Asakusa Diary - The Staff Blog

One of the most popular hostel events came back !!

That is.......

The detail is as follows.

[Date & Time] September 21 ( Wednesday ) 1:00pm -
[Location] Depart from Sakura Hostel Asakusa
[Map] http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/hostel_access.htm

1:00pm - Depart from Sakura Hostel Asakusa
* Walk along Sumida River to Ryogoku Sumo Stadium (about 40 min.)
... or Take a bus from Asakusa to Ryogoku. (200 yen)

2:00pm - 3:30pm See around the stadium.
* Optional 1: Edo Tokyo Museum (600 yen)
* Optional 2: Have a light meal "Chanko-Nabe" (250 yen)

3:30pm - 6:00pm Watch the exciting Sumo tournament(2,100 yen) together!!

To reserve this tour,
please contact Sakura Hostel Asakusa directly via email.
(info@sakura-hostel.co.jp)
In the email, please include the following information.
We will reply to you right away.

--Your name
--The number of people who will come including you
--Your telephone number

Please make a reservation by 21:00 PM on September 20.

★:゜*☆※＞o('▽'*)~~ Let's have fun together with us !! ~~(*'▽')o＜※☆:゜*★

Do you know where Okinawa is located?

Okinawa is located in the southwest and westernmost of Japan,
and it consists of hundreds of islands.

Because of its location and many other reasons,
they have so many different features in culture.

Now, there's an opportunity to see Okinawa's traditional dance and music.

On September 11 (SUN),
we welcome a group of Okinawan music performers to Sakura Hostel Asakusa !!

****Date & Time****
September 11 (SUN) 19:00 - 20:00 PM

****FREE ADMISSION****
*Please buy ONE DRINK when you enter.
There will be Okinawan beers, sake and tea available from 200 YEN.

****INQUIRIES****
Any inquiries to info@sakura-hostel.co.jp
Or call us at 03-3847-8111

This event is not only for Sakura Hostel guests.
Anybody who are interested in this event can join us.

You will see how different it is from what you have seen in mainland Japan.

One of the most popular Gyudon restaurants opened near the hostel today !!

You know there are already Yoshinoya and Matsuya in Asakusa, don't you ?
So......

Special feature of Sukiya is that there's a variety of menu.

For example,

Besides Gyudon, there are other menus such as Curry, and Tuna Bowl,

　　　　

Cornelia went to Sukiya for lunch today.
What she ate was.....

Now, you got more restaurant option.
Enjoy staying in Asakusa. ＝＝＝＝＝＝☆(((((((((･ω･｀*)ﾉ

Sumida River Fireworks Festival was held on August 27.
We enjoyed the fireworks together with our guests.

Before going to see the fireworks, we had two hostels events.
One is " Wagashi (Japanese Sweets) Workshop ",
and the other is " Nagashi Somen (Flowing Noodle) Party ".

The girl wearing the unique kimono is the instructor of Wagashi Workshop.
She taught us how to make jelly type Japanese sweets.

Now, they are pouring gelatin into the cup.

Finish !!
Blue jelly on the top is the image of blue sky,
and clear jelly on the bottom is the image of garden pond.
You can not see it in this photo, but there's goldfish shape jelly in " pond " part.

After that, it's time for Nagashi Somen Party !!

Look !! They concentrate on catching the flowing noodles.

ITADAKIMASU

We had a really good time.
Please look at more photos. You can see how fun it was.

☆☆**v(o^▽^o)v**☆☆ Thank you for coming, everyone. ☆☆**v(o^▽^o)v**☆☆

Do you know Doraemon ??

Doraemon is a cat-looking robot that produces unimaginable gadgets out of his front pocket.
This manga character is very popular, and everybody knows him in Japan.

Now,
you can meet such a popular Doraemon in Roppongi.　o((=゜エ゜=))o

The event named " Doraemon Park " is held on the first floor of TV Asahi until September 12.

This a familiar sight in Doraemon World.
Nobita and his friends often play in this place.
Now, Gian, who is the kid boss, has a recital.
His song is very terrible, and everybody runs away.

Takecoptar, and Dokodemo(= Anywhere) Door

These are Doraemon's secret gadgets.
If you apply Takecoptar to the head, you can fly over the sky.
Dokodemo Door is a teleportation tool.
When you open the door, there's another place in front of your eyes.

Other secret gadgets are also on display.

It's open from 9:30 AM to 20:30 PM.
Free Admission !!

Why don't you go there and enjoy Doraemon World ?　ヾ(･c_,･｡) ﾉ =з =з= з

Many festivals are decided to be off because of the earthquake on 11th of March.

So,
we were afraid that Sumida River Fireworks would be cancelled too.
However, it was needless worry.

Sumida River Fireworks Festival will be held on August 27 (SAT).
It's from 19:05 to 20:30.
∩(☆≧▽≦☆)∩⌒♪

We will have a workshop and a party on that day.
After that, we go to see the fireworks together !!

The schedule is as follows.

15:00 - Japanese sweets workshop
You can learn how to make Japanese sweets.

16:00 - Nagashi Somen Party
Nagashi Somen (Flowing Noodles) is an eating style where people catch and eat somen noodles with their chopsticks as it runs down a stream of water.
Stand next to the noodle slider and wait for noodles flowing down !!

17:00 - Leave the hostel and head to the fireworks view place.
Since many people come to see the fireworks, Asakusa area will be very crowded.
So, we are going to head to the view place earlier.
Let's enjoy drinking while we wait for the start !!

☆(*･ω･)／C▼☆▼D?(･ω･*)☆(*･ω･)／C▼☆▼D?(･ω･*)☆

Enjoy the typical Japanese summer scene with us.

Saturday, August 27th, 2011
@Sakura Hostel Asakusa

Free! (BYO please if you want drinks)
Any inquiry? Email info@sakura-hostel.co.jp

From who ??
I took a look at the label on this package.

" Oh, it's her !! Our friend in Indonesia !! "

As a matter of fact,
we haven't met her in person. ━━Σ(`･д･´；)━━!!!

So.......How did we get to know each other ??
The answer is Twitter.
We became friends by Twitter. ♪((o(*^∇^)X(^∇^*)o)) ♪

And, the gift from her is some interesting Indonesian snacks.

Brown bars on the left side are " Dodol " which is made from durian.
The right side is the banana chips with milk, coffee, and chocolate flavors.

It tastes unique, and we enjoyed them.

ミ★(*´∀｀)v Thank you very much, Vivi-chan!! ★彡

What a surprise !!

Gundam came back to Odaiba in Tokyo after an interval of about 2 years.

" Odaiba Gundam Project 2011 " started on August 13.
In this event,
14 parts of life-size Gundam statue with 18 meters height are on display.
Head, Neck, Shoulder, Thigh etc.

The life-size Gundam doesn't actually stand this time,
but you can look at Gundam parts closely.

In " Hands on Photo Point ",
there's the right hand of Gundam statue, which is about 1 meter high.
You can ride on his right hand, and take a photo.

In " Pedal Generator Area ",
there's a device that generates electricity by pedaling the bicycle.
When the electricity is made, Gundam's eyes emit light.

It's open from 10:00 AM to 18:00 PM.
Admission is 500 yen.

Since the design of ticket is different everyday,
the ticket will be a nice souvenir for you.

" Odaiba Gundam Project 2011 " is held until August 21.
Hurry ! Hurry ! εε=(┏^∀^)┛

The monthly event in Sakura Hostel Asakusa is just around the corner.

Do you remember what it is ?

Shodo, which is Japanese traditional culture, is the art of drawing characters
with a brush and Indian ink.

How about challenging Shodo in memory of your travel in Japan ?

Do you know how your name is written in Kanji (Chinese character) ?
At Shodo Workshop,
we will give you some suggestions of your name in Kanji.

For example,

Please take your Shodo work home, and show it to your friends. ☆(≧▽≦）☆

Take a look at the photos of the previous Shodo Workshop.
You will see how fun it is.
Previous Workshop

Anyone can participate in Shodo Workshop with FREE of charge !!

