Asakusa Diary - The Staff Blog

NEW STAFF @Sakura Hostel Asakusa!

2012-05-17T00:29:53Z

HELLO!
I am going to introduce myself as I will be working at Sakura Hostel Asakusa for a while.
My name is Ryoma. I was born in Kanagawa prefecture, which is next to Tokyo.
(The picture was taken at Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro.)
Although many of staffs (and of course guests) at Sakura Hostel have experiences of living abroad, I myself do not;
I have been to other countries only for traveling. Would you like to know where I have been?
I have been to Vietnam, China, Uzebekistan and so on as a backpacker.
I hope I will see a lot of travelers and hear their stories!

It is getting warm in Tokyo and summer is coming soon!
Please come and spend your days off in Japan with us!
Looking forward to seeing you!!

Quick Breakfast

2012-05-16T06:00:38Z

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But sometimes you don't have time for breakfast. This morning I had an early shift so I got up really early. Because I felt lazy getting out of bed, I skipped breakfast. Well.. Not really. I had a quick breakfast. This is what I usually get if I didn't have time for breakfast at home. Very healthy and nutritious jelly drink. It's a pouch which you can enjoy the natural taste of jelly drink banana and Yogurt flavor. You can easily get them at most convenient stores. You just squeeze it. Just a small amount of healthful food can help refuel your body properly, so try to have breakfast if you can. Don't forget, we offer breakfast at Sakura Hostel too! Sakura Hostel Asakusa Address: 2-24-2 Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo tel +81-3-3847-8111 fax +81-3-3847-8112 e-mail: info@sakura-hostel.co.jp URL: http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SakuraHotelTokyo Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/asakusa_hostel

Tokyo Bay Aqua Line in Chiba

2012-05-14T22:53:43Z

Today I am going to write about Chiba, the prefecture next to Tokyo. There is a famous bridge-tunnel combination connects Kanagawa and Chiba (2 industrial areas) called Tokyo Bay Aqua Line. Its the fourth longest tunnel in the world. At the mid-point of the bridge, there is a resting area called Umi-hotaru which is artificial island. Its also a famous sight-seeing spot in Chiba. You can view the whole Tokyo Bay on the umi-hotaru.

The tunnel is said to reduce the travel time from Kanagawa to Chiba from around 1.5 hours to 15 minutes one way. Without this tunnel, drivers have to go through around Tokyo and reach Chiba. By using this tunnel, drivers can just go straight from Kanagawa (Kawasaki) to Chiba without passing through Tokyo which saves lots of time and gas.

There are lots of restaurants and shops (especially amusement) for tourists. And as a tourist spot of coz there are guide books and instructions (or announcement) in different languages. So you can enjoy and access the facilities easily. On the Umi-hotaru, there are many displays showing how the tunnel was built. Explanations are written in both Japanese and English. You will be amazed how such a big tunnel project was built and appreciate how hard-working the workers are.

By the way, yesterday was my birthday! I am one year older now....Yesterday was my day-off but I am still teaching private Chinese lesson. (I like to keep myself busy, as possible as I can ^^) My student is a housewife and she bought me a strawberry pie! It tasted so delicious! See:

The annular solar eclipse!

2012-05-14T13:35:11Z

An annular solar eclipse will take place on May 21st.

Would you like to enjoy the annular solar eclipse with the current tallest tower in the world? if you do, why don't you stop by asakusa on this very special day? here, according to the news, here in asakusa we will be able to see the view of the rare annular solar eclipse, and since the tallest tower in the world is here too, you can enjoy both nice views in the same moment. Doesn't it sound great?!

The last annular solar eclipse took place 25 years ago, so it means that you can only see this panorama every 25 to 30 years. So don't miss this chance to watch it with your beloved ones.

According to Japanese scientific research, the annular solar eclipse in 2012, will take place on May 21st from 6:30AM to 7:00 AM, and the next annular solar eclipse will appear in the year 2030, so be ready and don't miss this chance to watch this spectacular view!

Sakura Hostel Asakusa

Address: 2-24-2 Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo
tel +81-3-3847-8111
fax +81-3-3847-8112

e-mail: info@sakura-hostel.co.jp
URL: http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SakuraHotelTokyo
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/asakusa_hostel

Feel the Japanese Culture at Sakura Hostel Asakusa!

