Mittwoch, 31. Dezember 2014

Christmas lights in Tokyo 2014


The night view in Tokyo is always impressive, but during Christmas time it gets even better.
They start really early with decorating. After Halloween you are already able to see illuminations.
They don't celebrate Thanksgiving so there is nothing stopping them from anticipating Christmas.

Here are some of my favorite places in Tokyo:

1. Ebisu

The first illumination that I saw weas in Ebisu. Ebisu is where the famous Beer Garden is and where many japanese movies are filmed. One of the most famous drama is "花より男子" "Hana yori dango".



Do you recognize this spot?? =) This was were Tsukasa waited for Tsukushi !!

The opening of the great Chandelier



2. Tokyo Dome

The illuminations in Tokyo Dome were just so futuristic and colorful!! On top of that, they played music box melodies and made everything feel soo fairytale-ish.








 
 3. Shinjuku North Terrace

This was the only illumination that I saw in Shinjuku but definitely the most outstanding one. =)






4. Roppongi and Roppongi Hills

Definitely the most beautiful illumination that I have ever seen!! It's stunning and so magical. There is even a light show that looks like fireworks.

Roppongi Hills



This view!! *__*

Around Mori Tower

Roppongi

*__*

Light show




Mittwoch, 10. Dezember 2014

Climbing up Mt. Takao / Fall 2014



Before leaving Japan I wanted to see for a last time Mt. Fuji. I heard that you could see Fuji from the top of Mt. Takao. Since Mt. Takao is not too far from Tokyo. I decided to climb it up.

On a beautiful day we took from Shinjuku the Commuter Rapid Chuo Line direction Takao station. From there we had to change trains and go one other station. (It takes about 30mins)

The climb takes less than 3 hours. If you are not a climber there are also ropeways to shorten the trip. But on the day we went, many people were standing in line waiting to go on the ropeway.



From Mt. Takao you get a really nice view over Tokyo and surroundings. It's really impressive to see how big Tokyo actually is. You don't need to go up till the top to see this view though. Already halfway you will be able to see it clearly. On the way up, there are several food shops and tempels to visit.




If you arrive on top you should be able to see Mt. Fuji as well. I went right for it just to found out that it was cloudy where Fuji was and I could only see the shadow of it...


...with a bit of fantasy I created my own version of Mt. Fuji. :P

All in one I have to say that climbing up Mt. Takao is great, if you want to get a really nice view over the city and surroundings. The colour of the trees were pretty amazing as well. Japan's nature is surely impressive.


 


Mt. Takao is a perfect chance to escape the busy life in Tokyo and breathe some fresh air.

Montag, 17. November 2014

Adventure Time limited Shop in Shibuya



Just the other day my friend told me about the opening of an "Adventure time" shop in Shibuya. My best friend is a huge fan of adventure time so I got quite interested in it. It is only a limited shop though. Only up until the 11/24/2014.

When I was walking around Shibuya I came across the mascottes doing commercial and taking pictures on the street.
Beside the shop there are also various other events going on during that period.

The shop is in Shibuya inside the Marui Jam building at the 1F. 

Directions: From the Big crossing keep Starbucks on your left side and walk on the other side. It's right after McDonalds.

Don't worry if the store closes: Adventure time articles are available in several toystores around Tokyo. There is one in Harajuku.

Donnerstag, 13. November 2014

Fall Time in Nikko, Tochigi - Lake Chuzenji-Ko, 10/26/2014


Fall is definitely my favorite season in Japan!! The weather is nice, it's mostly sunny and enough warm to just wear sweaters outside.
Even more exciting is Japan's nature during Fall. It looks so magical. This is why we decided to go outside of Tokyo and visit Nikko.


Instead of going by train, my friend rented a car for a day which was less expensive, if you are going in a group of more than 3 people. I only paid 4000 Yen for transportation. By train it would be more expensive.


We didn't go exactly to Nikko city but to a mountain close to the city. On that mountain there were two different lakes. A small one and a bigger one. That place is also famous for the waterfalls around the lakes.


We went up the mountain by car and hiked around the lakes.



On the way to the second lake we walked by a waterfall, it's the Ryuzu-no-taki.


Unfortunately the weather started to change towards the late afternoon. It was still really beautiful.


After the second lake there was a much bigger waterfall. It's called Kegon-no-Taki.