(≧∀≦*)ﾉ~･ﾟ★,｡･*:･ﾟ☆Come and Join us♪

There is a bar in Asakusa, which is the first European style bar in Japan.

It is KAMIYA BAR.

Recently,
it was registered as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan.

It was built in 1921,
and went through Great Kanto earthquake of 1923 and the war.

This building, which is made of the ferroconcrete, has sixth floor and the basement.
It took Art Deco design such as three long semicircle arch windows.

The most popular cacktail in KAMIYA BAR is " DENKI BRAN ".
It's a brandy based cacktail.
" DENKI " means electricity in English.
It was named, meaning sophisticated sake at the time when electricity was still new.

　　　　

Why don't you enjoy drinking, feeling the history of Japan in postwar days?

It's very hot these days, isn't it?
Now, it's usual that the temperature is around 35 degree C.

In such a hot day, what do you want ?
I definitely need the ice-cream !!

I found a very cute ice-cream in Ueno.
That is...... Panda Ice-Cream

Two pandas in Ueno Zoo, " 力力( lee lee ) & 真真( shin shin ) ", model for this ice-cream.

The eyes are made of black soy beans, and the nose is made of pea.
Two biscuits turn into the ears.

As a matter of fact,
there's a slight difference between these two panda ice-creams.

Can you see it ??

In order to distinguish 力力( lee lee ) & 真真( shin shin ),
the ear position is different.

The one whose left and right ears are apart is 力力( lee lee ).
In this photo, it's the right one.

Can you spoon up this lovely face?

You can eat it at the cafe " MEGURI ".

Have you ever heard about O-Bon ?

O-Bon is a holiday to honor our ancestors.
Actually,
this is a Budhist event occurring usually from August 13 through 15.

We welcome our ancestor's departed souls back to this world during this period.
It is believed that the ancestor's departed souls return each home.
In order for the souls not to lose their way,
the lit lantern and small fire are placed at the house gate.
In addition,
the Buddhist altars are tidied up and vegetables and fruits are set out as offerings.

When O-Bon is over, the ancestor's departed souls go back to their world.
The ceremonial bonfire is made in front of the house in order to see off the souls,
and offerings are floated on rivers and the ocean.

It is the traditional style of O-Bon.

Nowadays,
we just visit the tombs of our ancestors.

Many companies and stores are closed during the O-bon holiday.
People return to their hometown,
or go on a vacation to the beach, to the mountains, or abroad.

Because of that,
railroad stations and airports are packed with travelers during this period.

We, hotel industry, are not the exception.
Thanks to the O-Bon holiday,
Sakura Hostel Asakusa is fully booked this weekend!!
☆ｰ(ﾉ●´∀)ﾊ(∀｀●)ﾉｰ☆ｰ(ﾉ●´∀)ﾊ(∀｀●)ﾉｰ☆

O-Bon is near at hand !!

Today,
new coffee machines arrived at Sakura Hostel Asakusa !! ━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━

Actually,
the left one is espresso machine.

There were only hot coffee, hot tea, and hot chocolate on our menu.
But now,
we can serve latte and iced coffee, too. ∂(o^O^o)∂

The fact is, we have never used the espresso machine.
So,
Coffee company people gave us the lecture of how to use this machine.

This is latte which Tomo made for the first time.

I'm tasting latte which I made for the first time.

In such a hot weather,
you want something cold to drink, don't you?

We recommend iced coffee.

Enjoy your coffee break in Sakura Hostel Asakusa. ･　ﾟ.+:｡(●っゝω･)っ?☆

The Japanese Government decided to give People's Honor Award to NADESHIKO JAPAN,
who had won FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.

After the establishment in 1977, 18 people received People's Honor Award.
for example : Sadaharu Oh, who established world record of home run at that time.

Actually,
it's the first time to get People's Honor Award as a team.

It's People's Honor Award that gives high praise to a person who gives bright hope to the society.

Their untiring efforts not given up to the last minute
gave the courage to overcome the difficulty to all Japanese.

Congratulations! NADESHIKO JAPAN !!

*＜(*^-')ノ☆お;:*め:;☆:で☆;と:*:;う☆ヽ('-^*)>*

It's 1st of August today!!

The 1st every month is a happy day for cinema fans in Japan.

Have you ever heard about Movie Service Day?

As a matter of fact,
it's pretty luxury entertainment in Japan to go to see a movie.
The regular price is 1,800 yen !! Σ (◎до;)
You can eat 4 Beef Bowls in Yoshinoya if you have 1,800 yen.
Even if you buy an advance ticket, it costs you 1,300 yen.

On Movie Service Day, however, you can see a movie at 1,000 yen !! ?(*^▽^*)／

As a moviegoer thanks day,
almost all movie theater sell the ticket at a flat rate of 1,000 yen on the 1st every month.

How about going to see a movie tonight ??

Do you remeber the purpose of Tomo's business trip to Paris ??

( 1 ) the promotion of Sakura Group
( 2 ) the appeal of energetic Japan and Tokyo.
( 3 ) to get the cafe bowls in Paris

The cafe bowls which she bought in Paris arrived at Sakura Hostel Asakusa !!
♪ﾘｪ―+｡:.ﾟヽ(´∀`。)ノﾟ.:｡+ﾟ―ｪﾘ♪

Here are many cafe bowls with various patterns.

Gingham

Solid Color

Look !! How big it is !!

It's almost as big as my face.
Well, my face is actually bigger than the cafe bowl, though... (;￣▽￣)

♪･☆ﾟ:*:ﾟ(｡･ο･)つ□ Enjoy your coffee time with these cafe bowl. □⊂(･ο･｡):*:ﾟ☆ﾟ♪･

It's not super hot in Tokyo these days, but it is still hot and humid.

How about cooling yourself, watching fish which swims comfortably in a big glass tank.

" Sony Aquarium ", which is the popular event in Ginza every summer, started on July 18th.

The 14-ton large-scale fish tank reproduces the sea in Okinawa
where fish such as sharks and brutal morays swim.

In the small fish tank,
you can enjoy small sea animals such as starfish, sea urchin, and sea cucumber.

In another floor,
ecology of sea animal in Okinawa is screened by 200-inch 3D screen television.
People of all ages can enjoy learning fish with unique shape and brightly coloured fish etc.

Under the supervision of Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium,
beautiful sea in Okinawa appeared in Ginza.

When you visit Ginza, why don't you stop by Sony Aquarium ?

We had Nagashi Somen Party today.

Nagashi Somen..... It's " Flowing Noodles " in English, I guess.

One person pour somen noodles into a noodle slide from the top.
Standing next to the noodle slide,
other people catch with chopsticks as much noodles as they can.
And then, they dip the noodles in somen sauce and eat.

This is the noodle slide which Naoto made for the party.
It's made from bamboo.

Actually, the noodle came down the stream fast.
So, they had to concentrate on catching the noodle.

Thanks to good weather, many people came to the party.

Do you remember them ?
Yes !! Tsuyoshi & Tomoe !! ( they are ex-hostel staff. )

ITADAKIMASU

Nagashi Somen Party was a great success !! q(･∀＜*)y

We are very happy that many people enjoyed the party.

ヾ(＠^∇^＠)ノ Thank you for coming, and Let's have fun together again !! ヾ(＠^∇^＠)ノ

The first days of spring, summer, fall, and winter were called
risshun（立春）, rikka（立夏）, risshu（立秋）, and ritto（立冬） when the lunar calendar was used.

Doyo（土用） refers to the eighteen-day periods before these four days.
Among these four days,
Doyo of summer, which is the hottest time of the year, is the most famous.

It is very hot and humid in this season in Japan,
and many people, even dogs, tend to lose their appetite and feel poorly.

Since ancient times,
eel , which is very nutritious in fact, has been thought to provide stamina.
In order to prevent summer heat fatigue and survive the hottest season,
Japanese have a custom of eating eel on a special day during the Doyo period.
This special day is called " Doyo Ushi-no-Hi (土用丑の日） ".