2012-05-13T01:29:27Z

On May 26th, we will have 2 events at Sakura Hostel Asakusa! Through these events, you can feel the japanese culture very much :) 1st one is... SHODO WORKSHOP
This is the monthly event at Sakura Hostel Asakusa:) You can experience japanese calligraphy and write down your name in Japanese! The pics from last time is HERE :) 2nd one is... MINYO SHAMISEN CONCERT
This is also popular event here! You can enjoy the combination of the traditional japanese way to sing "Minyo" and the traditional japanese musical instrument "Shamisen" with the explanation :) You can join both of the events for FREE ! For the detail, please ask us by e-mail : info@sakura-hostel.co.jp

The Sumo Tour on May 2012

2012-05-12T22:57:00Z

Have you ever watched the sumo match live? On May 9th, we provided the sumo tour for our hostel's guests and Sakura House residents. It was the first time to watch the match not only for them but for me! We went to the Sumo Studiam in Ryogoku from Sakura Hostel Asakusa. (30-40 min by walk) On the way we saw the Sky Tree at the Azuma bridge! As soon as we entered the gate, there is the big picture of sumo wrestlers. Before entering to the studiam, we went to eat "Chanko". Chanko is the food which the wrestlers eat everyday and also is made by them! The flavor of the day was "citrus and salt" :) So delicious! Then one of our members asked me, "Sumo wrestlers eat this everyday... but is this enough for them? So small!" That's true, but I think they eat this with the 3-times-sized bowl :O lol After that we entered to the studiam and started watching. Since I like sumo and know some wrestlers, it was so exciting!!! In addition, what was very surprising that there were lots of wrestlers from foreign countries! For example, Mongolia, Russia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Estonia... Even the current champion wrestler is from Mongolia!!! His name is "Hakuhou". My favorite wrestler Koto-Oh-Shu (from Bulgaria, the wrestler red-circled) won!!! Wooohooo The next sumo period in Tokyo will be in September. I cannot wait to watch it again!!

My tiny dog Lucy

2012-05-12T03:50:10Z

My brother in Hong Kong sent me some of my dog's pictures through email and I wanna share them with all readers. Her name is Lucy and was born in January 2008. Now she is 4 years old!

Lucy always welcome me in front of the main door when I back from work. When I opened the door, she would jump over me. At that time, all my pressure from work would be gone!

At first I hesitated to move to Japan coz I couldnt take my dog with me. In order to recover from this 'sickness'. my brother will send me her pictures constantly. The last time I saw her was last October when I back to Hong Kong. Glad that she still remembered me!

One of our guest Suzuki-san is making a doll of my dog using needle felting! I have seen the semi-product and it looks so real! Every face features is patiently made! I will post the picture once the product is finished~ She is really professional!

And if you are interested in needle felting or want a doll made by needle felting, let me know and I will inform her.

Sakura Hostel Asakusa

Address: 2-24-2 Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo
tel +81-3-3847-8111
fax +81-3-3847-8112

e-mail: info@sakura-hostel.co.jp
URL: http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SakuraHotelTokyo
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/asakusa_hostel

Agu's Last Working Day at Sakura Hostel Asakusa

2012-05-11T02:33:42Z

I have worked at Sakura Hostel Asakusa for one year and 9 months,

and

Today is my last working day at the hostel.

When I came to Sakura Hostel Asakusa for the first time, I felt as if I was not in Japan. But, once I stepped outside of the hostel, I was in traditional Japanese culture. This gap was very interesting to me. I also learned a lot of things through my co-workers and our guests. Since I started working here, I realized how much I didn't know about Japan and Tokyo. Actually, I learned from our guests how beautiful Japan is and how interesting Tokyo is. If you stay with us even once, I bet you notice this fact. Sakura Hostel Asakusa is the place where you can meet people from all over the world. I really enjoyed working here, and I'm very happy to meet you all. Thank you for being my friends.　*.★★..*::*.:゛ヽ(´∀｀ｏ)ノ"*:.::*.*.★★ Sakura Hostel Asakusa Address: 2-24-2 Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo tel +81-3-3847-8111 fax +81-3-3847-8112 e-mail: info@sakura-hostel.co.jp URL: http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SakuraHotelTokyo Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/asakusa_hostel

Sakura Hostel Asakusa Event Report " Asakusa Performance Party "

2012-05-10T06:25:56Z

We had really cool event on April 29th. It's

" Asakusa Performance Party "

