Asakusa Diary - The Staff Blog

Hanabi (fireworks) season is started last week.

If you want to become a Japanese, you should wear Yukata.

But wearing just Yukata isn't completed yet.
You should wear a certain footwear and accessories.

[Geta]

Geta is one of Japan's traditional types of footwear which is similar to clogs.
Geta is made of a wooden board with a Y-shaped cloth thong.
It is perfect with kimono and yukata.

Boy's Geta

Girl's Geta

[Zori]

Zori are similar to flip-flops, made of rice straw, lacquered wood or leather with Y-shaped thongs.

Boy's Zori

Girl's Zori

[Sensu]

Sensu are folding fans, made of paper and a bamboo.
One side is decorated with beautiful pictures like flower, tree, animal, etc.
You can fold them and bring with you anywhere.
They are really convenient item during summer.

[Uchiwa]

Uchiwa are non-folding fans with a long handle,
made by attaching paper with glue to both sides of a bamboo frame or plastic frames.

Now, you are ready to go to fireworks event!!!

What's summer for you?
Summer = beach !?
I recommend some nice beaches in Japan today :)

If you have enough time and money, Okinawa is definitely the best to visit!

Okinawa is southen islands about 1,600 km away from Tokyo.
Especially, the small islands are great to relax, and the coral reef are amazing!!

The flight from Tokyo to Okinawa (main island) takes 2.5 hours, and costs about 33,000 yen (one way). Okinawa has many cheap hostels, budget hotels, and of cource gorgeous hotels as well ;)

OKINAWA >> http://www.okinawa-information.com/content/okinawa-beach-guide

If you have time, but not enough money to fly, I recommend Izu area which is the closest paradise from Tokyo!
Izu is a peninsula, and there're many beautiful beaches in the south part of it.
You can enjoy variety of marine sports such as diving, surfing, fishing, sea kayaking and so on.

If you take express trains, takes 2.5 hours from Tokyo, and costs about 7,000 yen (one way).
If you take local trains, takes 3.5 hours, and costs only 4,000 yen.

Izu is also known for hot spa.
Swim in the lovely beach, have sea food BBQ, and take hot spa! It would make you so much refreshed :)

IZU >> http://www.izu-kankou.or.jp/en/index.html

If you want to go for 1 day trip to lay down, or feel the sea breeze, Shonan beach would be nice.

It's just 1 hour ride on the train from Tokyo, and costs about 1,000 yen to get there. Near Kamakura, and nice to explore the city too.
Many cool beach houses are recently built in summer only, and they're having parties during the holiday =)
Yuigahama beach houses >> http://yuigahama.shonan-clip.jp/shops (sorry, only in Japanese)

Everyone, don't work too hard!
It's time for beaches ;D

''What is your blood type?''

Westerners might think that this question sounds a little bit creepy.
However, for Japanese people, blood types carry significance and are similar to horoscopes.
Each person with a certain blood type are commonly known to have specific
characteristics and traits.
There are four blood types: A, B, O and AB.
If you don't know your blood type, Japanese people will be shocked.

According to the blood type assessment,
A-type people are regarded as calm, polite, responsible, sensitive,

Type A Enoki

Type A Ebi

but also they are perfectionists, anxious, nervous and over cautions.

Type A Ryoko

B-type people are strong, creative, outgoing, optimistic, flexible,
more laid-back who do things at their own pace, but eccentric and selfish.

Type B Jack

O-type people are curious, generous, romantic and tolerant.

Type O Tomoe

Type O Johrel

Type O Naoto & Ben chan

They love to be the center of attention and appear very self confident.
They don''t always finish what they start.

AB-type people have both types of A and B, so they are shy and outgoing,

Tsuyoshi B side
They easily switch from one opposite to another.

Tsuyoshi A side
They are trustworthy and responsible, but can't handle it when too much is asked of them.

Most Japanese are type A while most Westerners are type O.

The reason why Japanese like linking blood types to personality is that
Japanese are group-oriented.
Japanese do not like to be isolated to do things differently from others.
They are fond to stick together: eating, working, or traveling in a group.
Being with people of the same ''blood'' gives them a kind of carefreeness and joy.

Are you getting interested knowing your blood type???

If you want to have ramen in a typical evening in Tokyo 1958, the Shin-Yokohama Ramen-Museum is definately for you.

Go down the stairs of the Naruto-Station and travel back in time.
There are several restaurants and you can play games in the market area.

If you are full you can explore the backalleys. (You might encounter the ghost if you go right on the women onsen entrance)

Back to the present you can experience how it feels to be on the other side of a ramen restaurant:

Rakugo is a Japanese traditional sit-down comic storytelling art.
Rakugo started about 400 years ago in the Edo period.

A storyteller wears Kimono, kneels on a cushion (called Zabuton) on a stage, and
narrates a complete story alone, so it’s a lot like a one-man play.
He or she uses different tones of voices and exaggerated gestures to play any number of characters.

Last Sunday, we had an English Rakugo show.

It went pretty well.
Three different stories were performed.

Lots of guests in the lobby to enjoy the show

Different storytellers tell funny stories by their own style

My favorite one was the last one.

I was amazed that she changed a Japanese popular horror story ''Okiku and nine plates''
as a funny ending.

Okiku is a main character who works as a maid at the home of the samurai Tessan Aoyama.
One day she accidentally breaks one of ten precious family plates.
Then Aoyama kills her and throws the corpse into an old well.
Every night afterwards, Okiku's ghost rises from the well, slowly counts out nine plates and
then breaks into heartrending sobs, over and over and over again, and finally she curses Aoyama to death.
This is how this scary story ends.
Then the funny part is coming after.

There is a rumor that Okiku is such a beautiful lady.
One day, curious guys go to check Okiku's apperance to the well.

Let's listen this part of the story.

Since Okiku is gorgeous enough, everyone wants to see her.
They sneak into the well, then the well becomes packed with so many people.
One day, one guy asks Okiku whether she is interested in having her own show.
Then she becomes famous like Hollywood star.

I love the way she acts Okiku part.

Sing a Japanese song both in Japanese & English at the end of the show.

Seems like everyone liked the show!

It was 35℃ in Tokyo today again... ahhhh
It's not the temperature to work!!

Yes! I'm going to beach for the escape from this heated Tokyo XD

Beach & Beer & BBQ & Beer&Beer !! lol
What a fantastic vacation♪ YAY!

We are ready for tonight's Rakugo show.
Rakugo is a Japanese traditional verbal comedy show.

Carrying the Tatami mattress.

Setting up the stage

The stage is completed!

Next, set up the microphone,

Pretending as we are rock star!

Now, everything is completed!
We are so ready for the show!!

At last, The Gundam has back in Shizuoka.
It was in Odaiba in Tokyo last year.
Gundam is famous Japanese animation that has a lot of fans throughout the world.
In our hostel, many guests want to see real size Gundam as well.

Here is the Gundam in Odaiba last year.

It was big and awesome!!!

It had been belt like this.

It has come back in Higashi Shizuoka Station North public open space today!!!
If you want to get more information here is the link
But it's all Japanese.

But it is too easy to go.
Just take a go to Higashi JR Shizuoka Station north exit.
It will be there.
And ther will be other interesting stuff of figure model and animation fans.
Let's go and have fun.

Admission fee: free
From 24th of July to 31st of August　　open: 10:00-20:00

From 1st of September to 27th of March( year2011) open 10:00-18:00