Today, July 21st, is Doyo Ushi-no-Hi for the year 2011.

Many people have eel dish such as charcoal grilled eel and grilled eel bowl today.

　　　　

Why don't you eat eel dish for dinner tonight ?

JAPAN won FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany, beating USA in the final game.
This is the first time for Japan to be a winning team in Men's/Women's World Cup.

Japan women's national football team is called " NADESHIKO JAPAN ".

Do you know what " NADESHIKO " is ?

Beauty, modesty and a gentle disposition......
A girl with these qualities is the ideal Japanese woman,
and is called " ( YAMATO ) NADESHIKO ".

Well,
NADESHIKO JAPAN might have made up a new image of ( YAMATO ) NADESHIKO.
Beauty, but aggressive and strong.....

In the FIFA ranking,
USA is the 1st, and Japan is 4th.
NADESHIKO JAPAN's best record was 4th place of the Beijing Olympics.
This time, they broke the record greatly !!

All people in Japan are proud of their great achievement.
Bravo !! NADESHIKO JAPAN !! ∩(☆≧▽≦☆)∩⌒♪

As you know, Tomo went on a business trip to Paris.

The main purpose was
( 1 ) the promotion of Sakura Group
( 2 ) the appeal of energetic Japan and Tokyo.

As a matter of fact,
there was another purpose on this business trip.

Sakura Cafe was modeled after a cafe in Paris.
So, we wanted to get the cafe bowl in Paris.

And at last,
the cafe bowls which she bought in Paris will arrive next week !!
It's 120 cafe bowls !!

Of course, they are used in all Sakura Cafes.
Sakura Cafe Ikebukuro
Sakura Cafe Hatagaya
Sakura Cafe Jimbocho

Although we don't have Sakura Cafe Asakusa, we will also get some.

A big cafe bowl might have lost much of its novelty now in Europe.
However, it's still new in Japan.

Sakura Cafe may rise in popularity as the cafe where you can enjoy coffee
with a big stylish cafe bowl.

I can't wait to drink coffee with that cafe bowl !! v(≧∇≦v)三(v≧∇≦)v

We inform you that we have a party on July 24th.

★:ﾟ*☆※＞('-'*)♪('｡')♪('▽')♪('∀')♪('0')♪('ー')♪(*'-')＜※★:ﾟ*☆

Have you ever heard of Nagashi Somen ??

Nagashi Somen is translated into " Flowing Noodles " in English, I guess.

Flowing Noodles !? What is that ??

It's hard to explain....

One person pour somen noodles into a noodle slider,
which is a bamboo cut in half most of the time, from the top of it.
Standing next to the noodle slider,
other people catch with chopsticks as much noodles as they can.
And then, they dip the noodles in somen sauce and eat.

Concentrate your attention on the flowing noodles,
otherwise you can't eat them at all !! (ΩДΩ;)

Nagashi Somen Party is held in Sakura Hostel Asakusa on July 24th ( SUN ).
It starts from 15:00.

It's FREE ADMISSION. (♪≧□≦♪)
( Bring your own beverages, please. )

Are you interested in Nagashi Somen Party ?
If you have any question, please send e-mail to the following address.

info@sakura-hostel.co.jp

Join our "Nagashi Somen Party" and experience a typical Japanese summer scene with us!

+.(ﾉ｡･ω･)ﾉ*｡☆･:.,;*☆☆ﾟ･:*☆☆･:.,;*☆ ｡+ﾟヽ(｡･c_,･｡)ﾉﾞ｡+ﾟ

Something can be seen around the second observatory of Tokyo Sky Tree.

What is that !??

It's a spiral-shaped air corridor.

This air corridor was built surrounding the second observatory, which is 450 meters in height.

It's a glassed-in corridor.
So,
you can enjoy walking from 445-meter point to 450-meter point commanding a view of Tokyo.

It sounds nice, doesn't it ? :*.;".*・;・^;・:?(*^▽^*)/:・;^・;・*.";.*:

The monthly event in Sakura Hostel Asakusa is just around the corner.

Do you remember what it is ?

『｡.:*･ﾟ☆ †*'｡.:*･ﾟ☆*† ｡.:*･ﾟ☆』《◎･ω･》-o☆o-《´ω`●》ゞ ｪﾍ♪『｡.:*･ﾟ☆ †*'｡.:*･ﾟ☆*† ｡.:*･ﾟ☆』

Shodo, which is Japanese traditional culture, is the art of drawing characters
with a brush and Indian ink.

How about challenging Shodo in memory of your travel in Japan ?

Do you know how your name is written in Kanji (Chinese character) ?
At Shodo Workshop,
we will give you some suggestions of your name in Kanji.

For example,

Please take your Shodo work home, and show it to your friends. ☆(≧▽≦）☆

Take a look at the photos of the previous Shodo Workshop.
You will see how fun it is.
Previous Workshop

Anyone can participate in Shodo Workshop with FREE of charge !!

(≧∀≦*)ﾉ~･ﾟ★,｡･*:･ﾟ☆Come and Join us♪

This year, it is expected to be very hot summer.
And,
we are asked for the power saving during this summer.

In order to cool the hot body from the outside,
some measures to cope with it are taken everywhere.
Super COOL BIZ, Green Curtain etc....

In the field of "FOOD",
the menu which makes the inner body cool appeared in the restaurants.

You will see the dishes which uses the cold rice.

Cold Risotto

Cold Chazuke

Cold Katsudon

Cooking the cold rice without reheating leads to the saving energy.

Spend this summer with the cold dishes.　(≧∀'*)v

Today, we got a lot of leftover eggs.
So,
Tomoyuki and I ( Agu ) prepared lunch from those eggs.
Don't worry.
They are still fresh ones.

In fact,
Tomoyuki is the one who cooked, and I'm in charge of eating. (=￣▽￣=)

He decided to make egg sandwiches and omelet.

Now,
he is cooking ♪ It's the egg filling.

He is making an omelet ♪

Now, it's ready to eat.　(☆ω,☆)

ITADAKIMASU （いただきます）　(｡･ω･｡)ノ?(｡･ω･｡)

We are full...... GOCHISO SAMA　（ごちそうさま）

A lot of guests enjoy cooking during their stay in Sakura Hostel Asakusa.
Please feel free to use the kitchen when you stay here.

When you see the weather forecast,
these illustration helps you understand how today's weather is.

For example,

Sunny day

Cloudy day

Rainy day

Have you ever seen this ??

Yes, it's the sunny day mark.
But, there's a slight difference between this and the regular sunny day mark.

Look at this.

The right one is a regular sunny day mark, and the left one is the extremely hot day.
This red sun is associated with the glare of sun in summer.
The mere sight of this mark makes you feel sultry, doesn't it ?

When the air temperature reaches the body temperature level,
it's easy to get the heat stroke because it becomes difficult that the heat goes off from the body.

To call the attention, this mark is used for the extremely hot day.

Do you have the same one in your country ??

JAPAN EXPO is held in Paris from June 30th to July 3rd.

As I already told you,
we, Sakura Hotel Group, participate in JAPAN EXPO as an exhibitor.

For the purpose of revitalizing the Japan tourism,
the manager Tomo flew to Paris.

Can you believe it !?
In JAPAN EXPO,
she and 3 other staffs had to hand out 40,000 flyers in total.　?(((●Д○?)

They had been handing out the flyers for 8 hours on each day.

It's a tough work.
Her fingerprints almost wore off !!

Finally,
the president of SAKURA HOTEL started to help handing out the flyers.

During this business trip, she reached her 30th birthday.
A lot of friends in Paris celebrated her birthday.
That's because she is an attractive person, I think.

She will come back to Japan on July 8th.

We all are proud of you.

OTSUKARE SAMA　（おつかれさま）, Tomo.　｡☆∂(*･ω･*)O◇☆¨

The Star Festival, which is called " TANABATA " in Japanese, is on July 7th.

There's a romantic story about this event.
Actually,
it originates from Chinese legend of the two bright stars, Altair and Vega.