Here is what Okita group performed at the party. Ikebana ( 生け花 ) It's Japanese art of flower arrangement. Finish !! It's very beautiful, isn't it ? Wow !! How cute they are !! They are Shamisen sisters " Aoi & Kaede ". Shamisen ( 三味線 ) is a traditional Japanese stringed instrument with three strings. Playing Shamisen, they were singing old J-POP songs. Wadaiko ( 和太鼓 ) It's a traditional Japanese drum with powerful sound. It's as if Wadaiko sound shook the land. We really enjoyed their exciting performance. Look !! Some of our guests actually tried Wadaiko. It must be good experience for them. At last, DJ Asalow and Okita livened up the party more and more. Sakura Hostel Asakusa became the night club mixed with cool music and Japanese culture !! Asakusa Performance Party was really successful. We are so happy to have fun together with a lot of people. Actually, we are thinking of next Asakusa Performance Party. When it comes, please join us again !! Sakura Hostel Asakusa Address: 2-24-2 Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo tel +81-3-3847-8111 fax +81-3-3847-8112 e-mail: info@sakura-hostel.co.jp URL: http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SakuraHotelTokyo Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/asakusa_hostel

Kappabashi street

2012-05-09T10:14:58Z

The other week I went to Kappabashi street for the first time to get some things for the hostel. Kappabashi is a shopping street that sells lots of kitchen/restaurant items. Items on sale include tableware, kitchen utensils and appliances, sample food, furniture, signs, lanterns and uniforms. Everything you need for restaurant business is here! Walking around the area, I saw many statues of Kappa. Kappa is a popular mythical creature in Japan. It's a walking distance from the hostel. You could get some nice souviners! Sakura Hostel Asakusa Address: 2-24-2 Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo tel +81-3-3847-8111 fax +81-3-3847-8112 e-mail: info@sakura-hostel.co.jp URL: http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SakuraHotelTokyo Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/asakusa_hostel

The Beautiful Violet Curtain

2012-05-07T22:44:22Z

Hello everyone! I, Kyoko came back to Asakusa from the training in Jimbocho for 3 weeks :) It was very nice experience to work there. My working diary in Jimbocho is HERE!(in Japanese) By the way, today I'd like to talk about this one!
Japanese wisteria / TANAKA Juuyoh This is the garden of Japanese Wisteria. Very beautiful, isn't it?
Japanese wisteria / TANAKA Juuyoh Japanese Wisteria is called "Fuji"(藤) in Japanese, but it's written in the different kanji as Mt.Fuji(富士山). From the end of April to the beginning of May, We can enjoy very beautifully bloomed Fuji in Japan.
Japanese wisteria / TANAKA Juuyoh Since there are four distinct seasons in Japan, You can enjoy the seasonal flowers and the varied nature. Why don't you come to Japan for enjoying this attraction? ;)

Sight-seeing places in Yokohama city

2012-05-07T00:28:03Z

Many guests asked about the sight-seeing spots in Tokyo and their directions. How about Yokohama city? There are many cool sight-seeing spots too. It takes less than an hour to get to downtown Yokohama from Asakusa station.

Let me introduce you some nice signt-seeing spots in Yokohama city:

(1) Yokohama Akarenga Soko
Its a red brick warehouse which full of cultural facilities, fashsion stores, glocery stores and food courts. You can spend hours inside the warehouse. The night view from the warehouse is great too. You can view the whole Yamashita Park and Minatomirai 21 area from the warehouse.

(2) China Town
Yokohama China Town is the largest China Town in Japan. You will find lots of traditional Chinese stuffs there such as Chinese food ingredients and Chinese clothings. Besides, if you have problems that you cannot solve, you can seek a fortune teller who can give you some useful advices base on Chinese fortune telling theory and fengshui. Moreover, during Lunar new year, they hold tons of celebrations and the most famous one would be the Dragon dance on the first few days during new year.

There are lots of Chinese restaurants which you can eat the traditional Chinese food too.

(3) Yamashita Park
The park is located near the Yokohama bay. You can enjoy the whole bay from the park. Its beautiful if you view at night. The night view is just fabalous! There are many benches inside so you can sit there and relax for a while. Its good if you are tired from walking.

(4) Takashimaya Department store
You will find the world most famous fashsion brand there (of coz the Japanese one). High-class dessert shops are also available too. So if you are a shopping person, remember to stop by there!

There are lots of nice places in Yokohama, not only in Tokyo. If you are interested, why not stop by yokohama city for a while?

Sakura Hostel Asakusa

Address: 2-24-2 Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo
tel +81-3-3847-8111
fax +81-3-3847-8112

e-mail: info@sakura-hostel.co.jp
URL: http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SakuraHotelTokyo
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/asakusa_hostel

Hiking in tokyo

2012-05-05T14:21:35Z

Its been a while since last time I added an entry to our blog. How is it going everyone? hope you are doing well.

