Asakusa Diary - The Staff Blog

Hello together,

today I want to write about all these little, nice, cute, sweet souvenirs and presents, we got from our lovely guests! ^^

There are so much since our Hostel has opened, so that you see these cute things everywhere around in the lobby, at the front desk or the back office.

I cannot imagine, what big part of this great atmosphere here would be lost, if these things wouldn't be here!

So let me show you, what we have around here (and I'm totally sorry, if I have forgotten something!). I do my best to get them all photographed! Maybe you see something, you have made us as a present a long time ago! ^^

Let's start!

This little magnet stone is very important for our front desk work! We can pin everything with it, so that it wouldn't get lost. ^^ It must be here for a long time! It should be from Australia! ^^

This plate on our wall near the entrance is here since more than 5 years! It's from Mexico and says "mi casa es su casa" - "my home is your home". Perfect for our Hostel! ^^

These presents are very new! ^^ We get them from very nice guests from Algeria. They look beautiful! I ask me all the time, how this pictures of sand in the bottle would be made. Seems like magic! ^^

As we have many nice guests from Australia, we have already an own "soccerteam" of Koalas (ok, a half one ^^). ^^ But everyone loves them because they look so cute with their big black nose, so we're always happy, to welcome a new Koala staff member! :)

Holland power! ^^ They are so cute and both placed on our front desk! ^^

This sweet little snow globe is on our front desk, too! ^^ You can read, where it's from, hihi. I love it!

The next things are placed on our front desk, too. So every guest can see them (of course, we are proud of all these nice presents from you! ^^).

A tree from Brazil. ^^ Beautiful!

A cute Muuuuuuh from Switzerland!

I'm too big to live in this cute house! ^^

Hello, my name is Vanessa. ^^ Where are you from?

This mask is so cool. I wonder, where It's from. But it's here a long long time on our front desk! ^^

We have a little staff member woman here, too. But no one knows her name (because she never wears a name plate! ^^).

Here's our wonderwoman! She makes our pc monitors always clean and looks everyday so beautiful! ^^

But as we have much place on our walls for your nice presents, let me show you, what's hanging around here! ^^

This cute magnets help us much with our work, so nothing can go lost and stays there, where it should! ^^ Thank you!

Hehe, with this we may write down our notices for your next reservation! ^^ Always welcome! ^^

And there are all our lovely key chains! ^^ We keep them all and they are hanging on our keys or on the wall on a nail, so no one of this cute little presents will get lost! :)

Here we can always look, how the temperature is at the moment on the front desk! ^^

Hey what's this! ^^ They are sitting high up in the sky on one of our front desk walls, watching us from above, hihi. ^^

And this we get today! It's from Germany. ^^ Hehe, thank you so much! ^^ Maybe it's from one of the huge German Christmas markets! ^^

So, you see, we love our presents you made us! ^^

We keep them all (expect the things we could eat :D) and care for them, so that they have a nice home here at our hostel! ^^

Thank you so much! ^^

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

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

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

Our monthly event " Shodo Workshop " was held on September 25th. y(o^ - ^o)y

At first, there were few people in the lobby....But gradually, people came to do Shodo.

Do you know how your name is written in Kanji ?

Some Kanji has the same sound, but the different meaning.
Even if it's the same name, they can be composed of different Kanji.

" It's perfect Kanji for him. " That's what she said. ( *´艸｀))ﾟ+.☆

She is going to give it to him as a souvenir.

Do you want to see more photos of this event ? -->> Shodo Workshop on September 25th

Next Shodo Workshop will be October 16th.

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

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

Although typhoon was approaching to Tokyo,
we held SUMO TOUR on September 21st (Wed).

We usually walk to Ryogoku when the weather is okay.
But....
it was raining this time, of course.
We took train to go to Ryogoku.

After the sumo match-fixing report, they changed their attitude, I think.

Sumo games on that day were pretty exciting.
There were tight games one after another.

Some people gave enthusiastic encouragement to their favorite sumo wrestlers.
At the close games, audience including us shouted for joy.

We really enjoyed watching sumo.

After that, we were exposed to the menace of typhoon.　o(ToTo) (oToTo) (oToT)o

Almost all trains stopped because of typhoon, but fortunately Oedo line was still running.
During the walk to the station in the rain storm, I saw a lot of dead umbrellas.
Actually, Tomoyuki's umbrella got broken too.

Good thing is the rain stopped when we got to Kuramae station.
It was very windy, though.
Unless standing firmly, we were almost blown away.