Long long ago,
there was a girl named " Orihime ", who was a daughter of the God in the heaven.
Her job was to weave clothes for the God.
She worked too hard everyday.

One day,
the God introduced a youngster named Kengyuh who also worked hard taking care of cows.

They fell in love at first glance.

They had so much fun being together they stop working hard.
So, the clothes of God got wasted and cows got ill.

The God got angry about it, and let them live apart separated by the Milky Way.

Then Orihime was weeping all day long, and so the God felt pity for her.
He allowed them to meet across the Milky Way once in a year at the night of July 7th.

If it rains on that day, the Milky Way will be flooded.
That means they lose the chance to meet.

Therefore, people pray not to rain on July 7th,
decorating bamboo branches with paper strips and ornaments.

Although they do this for the loving couple of this story,
they write their own wishes on the paper strips, and it is believed that their wishes come true.

Do you like this story ??

It's became very hot recently.
In the middle of summer, it's much hotter.

Because of the saving energy,
we have to struggle against the heat this summer.

In such a hot weather,
you want to relieve your thirst with cold drink, don't you ?
I guess, it must be the best to go with ice.

There's a good news for beer lovers.

KIRIN proposes the new idea of how to enjoy beer.

That is.....

Even if ice is put in this beer,
the taste and the aroma of hop don't get thinner easily.
If anything, it becomes rich in flavor.

It goes on the market on July 27th, and is sold only in the convenience stores.

Do you visit Japan this summer ?
(*^д^)ノ■☆　Get through this hot summer with this beer !! 　☆■ゞ(^д^*)

About a week ago,
there was a change in Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

Some of you who stayed here might have already noticed.....

We got a new TV !!
It's Sharp AQUOS ( Kameyama Model ).

As a matter of fact, it's not the one we bought.
It's the donation from a Japanese guest.

That's him !!
His name is Osamu Aikawa.

After careful consideration, he chose this TV.
But, it was too big for his room.
And then,
the idea of donation came to his mind.

Because he loves Sakura Hostel Asakusa,
he wants to share his treasure with other guests in the hostel.
That's the reason why he gave it to us.

He often comes to stay in Sakura Hostel Asakusa.
When you watch TV in the lobby. he may also be watching TV next to you.
o(^O^o)⇔(o^O^)oo(^O^o)⇔(o^O^)o

On June 24th, 2011,
Ogasawara Islands were finally inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List
by the World Heritage Committee.

Do you know that Ogasawara Islands belong to Tokyo ?

Ogasawara Islands,
which is composed of about 30 big and small islands that reach about 400km from south to north,
are located on the Pacific Ocean in about 1,000km south from the center of Tokyo.

It's " Oceanic Island " that has never been adjacent to the continent.
Accordingly, various creatures in Ogasawara Islands evolved from one species.

It is highly valued that
Ogasawara Islands have a number of endemic species which are not seen in other regions.

Do you want to visit Ogasawara Islands ??

Although it's a part of Tokyo,
the access to Ogasawara Islands has only ship and the ferry.
Besides,
only one ship is operated every 6 days.
Moreover,
It takes 25 hours and a half to get there.

If you are interested in visiting Ogasawara Islands, please click here

Enjoy the beautiful nature in Tokyo.　ε=ε=(*^▽^)／

Do you know " JAPAN EXPO " ?

This is the largest festival of Japanese culture and entertainment in Europe.
It's held in Paris for 4 days from June 30th to July 3rd.

To tell the truth,
we, Sakura Hotel Group, will participate in JAPAN EXPO as an exhibitor.

We aim at not only the promotion but also the appeal of energetic Japan and Tokyo.
We want to revitalize the Japan tourism !!

Who is going to handle a big job like that !?

That is .........

She will be in Sakura House & Hotel booth, putting on Yukata ( kimono for summer ).

If you make a Sakura Hotel/Hostel reservation in JAPAN EXPO,
you can get a special discount !!

Are you in Paris !?

Please go to JAPAN EXPO, and visit Tomo.　((ヾ(o゜∀゜o)ノ☆゜

Do you know that
Sakura Hostel Asakusa has the special offer now ?

After the Great Tohoku Earthquake on March 11,
a large number of nations and national organisations have been offering great support to Japan.

In order to show how grateful we are for all the support,
we have the special offer named " Thank You Campaign ".

This offer is valid until the stay on June 30th.

We were going to put the price back in July.
However,
we decided to give you another discount offer as a token of our gratitude.

That is " Summer Discount " !!

You can stay in a dormitory bed at 2,000 yen !!

Do you want to stay in a private room ??
The room rate is as follows.

Twin Room 7,000 yen !!
4 Bed Room 8,800 yen !!
6 Bed Room 13,200 yen !!
8 Bed Room 17,600 yen !!

It's available for the stay from July 1st to August 31st.

Save your budget, and come to Japan !!　"Y(o^Д^o)Y"

Although it' a sunny day with the high temperature, we are still in the rainy season.

This humid climate makes us uncomfortable.
On the other hand,
it's the best season for the hydrangea, which is called " Ajisai （紫陽花） " in Japanese.

Ajisai faces the best time to see in Hase-dera Temple in Kamakura now.
The stroll road in Hase-dera Temple is full of Ajisai.

You can get the whole view of Kamakura,
which is surrounded by the mountain and also faces Sagami Bay in front.

Near Hase-dera Temple,
there's Kotoku-in, which is famouse for The Great Buddha.

Kamakura is the best place to visit now.
(｡･ω･｡)ノ Enjoy the beautiful Ajisai in Kamakura. ミ(｡･ω･｡)

Our monthly event " Shodo Workshop " was held on June 19th. y(o^ - ^o)y

Many people came to the lobby to experience Japanese culture.

Do you know how your name is written in Kanji ?

Some Kanji has the same sound, but the different meaning.
Even if your name is the same as your friend's,
you might be given the different Kanji from your friend.

Are you Stanley ??
You might get the different ones.

Do you want to see more photos of this event ? -->> Shodo Workshop on June 19th

Next Shodo Workshop will be July 17th.

─((☆´∇)从(∇｀★))─Please come and join us if you have any chance─((☆´∇)从(∇｀★))─

Do you know " Lotteria ", which is one of the most popular fast food chain.

Now,
Lotteria started selling that unique shake again !!

Can you guess what it is ??

It's a revival menu.
In addition,
in spite of the fact that the price for other shakes is 210 yen,
the price for Kimchee Shake is 260 yen.

Therefore, it must be delicious.

However,
the poster in the shop says, " We Do Not Recommend ".

Actually,
it is said not to smell of Kimchee so much.

Do you want to taste it ??
It's a limited time offer until June 30th.

I won't challenge, though.

We, Sakura Hostel Asakusa, serves the breakfast at 315 yen.
toast, soup, coffee, tea.....All You Can Eat.

Regarding the breakfast soup, it's homemade.
Actually,
we make the feature of this homemade soup.

We introduce " Today's Chef " on the card next to the soup.
It's a handwritten menu card to which the photo of today's chef is attached.

Well, what about Naoto and Agu ??

We are not good at cooking........(￣ェ￣;)

When you stay in Sakura Hostel Asakusa,
please enjoy the homemade soup Sakura chefs make.

Good season for beer has come.

What is the best snacks to go with beer in hot summer?

In Japan, a lot of people will say " Hiyayakko ",
which is a popular Japanese dish made with chilled tofu and toppings.

Since tofu itself is a simple food,
it changes into more delicious one by the spice, topping, and seasoning.

The standard Hiyayakko is this.

Put some soy sauce on it. It's delicious.

The unique Hiyayakko is......

One American guest loves this combination.

This is Tomo's recommendation.

Do you have your original recipe for Hiyayakko ??　　(o^?^o)

The monthly event in Sakura Hostel Asakusa is just around the corner.

Do you remember what it is ?

