tokyosaitama

This "ryokan" inn’s theme is "yuen" (connection), giving you a unique and traditional Japanese "ryokan" experience adapted to match the present day. It’s hard to imagine this quiet and serene space, resembling a mountain village hot spring resort, is just 10 minutes from the bustling city center. It's characterized by a minimal and efficient layout, while offering hospitality in tune with the four seasons. Enjoy a restful soak in the mineral-rich open-air hot spring baths with water brought in from the renowned hot springs of the Hakone. There's also a "kappo"-style restaurant where you can watch your meal being prepared and experience the seasonal flavors of Japan with all five senses, and a tea room that mainly offers Japanese teas, inheriting the historical culture of this area's tea plantations.

Musashino Forest (Mushashino-no-mori) Park was the starting point for the cycling competition (road race) during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The park is now named Musashino Forest Olympic and Paralympic Park to signify its role as an event host. Tokyo’s Fuchu City, where the park is located, has set up four cycling courses ranging from 10 to 30 km and including a competition course. Beginners and experienced cyclists alike can enjoy a safe and enjoyable ride here. Surrounding the park is Musashino Forest, which provides a beautiful green backdrop and is a relaxing place with a murmuring river and wild birds flying about. From Furusato no Oka (hometown hill), where stones from each prefecture are placed, you can see Chofu Airport, and on clear days, you can see the Shinjuku skyscrapers.

The Japan National Stadium, the main stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, offers stadium tours. You’ll get to see areas not usually open to the public, such as the athletes' locker rooms and the competition area, where you may still feel the energy from the events. Run around the track of this historic sports venue, and step onto the Olympic podium, constructed of recycled plastic, to get a feel for what the competitors themselves felt. See a wall signed by 300 of these athletes and sit on the same benches where they sat. You can create your own Olympic memories.

As the center of the Olympic movement in Japan, this museum introduces the history and value of the Olympics from different perspectives. Along with exhibits on the event's origins and history, there's a theater where you can experience the dynamism of Olympians through video and audio. There are also booths in which you can test your physical abilities compared with those of the athletes. At the neighboring Monument Area outdoor plaza, you can take commemorative photos with the iconic Olympic symbol and scale replicas of Olympic cauldrons from previous Olympics held in Japan.

This hidden gem of a sushi restaurant is in Omotesando. Here, you can savor a premium dining experience created by an authentic Edomae sushi chef and a sommelier. sushi m offers the finest pairings of authentic Edomae sushi with sake and wine carefully selected by a sommelier with skills honed in a two-star Michelin restaurant. The cypress wood counter has just 12 seats, while there is a dedicated counter for the sommelier. The restaurant also houses a sake cellar set at −7°C and a wine cellar that can hold up to 400 bottles.

The art of bonsai lets viewers enjoy scenes of nature condensed into potted plants. The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Saitama, centered on the collection of the former Takagi Bonsai Museum of Art, exhibits masterpieces and exquisite bonsai as well as specialized bonsai flowerpots, "suiseki" stones for viewing, and "ukiyo-e" prints in which bonsai appear. These items allow visitors to gain a richer understanding of the art of bonsai. Near the museum is the Omiya Bonsai Village, a celebrated bonsai sanctuary, where some of the bonsai gardens offer classes and workshops. A bonsai workshop at one of these gardens, SEIKOU-EN, is shown in the video.

This multi-purpose arena, with a capacity of 37,000, houses one of the largest moving systems in the world. The arena normally hosts for music, sports, industry, and cultural events, and was used for basketball in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The adjacent Keyaki Hiroba communal area, with restaurants and stores, is a popular family destination.

This restaurant specializing in grilled eel was founded in the Edo period, in 1807. The seventh generation now runs the establishment and continues to carefully preserve the traditional taste handed down over the years. The restaurant’s building, built in the 1910s, was designed by the city of Kawagoe as an important building on the urban landscape.

The Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine is the chief guardian of Koedo (Little Edo) Kawagoe. Many visitors from all over Japan come here pray for a successful marriage. With a history dating back some 1,500 years, it’s known as a spiritual "power spot" for matchmaking because it enshrines the husband-and-wife and family deities. The 15-meter-high Myojin-type otorii, or grand gate, towering over the temple grounds, is one of the largest wooden structures in Japan. The temple grounds have enjoyable and photogenic attractions, such as the Enmusubi Furin (matchmaking wind chimes) summer festival and the Ema (prayer votive) Tunnel, which supposedly makes you want to fall in love as you walk through it.

Japanese rickshaws, two-wheeled and human-pulled, are no longer common transportation, but you can hire one in certain areas. In Kawagoe, you can try a quick 10-minute ride through the elegant warehouse townscape or a 60-minute tour that shows you more sights and takes a deeper dive into the area's history, including the Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. Enjoy the streets of Little Edo as you take a mini trip back in time.