We could go back to the hostel safely, somehow.

☆(-∀・*)*:;｡･　Thank you for joining in sumo tour and this little journey　*:;｡･(*・∀-)☆

More photos -->> Sumo Tour on September 21

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

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**☆☆

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

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

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 ♪♪♪

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(∇｀★))─

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・｀●)

From February 26th to March 6th,
Dutch group "Bouwkunde HHS" stayed in Sakura Hostel Asakusa.
They are the students in Hague University, and study architecture.

Today, they checked out after 8 nights' stay.

When they left, they gave the gift for us.
How sweet they are !! :*.;".*・;・^;・:?(*^▽^*)/:・;^・;・*.";.*:

They say, it's the typical Dutch goodies.
Let's see. （゜▽゜*）♪

"Zeeuwse Babbelaars"
It's a traditional Dutch candy that tastes a bit like butterscotch, first made in 1850.

"Stroopwafels"
It's a waffle made from two thin layers of baked batter with a caramel-like syrup filling in the middle.
It was first made in Gouda in the Netherlands in 1784.

"Chocolates" with the Dutch painter Vermeer's paintings

"Klompen"
It's a small porcelain version of the clogs traditionally worn by Dutch farmers.

"Art in the Hague university"
It's a small book about art presented in their atriums and hallways.

We tasted these...... Super Yummy !! (≧▽≦)人(≧▽≦)

We thank them very much.
We hope they enjoyed staying in Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

Rakugo Workshop was held in Sakura Hostel Asakusa on February 27th.

We had a live broadcast of Rakugo Workshop on Ustream.
Did you watch it ?

Look !!
In order not to be blurred, Jack was holding the camera firmly.
Good job, Jack ☆⌒(*＾-ﾟ)v

We enjoyed Rakugo performed by 3 Rakugo artists.

It seems as if he is eating the noodles, doesn't it ?

It seems as if she gives a present for somebody.

It seems as if he calls to somebody.

At the halfway,
he sang some Japanese songs, which were well-known in the foreign countries.

Because it's a complicated comical story with only a paper fan called "SENSU" and a small cloth called "TENUGUI",
everyone listened carefully to understand.

In addition,
a Rakugo artist plays more than two characters.
They make a difference of the characters only by change in pitch, tone, and a slight turn of the head.
Everyone listened carefully to recognize each character.

It seemed they enjoyed Rakugo.
I could hear their laughing. ♪ (ﾟ∀ﾟ∀ﾟ∀ﾟ)♪(ﾟ∀ﾟ∀ﾟ∀ﾟ)♪

I uploaded the photos of this event on our facebook.
Please take a look.
Click here for photos!!

We are very happy to spend a great time with you.
тндйк[o･ω･]人[･ω･o] уoц

As already notified,
we had Shodo Workshop and Friendship Party on February 20th. ☆v(o^0^o)v☆

I'm pleased to say that so many people participated in Shodo Workshop.

For most of them, it was the first time to experience Shodo.
Look at his earnestness !!

Beyond my expectation, they did Shodo very well. (*ﾟсﾟ*)
I show you some of their works.

After Shodo Workshop, it's time for drinking.
(*^д^)ノ■☆■ゞ(^д^*)
A Japanese girl in KIMONO came to Friendship Party.
How beautiful she is !!
It seemed many boys delighted in her arrival.

I uploaded the photos of this event on facebook.
Please take a look.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=220350084985&aid=43957

Next Shodo Workshop will be on March 20th.
It's your turn !!

Do you know Rakugo (落語) ?

Rakugo (落語), which is one of the Japanese traditional culture, is a verbal comedy show.

The Rakugo artist sits alone with Seiza position on the stage.
Using only a paper fan called "SENSU" and a small cloth called "TENUGUI",
he depicts a long and complicated comical story.
The story always involves the dialogue of two or more characters.

How do you know that more than two characters exist in the story?

By change in pitch, tone, and a slight turn of the head,
the rakugo artist makes the difference of the characters.

Please take a look at this video.

Now, you got interested in Rakugo, didn't you?

There's a good news for you.
We have Rakugo Workshop from 19:00 on February 27th !!

You can't only watch it but also perform Rakugo in practice !!
◇◆◇◆　（*☆▽＜）ｗ。°◇◆◇◆
Whether you try or not,
it's a good opportunity to experience Japanese traditional culture.

One more good thing...it's FREE for everyone.