『｡.:*･ﾟ☆ †*'｡.:*･ﾟ☆*† ｡.:*･ﾟ☆』《◎･ω･》-o☆o-《´ω`●》ゞ ｪﾍ♪『｡.:*･ﾟ☆ †*'｡.:*･ﾟ☆*† ｡.:*･ﾟ☆』

Shodo, which is Japanese traditional culture, is the art of drawing characters
with a brush and Indian ink.

How about challenging Shodo in memory of your travel in Japan ?

Do you know how your name is written in Kanji (Chinese character) ?
At Shodo Workshop,
we will give you some suggestions of your name in Kanji.

For example,

Please take your Shodo work home, and show it to your friends. ☆(≧▽≦）☆

Take a look at the photos of the previous Shodo Workshop.
You will see how fun it is.
Previous Workshop

Anyone can participate in Shodo Workshop with FREE of charge !!

(≧∀≦*)ﾉ~･ﾟ★,｡･*:･ﾟ☆Come and Join us♪

Due to the earthquake,
a lot of events were canceled or held on a small scale.

We were afraid that Sumida River Fireworks Festival would also be cancelled.
But,
it was needless worry.

Although it's one month later than usual,
the decision of holding Sumida River Fireworks Festival was reached.

The date is August 27th (SAT), and it will start at 7:05 PM.
If it's bad weather, the fireworks festival will be postponed to August 28th (SUN).
And,
If it's bad weather on 28th too, it will be cancelled.

As usual,
20,000 fireworks in total are going to be set off in two places.

We want to enjoy Sumida River Fireworks Festival together with the guests this year too.
When the plan is fixed, we will let you know the detail.

+ ﾟ.((人д＜o)　We wish it would be nice weather on that day. (o＞д人))ﾟ+.

What a surprise !!

We got an award again !!
This time, Hostelworld.com gave us the award.　(･ω･ﾉﾉ"☆(･ω･ﾉﾉ"☆(･ω･ﾉﾉ"☆

What we got is .....

The guests have voted our hostel in the top ten hostels in Japan for May 2011.

Since the earthquake,
we have suffered from the sharp decrease of the guests.

Winning the award one after another at this moment raises our hope.

We will make more effort for this reputation.

GANBARI MASU.　(･c_,･｡)o"ｴｲ(･c_,･｡)o"ｴｲ(>c_,<｡)/ｵｩ!!

Have you ever seen the firefly ?
The firefly lives in the rich nature environment
such as the clear water and well-grown grasses.

As a matter of fact,
there's an opportunity to see the firefly in the center of Tokyo ?

Can you believe it !?

It's " Minamoto Kitchoan ", which is a traditional Japanese sweets shop located in Ginza.

About 300 fireflies are released in the space on the second floor of the shop.

It is said that
a lot of fireflies flitting around the willow were seen in Ginza in Edo period.
Now,
it's rare to see the firefly in the city.

Only from June 6th till 12th,
you have a chance to have this rare experience.

This event is open to the public from 6:00 to 9:00 PM with free of charge.

In the shop,
the Japanese sweets associated with the firefly are sold now.

　　　　

Enjoy to see and eat ( !? ) the firefly !!

Since the earthquake,
the charity goods are on sale everywhere in Japan.
They sell the goods, and the proceeds are donated to the charity organization.

As a matter of fact, we also sell the charity goods.

What we sell is "WE ARE ONE" rubber bracelet !!

The price is ......Please donate as much as you like.
All proceeds will be donated to Japanese Red Cross Society.

Look !!
Sakura staffs are wearing this bracelet.

Be cool together !! ＊＞＞（●＾o＾●）＜＜*

Popular manga by Ai Yazawa who is well-known by "NANA" was made into a film.

The story is ......

a high school girl who faces the university examination is scouted as a model
by a professional school student who aims at the fashion industry.
With it as a start, she finds her way to go forward.

It is Keiko Kitagawa to play the part of Shiori (heroine).
It is Osamu Mukai to play the part of George, who leads Shiori to the dream of becoming a top model.

It is said that the ending of the movie is different from the original one.

This movie is playing now.
If you are a Japanese Manga fan, I bet you like it. ﾟ.+:｡∩(・ω・)∩ﾟ.+:

There is a song that gets into the news in Japan now.

This is a theme song of the drama " Marumo no Okite " broadcasting on Sunday every week.

The singers are Mana Ashida and Fuku Suzuki, who play the part of twins in this drama.
They are the center of attention in Japan show business right now.

It is said that
especially, the primary school and kindergarten staffs are interested in their dance.

To tell the truth, I'm one of MARU MARU MORI MORI fans.
As I hear this song, I started dancing like them. （● ・∀・ ●）

Do you know " hostelbookers.com " ?
It's one of the most popular hostel booking site.

Under the name of " HOSTELBOOKERS AWARD ",
they award the prizes to the top hostels in the world.

There are some categories in this award.
Best Location, Best Atmosphere, Eco-Friendly etc

Among those categories,

This is awarded according to the highest customer rating for 'cleanliness'.

So that means,
Sakura Hostel Asakura is cleaner than any other hostels !!

We will continue with our effort.

*ﾟ:*･q(ﾟ∀ﾟ)p Enjoy your comfortable stay in Sakura Hostel Asakusa.q(ﾟ∀ﾟ)p･*:ﾟ*:

Speaking of a worldwide fast-food restaurant,
what comes to your mind ??

It's McDonald's, isn't it ?

Even if eating in which country, the taste of McDonald's won't change.

By the way,
how do you call " McDonald's " in your country ?

The pronunciation of " McDonald's " in Japanese is MAKUDONARUDO （マクドナルド）,
and there's some nicknames for McDonald's.

Interestingly,
the nickname varies according to the area.

In East Japan, it's called MAKKU （マック）.
In West Japan, it's called MAKUDO （マクド）.

But recently,
nicknames other than " MAKKU " and " MAKUDO " got infiltrating on the Internet.

Although various nicknames such as MAKUDONA and DANARU are spreading,
the one widely used on the Internet now is MAKUNARU （マクナル）.

When you go to McDonald's with your friends, what do you say ?
" Let's go to MAKKU ?? MAKUDO ?? or MAKUNARU ?? " 

Are you a Mos Burger fan ?

If so, there's a good news for you.

Mos Burger will be served as in-flight meal on the international flight of Japan Airlines (JAL).
It's the first time for Mos Burger to be introduced to the in-flight meal of the aircraft.

This in-flight meal was named " Air Mos Burger ",
and it will be served only from June 1st till the end of August.

Air Mos Burger was produced based on Teriyaki Burger.

Although the minced meat mixed with beef and pork is used for the domestic market,
100 % beef patty is used for Air Mos Burger.

You can make the hamburger by your own hands !!
place the patty and lettuce on the buns,
and put some Teriyaki sauce and mayonnaise on it.....
You feel as if you ate the fresh hamburger.

Do you want to eat ??

Five flights a day, that arrive in
New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, and Frankfurt by the departure from Narita.

It's available in all economy classes on these flights. ☆ﾟ'･:*:･｡,ヽ(・∀・)人(・∀・)ﾉ ,｡･:*:･ﾟ'☆

There's someone who sheltered in Ueno Zoo from the aquarium in the disaster stricken area.

That is two Eurasia Otters.
Because the electricity and water supply has failed since the earthquake,
it became a difficult situation to keep them.
Therefore,
Ueno Zoo accepted those refugee otters.

One is " Donau " (male), who was born in Germany.

The other is " Tyrol " (female), who was born in Austria.

At first, they had been moving around or shrinking with mental strain.
But now, they seem to get acclimatized to the new environment.
They are getting to eat food a lot.

The number of Eurasia Otter decreases worldwide,
and it's specified as "Semi-Vulnerable Species.
It means, it faces extinction.

Those two otters crossed over the sea, and came to Japan.
And now, they have overcome the difficulty.

How about going to see those lovely otters in Ueno Zoo ?

One Taiwanese guest gave us the present !!

Taking a careful look at the wrapping paper,
we found out it's the one in National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Speaking of National Palace Museum in Taipei,
One of the most famous collections is Jadeite Cabbage with Insects.

Look !!
This is the mobile phone strap in Jadeite Cabbage shape.

