki, and osenbei.
Nakamise Shotengai at Sensoji, Asakusa
Official English website.
http://asakusa-nakamise.jp/e-index.html
List of shops at Nakamise
May 6, 2009
Sensoji, Asakusa, Tokyo
Photo: May 2009 Sensoji, Asakusa
I am not sure how long the main building is going to be covered up.
Sensoji in Asakusa is a good destination on the first full day you have in Tokyo. It is very easy to get to and offers a lot to see in addition to the temple.
You can stroll the surrounding areas for shopping or trying all kinds of food such as sweets, noodles, tempura and sushi.
Time spent in Asakusa can be anywhere from 30 min to half a day.
How to get there - http://www.senso-ji.jp/access/index_e.html
English links
Senso-ji Official English website:
http://www.senso-ji.jp/guide/index_e.html
About Sensoji on JNTO website:
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/tokyo/asakusa.html
Restaurant Map of Asakusa in English(PDF):
http://www.asakusa-umai.ne.jp/e_asakusa/map/images/umaimapE.pdf
Oct 6, 2008
Day Trip to Nikko from Tokyo
Approximate Total Time:
4 hours round trip travel time on the Tobu railways from Asakusa, Tokyo
4 hours – 4 and 1/2 hours at Nikko
Walking Distance:
Total walking distance is around 4-5 km which includes walking up to Tōshō-gū from the station, then, covering temple grounds on foot. I returned to Nikko Station by bus.
Model Walking Route:
On this model route, the main shrines and temples of Nikko are covered. Some areas can be skipped if pressed for time. Admission ticket for Tōshō-gū and Sleeping Cat is 1,300 yen. If you have more than two hours in Nikko, get a combination ticket for 1,000 yen to cover Tōshō-gū (excluding Sleeping Cat), Futarasan-jinja, Rinnō-ji and Taiyūin. To see Sleeping Cat in addition costs 520 additional and may not be worth the extra fee.
Late October through November is the peak season for this area and weekends are always crowded. You may want to adjust walking time accordingly and make sure you have a returning train reservation.
Nikko Station
↓
Shin-kyō Bridge
↓Notes: If you get to Nikko around noon, there are some restaurants offering yuba or soybean curd lunch,↓soba, and okonomiyaki along the way between the station and the Shin-kyō bridge.
↓For Wednesdays and Thursdays, some restaurants are closed.
Rinnō-ji (30 min)
↓Notes: Tour of Sanbutsu-dō is offered regularly and three Buddha statues are very impressive.
↓Without the tour, you can go through inside the temple in less than 30 min.
↓No photography is allowed inside.
↓ Notes: Very nice quiet garden. Exhibition at the treasure house is very small, but good size to digest.
☆Tōshō-gū (60 min – 90 min at least)
↓Notes:Impressive, must see place to see early Edo period architecture with famous wood carvings.
↓Sleeping Cat and entrance admission to the Okusha or the tomb of Ieyasu Tokugawa is
↓additional 520 yen if you ↓have 1,000 yen combination ticket. It’s a bit of a hike up to the tomb
☆Treasure House (20 min) 500 yen admission even if you have 1,000 yen combination ticket
↓ Notes: Nice, small exhibition of mementos of Tokugawa Ieyasu, such as his swords, armor, and official ↓appointment letter.
Futarasan-jinja (20 min)
↓ Notes: Very peaceful.
☆Taiyūin -byo (40 min or more)
↓ Notes: 3rd Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu’s mausoleum. It is very quiet in here and quite interesting to see
↓different type of architecture from Tosho-gu. You will see colorful statues of various deities by the gates
↓throughout. I would not miss this spot.
Nikko Station by bus or taxi
Cost:
For this model walking course, total admission is around 2,300 yen.
Round trip from Asakusa to Nikko is 5,480 yen per person using Tobu Limited Express, which is the best choice if you travel without the Japan Railpass.
Food:
For lunch, there are some restaurants on the way to the shrines and temples complex.
References:
Snapshots of each location can be found at this English site run by the city:
http://www.city.nikko.lg.jp/kankou/shaji/english/main.htm
The tourist information center has very detailed on-line English guide
http://www.nikko-jp.org/english/index.html
Other:
Toilets: All locations have western style toilets.
Sep 24, 2008
Sep 23, 2008
Sep 22, 2008
Model Walking Route: Kita-Kamakura
I followed a model walking course and strolled around Kita-Kamakura on one weekday in September. Very quiet and nice area to learn Zen Buddhism and history of Kamakura era.
Approximate Total Time:
5 hours without stopping for lunch
Walking Distance:
I believe around 9 km if you walk from Kita-Kamakura to JR Kamakura stopping at temples along the way.
Model Walking Route:
Before planning a trip to temples, check opening hours. Some close at 4:00 pm and that’s not just when they stop allowing people in, but is when you have to leave the temple.
Kita-Kamakura Station
↓
☆Engaku-ji (60 min) 300 yen
↓Notes: Many sections are off limits. Nice view from Benzaiten
☆Tōkei-ji (30 min) 100 yen
↓Notes: nice wild garden, quiet, mossy rock walls, museum is open on
↓the weekend or by appointment only (300 yen additional admission)
↓Nice little street with shops and a restaurant, Umemiya, between
↓Tōkei-ji and Jōchi-ji
Jōchi-ji (30 min) 200 yen
↓Notes: This temple is not well marked. Ask for the English leaflet
↓for explanations first.Otherwise, the staff will not exchange
↓an English one for a Japanese one.I thought the statue of Hotei was
↓interesting. If pressed for time, OK to skip this .
Myōgetsu-in 300 yen
↓ Notes: Arrived there at 3:55 pm and they said you
↓have to be out by 4:00pm
☆Kenchō-ji (30-60 min) 300 yen
↓ Notes: About 10-15 min walk from Myōgetsu-in.
↓Kyorai-an is located on the way to Kenchō-ji from Kita-Kamakura.
↓This famous restaurant serves beef stew at a traditional Japanese house
↓up on the hill.Too important one to miss.
☆Tsuruoka Hachiman-gū
↓
JR Kamakura Station
Cost:
For this model walking course, total temple admission is around 1,200 yen.
Food:
For lunch, Kita-Kmakura offers excellent choice for shojin ryori, kaiseki, other japanese food such as soba, sushi, ochazuke. Anywhere along the main road between JR Kitakamakura to Kenchō-ji, you will find nice restaurants.
References:
Snapshots of each location can be found at this English site run by the city: http://guide.city.kamakura.kanagawa.jp/eng/stroll/course/index.htm
Detailed information on the temples listed in this post can be found at:
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~qm9t-kndu/engakuji.htm
Other:
Shop: Nozomi is a very nice antique shop by JR Kita-Kamakura Station.
Toilets: Most places had western style toilets, but one of the rest rooms at Kencho-ji only had Japanese style.
If you do not want to walk 9 km, rental bicycle is available for 2,600 yen for one day (8:30 am – 6:00 pm) at JR Kamakura Station (West side).（Tel：0467-24-2319）
☆=recommended
Sep 20, 2008
Sep 19, 2008
Sep 18, 2008
Kenchō-ji, Kita-Kamakura
Please see the Kita-Kamakura Model Walking Route for details. Kenchjo-ji offers zen sessions on Fridays and Saturdays.
Sep 16, 2008
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