So today I am going to write about a good place for hiking in Tokyo.

This mountain is called Takaosan 高尾山. The height of Takaosan is approximately about 599m, its not that tall but it is indeed good spot for hiking. I personally love this mountain, I have hiked this mountain for more than 2 times, and of course Ｉ　ｗｅｎｔ　ｔｈｅｒｅ　ｉｎ　ｄｉｆｆｅｒｅｎｔ　ｓｅａｓｏｎs．ｗｈｉｃｈ　ａｒｅ　ｗｉｎｔｅｒ　ａｎｄ　ｓｕｍｍｅｒ．Ｉ　ｌｏｖｅ　ｈｉｋｉｎｇ　ｉｎ　ｗｉｎｔｅｒ　ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ　ｉｔ　ｋｅｅｐｓ　ｍｙ　ｂｏｄｙ　ｗａｒｍ，　ａｎｄ　ｙｏｕ　ｗｏｎｔ　ｆｅｅｌ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｏｌｄｎｅｓｓ　ｗｈｉｌｅ　ｄｏｉｎｇ　ｓｏ．

I remember the last time I went there, it took me about 6 hours to finish the hiking journey, basically, it takes around 3 hours just to climb up, and to come down it takes around 2.5 hours, so it would be better for you to go there in the morning.

So what do you do when you reach the top?

In fact, there are no many things to do up there, but you can enjoy the view , and you can also rest a little bit, and eat something up there, and I would suggest you to bring food if you are planning to go there.

　By the way,you can see those 2 cool statues on the top of this blog, while you are heading to the tip of the mountain. so don't forget to take a picture with them when you see them.

When it comes to hiking, slippery stairs always come along with this term. So get ready to get your feet exhausted.

Well, but Japanese are really thoughtful, so you can also take this slippery train, when you get too exhausted from hiking.

I guess I shouldn't be showing you this, but this is how the view looks like when you are looking down from the top.

For the information,this is me 2 years ago.

Sakura Hostel Asakusa

Address: 2-24-2 Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo

tel +81-3-3847-8111

fax +81-3-3847-8112

e-mail: info@sakura-hostel.co.jp

URL: http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SakuraHotelTokyo

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/asakusa_hostel

Penguin parade in Asahikawa zoo (Hokkaido)

2012-05-04T22:38:36Z

Today I am going to introduce Hokkaido, the northern part of Japan. I have been there only once but I love it! I like snow and I always long to see snow. Hong Kong never get snow and thats why. However when it comes to the temperature, I am not gonna into it, haha. My trip to Hokkaido is a package organized by the airlines. It includes the Asahikawa zoo which is the most exciting part of the schedule coz I love animals and I was going to meet lots of wild and cute animals! In Asahikawa zoo, there is penguin parade from November to March and thats what I am talking about. (thats why I am going there) The parade time is fixed everyday. People line up hours beforehand just to see that 5-minute parade but it worth! Look at this penguins: Arent they cute? Unfortunately now its summer but dont miss the chance in this winter! Sakura Hostel Asakusa Address: 2-24-2 Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo tel +81-3-3847-8111 fax +81-3-3847-8112 e-mail: info@sakura-hostel.co.jp URL: http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SakuraHotelTokyo Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/asakusa_hostel

Asakusa Culture Tourism Center

2012-05-04T05:33:32Z

Tourist information facility opened right in front of Kaminarimon gate.

Asakusa Culture Tourism Center

They offer very useful information and service to you. Such as.... From the terrace and cafe on the 8th floor, you can enjoy beautiful view of Asakusa and Tokyo Sky Tree. Unfortunately, it was cloudy when I went there. Tokyo Sky Tree was hiding behind the cloud... o(TヘTo) In the exhibition space on the 7th floor, you can learn history, culture, event, and interesting place in Asakusa area. The 2nd floor is Tourist Information section. There are some PCs to search for tourist information, and also WiFi is available for free. There's foreign money currency exchange counter on the 1st floor. Because It is open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, you can exchange money even after the bank is closed. That's really good for you, right ? You can get guide book written in 4 languages ( Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean ). Also, they sell tickets of theatre and museum etc. Asakusa Culture Tourism Center will help you enjoy your travel more !! Sakura Hostel Asakusa Address: 2-24-2 Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo tel +81-3-3847-8111 fax +81-3-3847-8112 e-mail: info@sakura-hostel.co.jp URL: http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SakuraHotelTokyo Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/asakusa_hostel