And, this is the bookmark.

It will be very useful in reading Manga during my break-time.

To our regret,
we missed the chance to take his photo.....ｍ(＿ ＿；)ｍ

♪ (･Θ･) Thank you U･ｪ･U ありがとう @(･ェ･)@ 謝謝 (。・o ・。) Lin san ♪♪♪

Yesterday, on May 27th,
the start of the rainy season was announced for Tokyo area.

It's 17 days earlier than last year, and 12 days earlier than the average.
After they started to take the statistics in 1951, it's the second earliest.

Japan in the rainy season is very humid and uncomfortable.
In addition,
rainy days make people depressed.

So,
I show you some rain items, which give you a smile.

This is my rain boots.

Can you see it ?? It's Moomin !!

Can you guess what it is ?
It seems to be the Japanese sword........

It is..... Umbrella !!

It's named " Samurai Umbrella ".
We sell " Samurai Umbrella " at the front desk. It's 2,000 yen.

If this year is like the normal year,
the end of rainy season is expected to be in the middle of July.

☆ﾍ(ﾟ▽ﾟﾍ)☆彡♪　Let's spend the rainy season happily !! ♪☆彡(ﾉﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉ☆

Do you know KAT-TUN ??

KAT-TUN is one of the most popular idol group in Japan.
Recently, they released the song titled " RUN FOR YOU ".
This song is used for the car CM.

According to the rumors going around,
a moving message is hidden in the lyrics of this song.

Reading down the lyrics vertically ..........

the phrase " GANBARE NIPPON (頑張れ日本) " shows up.

A part of lyrics is this.

頑　ななPRIDE　
( Stubborn pride )

張　り切れそうなVOICE
( Hoarse cries )

れ　ん続したTENSIONに　心痛めないで
（ Don't feel hopeless from the extreme tension. )

日　の昇らない朝はない　夢見ること止めない
( The sun rises every morning. Don't give up hope. )

本　当のCHALLENGEが今この場所で　ここで始まる
( The real challenge starts now at this place. )

Can you see the secret message " 頑張れ日本 " ?

It's cool, isn't it ? ☆★━(*≧∇≦*)━☆★

On May 25th, we had a fire drill.

Well, May 25th is not a special day for the disaster prevention, though.

The fire station staffs arrived at the hostel !!

This time,
Tomo and Johrel took charge of the fire drill.
They are discussing the evacuation route etc with the fire station staffs.

Assuming that a fire broke out on the 4th floor,
the simulation of fire accident started !!

Tomo is announcing both in English and Japanese that a fire broke out.

At the same time,
Johrel rushes to the origin of a fire without using elevator.
Confirming a fire, he reports the situation to Tomo on the phone.

We went through the fire drill without any problem.

As long as you are in Sakura Hostel Asakusa,
we will protect you from a fire accident.　(*･∀･)ﾉﾞ ｡+･｡ﾟ:*:｡･+｡･ﾟ*ﾟ ★:ﾟ*☆

After cooking party " Little Chef ", we had Shodo Workshop.
Because " Little Chef " was a great success,
many people participated in Shodo Workshop. y(o^ - ^o)y

This time,
most participants were Japanese people and the foreigners who study Japanese.
Therefore,
everyone drew favorite words as one likes.

He is Patrick, which turned into " 波鳥津久 " in Kanji.
What he drew is.....

He is Nathaniel, who lives in Japan.
What did he draw ?

Do you want to see more photos of this event ? -->> Shodo Workshop on May 22nd

Next Shodo Workshop will be June 19th.

─((☆´∇)从(∇｀★))─Please come and join us if you have any chance─((☆´∇)从(∇｀★))─

In order to meet the food from all over the world,
we hold the cooking party named " Little Chef " once a month.

This time,
it was Sakura Hostel Asakusa to act as the host at a party.
The theme of this month is " Tea & Snack ".

In fact, we only have IH heater, microwave and toaster.
So, it should be simple cooking.

This is not just peanut butter.
It's called " Mwamba ", which is peanut butter mixed with oil.

Compared to the regular peanut butter,
" Mwamba " is much smoother.

They usually eat bread with it as breakfast in Congo.

We achieved our aim, which is to enjoy cooking and eating together.

Please see more photos of this event.
You will see how fun it was.

(*ﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉﾉ☆　|　Thank you for joining us !!　|　☆ヾ(^▽^*)))

Because this summer is forecast that the electricity would be in short supply,
we should try to save on electricity.

Now,
" Green Curtain " has attracted a great deal of public attention.

What is " Green Curtain " ??

It's to grow the vine near the window.

By growing the vine which climbs along the outside wall of a building,
the leaf shields from the sunlight.
In addition,
by exuding water vapor, the temperature rise in a room is controlled.

The morning-glory, tomato, and bitter melon are widely used for Green Curtain.

One report says that
the temperature in a room falls by about 2 degree C, thanks to Green Curtain.
The power consumption of the air conditioner decreases by a maximum of 20% accordingly.
By the shading effect of Green Curtain,
the surface temperature in the building in the daytime of midsummer falls
by about 10 degree C.
Consequently,
we feel cooler than the actual temperature.

It is expected that the air conditioner use decreases spontaneously.

Let's get through the hot summer wisely !!　♪(@ノﾟ▽ﾟ@)ノ

It is still May, though.....
" Hibiya Oktoberfest 2011 " , where you can enjoy drinking 20 kinds of German beers,
has started.

Following the beer festival "Oktoberfest" held in Germany every autumn,
Oktoberfest in Japan started in 2006.
In this festival, you can enjoy
the beer with the history of more than 600 years　,
the black beer known as the fact that Goethe loved, etc.
German sausage and German bread " pretzel " are sold.

In addition,
" Tohoku SAKE Festa "is also held at the same time.
About 10 kinds of SAKE in Tohoku region are sold.
You can enjoy the unique sake such as the sparkling sake " Puchi Puchi ".

A part of sales is contributed to the stricken area.

Are you a beer lover ? Or, do you prefer sake ??

It is held in Hibiya Park from May 20th to 29th.
On weekdays, it's open from noon till 9:30 PM.
On weekends, it's open from 11:00 AM till 9:30 PM.

･･()( )(　)(　ﾟ)( ﾟ-)(ﾟ-^*)ノ☆Let's enjoy drinking?♪ !!

Do you know there's the tree which brings happiness ?
It's named "Heart Tree".

After small white flowers bloom in June to July,
it comes into bearing the heart-shaped red fruit.

This is a kind of Maytenus, which is endangered species in Okinawa area.
In fact, it's the mutation of Maytenus.

Wishing to give the happiness and smile to all people,
"Heart Tree" came into the world after the breed improvement for more than 10 years.
In the language of flowers, it means "Small Happiness".

It is said that Heart Tree is strong in the heat and the cold.
It's possible to grow in outdoor, and easy to maintain.
You can enjoy the heart-shaped fruit from July till January next year.

Are you interested in this lovely plant ?

Through "Heart Tree",
the circle of small happiness might extend more !?

We are very sorry that we don't have Sumo Tour in May.
Instead,
we will hold Karaoke Party on May 28th (SAT) !!

We have three major Gyudon restaurant chains in Japan.
Yoshinoya, Matsuya, and Sukiya

The price war of Gyudon has heated up again.
Those three restaurants launched out into the price cut all together.

YOSHINOYA gives you 110 yen discount for any sized Gyudon.
Regular price of the regular-sized Gyudon is 380 yen, so you can eat it at 270 yen !!
It's the limited time offer from May 17th till 23rd.
In addition,
it's only for Eastern Japan Area.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

SUKIYA gives you only 30 yen discount for any sized Gyudon.
Because the regular price itself is pretty cheap,
you can eat the regular-sized Gyudon at 250 yen in spite of the small discount rate.
It's from May 16th till 22nd.

MATSUYA gives you 80 yen discount for any sized Gyudon from May 16th till 23rd.
After that,
you can get 90 yen discount for Bibimbap Gyudon from May 23rd till 30th.
Moreover,
you can get 100 yen discount for Kimchi Kalbi Gyudon from May 30th till June 6th.

