Nicki Yoshihara, Author at Tokiotours

Things to do this week in Tokyo September 9 – September 15

Posted on Sep 10, 2013 in Must see, Things to do |

‘Embrace the Animal, Strive for the Human’ Until Sat Sep 21, 2013 Vanilla Gallery You generally know what you’re going to get from a trip to Vanilla Gallery, which specialises in work that flirts with the erotic, sadistic and fetishistic. True to form, this solo show by controversial American artist John Santerineross will feature 58 ‘dark magic’ photographs that delve into Greek mythology, religion and the spiritual world. As the title...

Where to eat: Food worth the wait, restaurants and shops that keep Tokyo lining up for more

Posted on Sep 9, 2013 in Japanese customs, Must see, Things to do, What to buy, Where to eat, Where to shop |

Once a year, around the time that Michelin publishes its Tokyo guide, headlines roar about this city being the dining capital of the world. And it is. But it’s not just the arm-and-a-leg, mortgage-your-kids dining scene that makes Tokyo great. The fanaticism for detail and dedication to fresh, seasonal ingredients trickles all the way down to the places we actually eat at: the ramen shops, the gyoza dumpling joints, the udon noodle restaurants and the confectionary stores....

When do Japanese People Have Their First Kiss?

Posted on Sep 9, 2013 in Japanese customs, News, Stories about Japan |

Japanese men aren’t known for being the most romantically aggressive bunch. Many young Japanese women lament over having to take the lead just to get out of the dugout and onto first base. If Japanese guys are so reluctant to get touchy-feely, you’ve got to wonder: at what age do Japanese people have their first kiss? Japanese mobile company NTT Docomo conducted an online poll that asked respondents to divulge when they first closed their eyes and puckered up. The...

Tokyo won the 2020 olympic bid, design for the new stadium revealed

Posted on Sep 9, 2013 in News |

Reconstruction work on the National Stadium, which was the 1964 Tokyo Olympics’ main stadium and will be so again for the 2020 Games, will get under way in summer next year. The renovations will be made partly out of concerns about its quake-resistance and capacity. Work is expected to be completed in the spring of 2019. The renovated National Stadium will seat about 80,000 people — or some 25,000 more than it can now accommodate — and feature nine-lane...

Where to eat: Aoyama Flower Market Tea House

Posted on Sep 8, 2013 in Things to do, Where to eat |

Few cafés in Omotesando can rival the atmosphere at this verdant tea shop, which sits inside the Aoyama Flower Market shop on the corner of Aoyama-dori. Flowers and plants crowd the greenhouse-like interior, where customers can sample herbal teas alongside a menu of food including open sandwiches, parfaits and French toast. Details Address 5-1-2 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, TokyoTransport Omotesando Station (Ginza, Hanzomon, Chiyoda lines) Telephone 03 3400 0887 Open Daily...

Where to shop (and drink): Maison Kitsuné and Café Kitsuné

Posted on Sep 8, 2013 in Things to do, Where to drink, Where to shop |

Café Kitsuné The Kitsuné brand has fingers in several pies – fashion, music and, it seems, coffee. Grab a well-brewed cup in the Japanese-style café next to the Maison Kitsuné shop in Omotesando, and browse records and selections from the Parisien and Kitsuné Tee lines. The décor incorporates Japanese touches like custom-made tatami and fusuma sliding doors, while the in-house barristas have been trained by Omotesando Koffee’s Eiichi Kunitomo. Details...

Where to shop: Utrecht for that rare quirky book you can’t find anywhere else

Posted on Sep 8, 2013 in Things to do, Where to shop |

Ditch the e-reader for a day and head out to Utrecht for some good old-fashioned book buying. This select bookshop, owned by bibliophile and radio star Hiroshi Eguchi, is well stocked with volumes both new and old, and also offers an extensive range of weird and wonderful one-of-a-kind books by domestic and overseas artists and authors. Found on the way from Omotesando Station to the Nezu Museum, it also boasts one of the largest collections of independently...

Japan Prefers Pets to Parenthood?

Posted on Sep 7, 2013 in Japanese customs, News, Stories about Japan |

In a smart and expensive neighbourhood of Tokyo, Toshiko Horikoshi relaxes by playing her grand piano. She’s a successful eye surgeon, with a private clinic, a stylish apartment, a Porsche and two pet pooches: Tinkerbell, a chihuahua, and Ginger, a poodle. “Japanese dog owners think a dog is like a child,” says Horikoshi. “I have no children, so I really love my two dogs.” Many Japanese women like Horikoshi prefer pets to parenthood....

Things to do: Visit a Japanese miso factory

Posted on Sep 7, 2013 in Daytrips, History of Japan, Must see, Things to do |

Okazaki City is located southeast of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture and prospered in the Edo period (1600-1868) as a castle town and an important post-station along the Tōkaidō Road. History In the Sengoku period (1467-1568), the area of modern-day Aichi Prefecture was controlled by the Matsudaira clan, who would later be known as the Tokugawa and who in 1600 established a shogunate that would control Japan’s fate during the Edo period (1600-1868). The first...

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