In the dynamic Kawagoe Festival (Kawagoe "matsuri"), spectacular floats are pulled through the town and many pass nearby one another. The festival, dating back some 370 years, is registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and designated as a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Asset. You can experience it at any time if you visit the Kawagoe Festival Museum. Two of the actual floats from the festival are on display in the museum's hall and a large screen shows a video that lets visitors sense the passion and excitement of the day's festivities.

Koedo Kurari (the Kawagoe City Industrial Tourist Center) is housed in renovated buildings of the former Kagamiyama Sake Brewery, which was established around 150 years ago. It retains the buildings’ original appearance. The center opened in 2010 as a place where residents and visitors can interact, revitalize the local community, and enjoy products from the city of Kawagoe. Each of the sake breweries built in the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras was renovated and designated as a national Registered Tangible Cultural Property. The facility consists of three warehouses: the Meiji warehouse where souvenirs can be purchased, the Taisho warehouse for enjoying locally produced food, and the Showa warehouse offering sake from all over Saitama Prefecture, as well as an exhibition area.

This lodging facility aims to have guests experience a stay as if they were actually living in Chichibu. Its three lodging buildings have guest rooms renovated from old private homes and that are located in different parts of this small city. After checking in at reception, you go to the lodging where you'll be staying, pick up a local "passport," and you can then enjoy wandering around Chichibu. Experience local life by visiting confectionery shops and "sento" public bathhouses that are long-time favorites of local residents. You’ll come into contact with the people and culture of Chichibu.

This is the Chichibu branch of the Highlander Inn, a whisky bar with its main branch in the UK. Operating in a renovated old private home, it maintains a Japanese retro feel with its tiled roof, glass doors, and "tatami" mat seating. You can enjoy a broad selection of whiskies, including Ichiro's Malt, a domestic whisky produced at a Chichibu distillery, and Scottish food, such as fish and chips.

Experience the excitement and soothing flow of cruising down the Arakawa River, taking in the beauty of Nagatoro's canyons and dynamic rock formations. Skilled boatmen guide the boats with a pole and entertain visitors with their unique expertise. The scenery amid the fast and slow currents of the upper Arakawa River and the natural beauty of Nagatoro are a gorgeous combination. You can enjoy each distinct season here. Take a ride in spring to see the cherry blossoms, in summer for the cooling breezes, in autumn to appreciate the beauty of the valley and the changing leaves, and in winter to warm up under a "kotatsu" heated table.

"Waraji katsudon" is a deep-fried pork cutlet served on a bed of rice seasoned with sweet and spicy soy sauce-based sauce. "Waraji" in fact means woven straw sandals, referring here to the large-sized cutlets. This popular local delicacy is served at small eateries around Chichibu Station, which are frequented by local residents.

This hotel is located in Asakusa Park Rokku, which has been lined with cinemas, entertainment halls, and theaters since the Meiji and Taisho periods, and was Tokyo’s most thriving entertainment district. On a wooden stage in the first-floor restaurant, guests can experience traditional Japanese performing culture, such as Asakusa geisha. On the top floor, exclusively for hotel guests, is Premium Lounge FURUMAI, where you can enjoy drinks and local Asakusa specialties. The area’s well-known sightseeing spots, such as Senso-ji Temple, are within walking distance of the hotel.

Asakusa is a must-see area for visitors. From Tokyo's oldest temple, Senso-ji, to the futuristic Tokyo Skytree, Japan's largest broadcasting tower, Asakusa brings together the old and the new. The Shin-Nakamise shopping street leading from Kaminarimon to Senso-ji Temple, dates back to the Edo period. It's one of the oldest shopping streets in Japan and a major attraction. After visiting the temple, pick up some traditional Japanese souvenirs, like folding fans and "kokeshi" dolls, and nostalgic sweets, like freshly made "monaka" (sweet red bean paste sandwiched between crispy wafers) and "ningyo-yaki" (doll-shaped sponge cake pancakes).
Toei buses are a convenient way to get to Tokyo Skytree from Senso-ji. These buses are designed to be people-friendly, with no-step entrances that make it easier to get on and off, and with wheelchair spaces and ramps.

This restaurant, since it opened in 1895, has been well-known for offering sukiyaki and "shabu-shabu" in the Asakusa area. Sukiyaki, a true representative taste in Japanese cuisine, is a "nabe" (one-pot) dish in which thinly sliced beef, tofu, vegetables, and other ingredients are simmered in a sweet and savory soy sauce-based broth. Asakusa Imahan, where sukiyaki is one of the highlights, emphasizes fresh ingredients, their place of origin, and the cooking method, with attention to detail extending to the color of the serving dishes. Here, you can enjoy the highest quality Japanese "wagyu" chosen from across the country.