Although YOSHINOYA's discount rate from the regular price is the largest,
the order of price after discount is
" MATSUYA ( 240 yen ) < SUKIYA ( 250 yen ) < YOSHINOYA ( 270 yen ) ".

In terms of the discount rate, YOSHINOYA is good value. (*^ー゜)v
In terms of the price itself, MATSUYA is the best. q(･∀＜*)y

Which one are you going to choose ?

♪4(^Θ^)Ψ*. .｡.:☆Enjoy Gyudon☆. .｡.:*♪4(^Θ^)Ψ

Even in this small country "Japan",
the food culture is different from place to place.
Well then, how about other countries ??
Every country has their own food culture and traditional dish, doesn't it?

Sakura Cafe is interested in the menu from all over the world,
so we hold the cooking party named "Little Chef" once a month.

This month, it's held in Sakura Hostel Asakusa at 3:00 PM on May 22nd !!
The theme is " Tea & Snack ".

It should be the one which can be cooked with the microwave and toaster.
Because we don't have a well-appointed kitchen in the hostel.....

Would you like to prepare dishes from your country together with us?
We provide the ingredients for you.

There's a possibility that your recipe is added to the menu in Sakura Cafe !!

If you are interested in this cooking party " Little Chef ",
please contact the following address.

******************************************************************
contact person : Ai Ono ( Sakura Hotel Hatagaya )
e-mail : ai.hatagaya@gmail.com
phone : 080-6608-4274
******************************************************************

At 6:00 PM on the same day,
Shodo Workshop is also held in Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

Why not participate in Shodo Workshop as well ?

(*ﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉﾉ☆　|　Let's have fun together !!　|　☆ヾ(^▽^*)))

As I already informed you,
2011 May Grand Sumo Tournament is held as a skill assessment match.
And,
it is open to the general public with free of charge.

Sumo Technical Examination Tournament started on May 8th.
How do they cope with the free admission ?

The answer is
-->> 1,000 free tickets are distributed from 8 o'clock every morning.

How come only 1,000 tickets??

Preferentially,
the free tickets were distributed to the patrons who have bought the admission ticket of every tournament.
In addition,
the disaster victims got the invitation to watch sumo.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

We really wanted to carry out the sumo tour this time.
Because it's FREE !!
However, we couldn't.

Unfortunately, it's the system of one ticket one person.
Only one ticket is distributed to one person.
So, we can not get the tickets for all of you in advance.....　(廿ω廿｡｡)

If you want to watch sumo game,
please go to Ryogoku Kokugikan and get a ticket by yourself.

Have fun !!　☆v(o^0^o)v☆

In Japan,
the second Sunday of May is Mother's Day.
It is a day when we show appreciation to mother.

Yes, Mother's Day in 2011 is today ; May 8th !!

Do you have Mother's Day in your country ?
How do you celebrate ?

In Japan,
the standard gift on Mother's Day is the carnation.
The child presents the carnation and a card to mother on that day.

Why is it not other flowers but the carnation?

One of the reason is that the carnation is the flower which symbolizes the maternal love.
In the language of flowers, it means "Mother's Love".
In addition,
it's the birth flower of May.

Recently,
the flower other than the carnation, sweets, dinner and travel are also popular
as a Mother's Day gift.

Well,
I'm going to stop by the cake shop on the way home today.

★-(･ε･｀Thank you, Mom !!´･з･)?☆

You know conveyor belt sushi (sushi-go-round), don't you?
How about "Conveyor Belt Dim Sum" ?
Have you ever heard that !?

It is not only sushi that is served going around on circular conveyor belt !!
I found a unique restaurant.
In this restaurant,
little plates of dim sum go around on a circular conveyor belt !!

It's "TEN TEN TSUNE TSUNE KAITEN BO （天天常常回転坊）".

Shark fin soup, Peking Duck, Chinese dumpling....
You can enjoy various dim sums.

There are both a la carte order and buffet.
If you are a big eater,
you should definitely choose the buffet.
If you are not,
first of all, enjoy the meal with a la carte order.
When it seems to exceed the buffet charge, you can switch it to the buffet.

That's very nice, isn't it?

Are you interested in this restaurant ?
It's in Yokohama Chinatown.
天天常常回転坊

From Asakusa,
it's about one hour to go to Yokohama Chinatown.

Enjoy Japanese style(?) dim sum !!

♪♪ﾞヽ((●>ω<人>ω<●))ノﾞ♪♪

Thanks to Golden Week Vacation,
Sakura Hostel Asakusa had been busy like before.

Now, it goes back to normal..... this dull situation is never normal, though!!

Come what may, we will carry out the monthly event.
《◎･ω･》-o『｡.:*･ﾟ☆ †*'｡.:*･ﾟ☆*† ｡.:*･ﾟ☆』o-《´ω`●》ゞ ｪﾍ♪

Shodo (書道) Workshop will be from 18:00 to 19:00 on May 22nd ( SUN ) !!

Shodo, which is Japanese traditional culture, is the art of drawing characters
with a brush and Indian ink.

How about challenging Shodo in memory of your travel in Japan ?

Do you know how your name is written in Kanji (Chinese character) ?
At Shodo Workshop,
we will give you some suggestions of your name in Kanji.

Please take your Shodo work home, and show it to your friends. ☆(≧▽≦）☆

Take a look at the photos of the previous Shodo Workshop.
You will see how fun it is.
Previous Workshop

Anyone can participate in Shodo Workshop with FREE of charge !!

(≧∀≦*)ﾉ~･ﾟ★,｡･*:･ﾟ☆Come and Join us♪

Do you know Sanja Festival (三社祭）?

This festival is held in Asakusa Shrine on the third weekend of May every year.

Unfortunately,
many festivals in Tokyo got cancelled due to the earthquake.
Sanja Festival did too.

In order to hand down the spirit of Shitamachi (traditional district) to the next generation,
" Asakusa Matsuri Museum " opened on Kaminarimon street in Asakusa.
It is limited period until May 27.

There are various booths in the museum.
such as.....

Miniature that accurately reproduced the main portable shrine.

Photograph and Painting of past Sanja Festival

Change in the design of HANTEN ( traditional work wear for festival )

you can experience Asakusa Matsuri culture in the museum.

It's open from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM with free admission.

♪(ﾉ∀･)ﾉﾍ(･∀ﾍ)(ﾉ∀･)ﾉﾍ(･∀ﾍ)(ﾉ∀･)ﾉﾍ(･∀ﾍ)♪

Look !!

In commemoration of Tokyo Sky Tree reaching 634 meters, this coin was produced.

Tokyo Sky Tree on the surface.
On the back side, Sakura in the upper part and Gingko Nut in the lower part.

100mm in length and 173g in weight..... Only 63 coins were produced.

Do you know how much it is ?? -->> It's 1,634,000 yen !! ?(◯Дｏ;ノ)ノ

We can not afford to buy even this one coin, can we ?

There are the reasonable ones.
88 mm in length and 66.5g in weight
..... 634 coins were produced and the price is 634,000 yen.

Hmm, still expensive, isn't it ?
53 mm in length and 17g in weight
..... 1634 coins were produced and the price is 163,400 yen.

Those coins are made of pure gold.

Actually, there's much cheaper one. (*･ο･)＝з
70 mm in length and 50g in weight..... 6340 coins were produced and the price is 16,340 yen.
It's made of pure silver not gold, though.

Each price is connected to the height of Tokyo Sky Tree,
which is the world's tallest freestanding broadcast structure.

Are you interested in the commemorative coin ?

Can you believe that the tip of a tower got curved somehow ?

Actually, it happened to Tokyo Tower.
Because the earthquake was too big, it got the subtle bend.
The curved condition can be watched.

Tokyo Tower decided to repair this curved tip.

Guess what !!
The staffs climbed up the top of Tokyo Tower and repaired the curved tip.

The video that took how the repair went is this.

Can you see four staffs hanging from the tip of Tokyo Tower ?

Precarious foothold, High altitude.....It must be the dangerous work.

If you were them, would you do the same thing ?

I would like to pay my respect to the staffs who worked in such risky condition.
" ﾟ☆,｡･:*:･ﾟ★d(ゝｃ_,･☆)!♪★,｡･:*:･☆ﾟ♪(●*`･∨･)b★,｡･:*:･☆ﾟ"

Have you ever seen this ?

This carp-shaped streamers are called Koinobori.

In Japan,
we have the custom of hanging out Koinobori from April through early May,
in honor of Children's Day on May 5th.

You can see it in Sensoji Temple.

By the way,
why is it carp-shaped ?

The carp is believed to be fish capable of
swimming up the fierce flowing waterfalls and overcoming all manner of obstacles.
And so,
it symbolizes the strength, courage and patience to accomplish the major goals and
the success in life.

Originally, Children's Day is Boy's Festival.
Families with boys fly Koinobori outside to pray for good health and growth of their boys.

These days,
there are some foreign tourists who buy Koinobori as souvenir.

Are they also going to celebrate Children's Day ??
The answer is No.

They seem to use Koinobori as the interior decoration, the mark of yacht harbor,
and the signboard of Japanese restaurant etc.

You may find Koinobori somewhere in the world unexpectedly.

:*:･｡,☆ﾟ'･:*:･｡,━!!!!! (ﾟ(ﾟω(ﾟωﾟ(☆ω☆)ﾟωﾟ)ωﾟ)ﾟ) !!!!!━:*:･｡,☆ﾟ'･:*:･｡,

British guest gave the thank-you gift to us.

What we got is....... CHOCOLATES

Who is such a nice guest ?...... That's Mr. ans Mrs. South.

They are the repeat guests.
This time, they stayed in Sakura Hostel Asakusa for 5 nights.

Actually,
a lot of hotels in Japan got the cancellation from the foreign tourists these days.
So do we.....

Why did they come to Japan and choose our hostel in such a situation?

Their answer was like this.
" One of the reasons why we are here is that, we love the hostel.
We enjoyed the stay last time, and wanted to come back.
Also, by visiting Japan supports the economic recovery of the Tohoku region. "

We greatly appreciate their kindness.
★⌒(@ゝ∀･)b　ﾟ*｡THANK YOU｡*ﾟ　d(･∀<@)⌒☆

TAKOYAKI Party will be held at 19:00 PM on April 23rd !!

To tell the truth,
the main host is not us but Shibuya Working Holiday Plaza.

What is Shibuya Working Holiday Plaza??

So to say, it's the Working Holiday agent.
They aim at supporting people who go on Working Holiday.

One of their events is
" Let's stay in Sakura Hostel Asakusa and have fun with the foreign people !! ".

Every time they stay in Sakura Hostel Asakusa, they have a party in the lobby.

And this time, it's TAKOYAKI Party. ☆ｳｷ(p｡･∀･q)(p･∀･｡q)ｳｷ☆

Working Holiday Plaza people make all preparation for the party.
All you have to do is to have a good time with Japanese people.

They are interested in the international communication,
and will be happy to talk with you guys.

(●´・ω・)･ﾟ★,｡･*:･ﾟ☆ Please come and join them ★,｡･*:･ﾟ☆(・ω・｀●)

For the power saving,
Almost all neon signs are turned off in the downtown area.

These are the photos taken in Shibuya.
< Before >

< Now >

Compared with before, it's definitely dark at night now.

We feel so strongly because we have been accustomed to spend night
under the bright illumination.

Some people say,
" Since the earthquake, the subway station in Tokyo is dark,
but I became used to this darkness. "

Up to now in Tokyo, it was too light at night !?

Power saving brought the change in the sense of darkness to Japanese people.
There's a tendency to value the dark night again.
Since the energy saving became encouraged, people have accepted the darkness positively.

When you visit Tokyo now, you might get a different impression from your initial image.

In a sense, it's a chance to see rare Tokyo.　☆━━(oゝд･o)ノ━━☆!!

As already informed, we had Shodo Workshop on April 17th.
Compared with before,
we didn't have many people who participated in the workshop. (廿ω廿｡｡)

However,
we did have some guests who enjoyed Shodo. !(〃^o^〃)!

" Brian " turned into " 武来庵 " in Kanji.

The boy in the middle is half Japanese & half French.
He wrote his Japanese name.

Josh got " 助守 " in Kanji and Lana got " 羅奈 " in Kanji.

Do you want to see more photos of this event ? -->> Shodo Workshop on April 17th

Next Shodo Workshop will be May 22nd.

─((☆´∇)从(∇｀★))─Please come and join us if you have any chance─((☆´∇)从(∇｀★))─

Tokyo Disneyland reopened on April 15th after an interval of about a month !!

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Big Thunder Mountain stops the operation until the end of this month
because of the repair work.

For the power saving,
the business hours is shortened by 6:00 PM.
In addition, Electrical Parade isn't carried out.

Nevertheless,
about 10,000 people queued up before the opening time 8:00 AM,
and some had waited for opening the park since the night of April 14th.

When the gate was opened,
some people shouted with joy, and some people broke into a run toward the gate.

Some waved their hands toward Mickey Mouse, and some gave a hug to Mickey Mouse.

Definitely,
everyone looked forward to meeting Mickey Mouse again.

In Tokyo Disneyland,
300 yen from admission fee per person is contributed to the earthquake victims.
The wrist band will be sold from April 22nd, and all sales money goes to Japan Red Cross.

Tokyo Disneyland is very popular not only among Japanese people
but also the foreign tourists.

Have fun, and you'll participate in the charity at the same time !!
。・。・°★・。・。☆・°・。・° o（＾＾o）　（o＾＾o）　（o＾＾）o 。・。・°★・。・。☆・°・。・°

I went on a trip during three day holidays.

The destination is .........TAIWAN

I visited Taipei for the first time in 10 years.

Because I study Chinese, it was a good opportunity to practice my Chinese.
Well, sometimes I could understand and sometimes not... (；´∀｀；)

What I thought about Taiwan is the spread of Japanese Pop Culture.

I saw many Japanese animation characters everywhere in the city of Taipei.

For example,
this is my favorite animation character " Anpanman ".

There were so many Anpanman goods in the night market, and what I got was...

On TV,
Doraemon is speaking Chinese !?

I found some Japanese comic books translated into Chinese.
I bought it for my study.

Japanese Pop Culture is really loved in Taiwan.

One more thing... I found this in the temple.
It says " NIPPON GANBATTE KUDASAI " ( Cheer up, Japan ).

I realized that Japan is loved and supported by so many people in the world.
Thank you, everyone.
I'll visit your country next time. ━| o|｡ﾟ+.ヾ(･∀･)ﾉﾟ+.ﾟ|o |━

Honestly,
we can't say, "Sakura Hostel Asakusa has a plenty of guests now. ?（≧∇≦)／" .
Even if we planned a hostel event, we hesitated to carry out because of this situation.

BUT, we decided that
we would hold a fun event as long as the guests stay in Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

And so,
we announce the Shodo (書道) Workshop which is held on April 17th !!

Shodo, which is Japanese traditional culture, is the art of drawing characters with a brush and Indian ink.

You have an opportunity to experience Shodo in Sakura Hostel Asakusa !!

We will have Shodo Workshop from 18:00 to 19:00 on April 17th (SUN).

♪書道♪ヾ（ヾ^o^）♪書道♪

At Shodo Workshop,
we will give you some suggestions of your name in Kanji (Chinese character).
Enjoy Shodo as if you are a great calligrapher !!

Please take your Shodo work home !!
Now, you get an extra souvenir. ☆(≧▽≦）☆

Take a look at the photos of the previous Shodo Workshop.
You will see how fun it is.
Previous Shodo Workshop

Anyone can participate in Shodo Workshop with FREE of charge !!

(≧∀≦*)ﾉ~･ﾟ★,｡･*:･ﾟ☆Come and Join us♪