･｀∀･)♪+ﾟ.:｡+Let's have fun together in Rakugo Workshop on February 27th+ﾟ.:｡+♪(･∀´･)v

There is information from Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

From February 4th, we started a new service.
" FREE INTERNET "

We already have the WiFi service in the lobby.
As long as you bring your own computer to the lobby, you can enjoy the internet.

About the computers belonging to Sakura Hostel Asakusa,
we used to charge for the internet using.

But now, it changed.

If you stay in Sakura Hostel Asakusa, you can use our computer free of charge !!

If you are a Non-Hostel guest, please pay for the internet as before.
<< 100 yen / 30 minutes >>

There are some requests when you use the computer.
( 1 )
Please SIGN UP at the front desk before using the computer.
( 2 )
Please use the computer for ONE HOUR at the upper limit when it's crowded.
( 3 )
At 3:00 AM,
the computer is automatically rebooted and all data is deleted.
Please finish your task by that time.

Enjoy the internet anytime.
We will be very happy if you feel more comfortable to stay in Sakura Hostel Asakusa.
♪♪(o=ﾟ▽ﾟ)人(ﾟ▽ﾟ=o)♪♪

Do you know Shodo which is Japanese traditional culture?
Shodo 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 February 20th (SUN).
After Shodo Workshop, we will have Friendship Party !!
♪workshop（／＾◇）／（／＾◇）／party♪

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 as a nice souvenir. (≧▽≦）☆

At Friendship Party,
we will serve you some snacks and drinks.
It's a good chance to make new friends from all over the world !!

Showing your Shodo works to each other, Chatting with new friends.... Enjoy the party !!
o((*^▽^*))o

The fee is only 500 yen !!

If you stay in Sakura Hostel Asakusa, it's free as a token of our appreciation.

Take a look at previous Shodo Workshop and Friendship Party.
You will see how fun it is.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=40809&id=220350084985

(≧∀≦*)ﾉ~･ﾟ★,｡･*:･ﾟ☆Come and Join us♪

Sumo Tour is now one of the most popular hostel event.

2011 January Grand Sumo Tournament has just started !!
It is from January 9th (SUN) till 23rd (SUN).

We have Sumo Tour twice during this season.
The first one was held on Jan 12th.
This time,
20 people participated in this event.

Because it was a beautiful sunny day, we didn't take a bus, but walked to Ryogoku.
It's a bit long walk. About 40 minutes.
Walking along the Sumida River, we enjoyed talking with new friends.

At the entrance of KOKUGIKAN ( Sumo Stadium )

We ate CHANKO ( Sumo wrestler's food ).
♪?(*´∀｀*)??(*´∀｀*)?♪ Yummy

< Yokozuna Grand Champion ring entrance >
The champion claps his hands and stamps his feet, drawing spirited calls from the crowd.
His name is HAKUHO.

There were some breath-taking close games.
Everybody seemed to enjoy watching the games.

Thank you for participating in Sumo Tour.
We are very happy to spend wonderful time with you.
(o*｡_｡)o…Arigatou…o(｡_｡*o)

Happy New Year 2011 !!
We are very grateful to you for the kindness you showed us last year.

New year's Day is considered to be the most important annual event in Japan.
Nowadays, we wear kimono not as daily wear, but as our best clothes.
So, some people wear kimono for special occasions like New Year.

Look at today's Sakura Girls !!
How gorgeous today's Sakura Hostel Asakusa is !!

V-sign matches better to us !?

Our Regular Position

What a lucky boy you are, Mauricio !!

We look forward to seeing you all this year as well.
May year 2011 turn out to be the happiest and the best for you.

Do you know TAKOYAKI?
Takoyaki is octopus dumpling grilled by the special hot pan.

On October 31st,
we had TAKOYAKI PARTY in the lobby.

We prepared not only octopus but also various ingredients such as cheese and mochi.

How to make TAKOYAKI

1 : Mix flour, water, and eggs in a bowl.
2 : Grease the pan with oil.
3 : Pour the mix into cups of the pan until they are full.
4 : Put some ingredients such as octopus and red ginger in each cup.
5 : Turn the takoyaki balls over in the cups with a skewer.
6 : Keep turning them over until they are round and brown all over.
7 : Now, it's ready to eat !!

In general, takoyaki sauce and seaweed powder are put over Takoyaki.

We made special takoyaki, which was CHOCOLATE TAKOYAKI !!
Chocolate was put, instead of octopus.
Do they look yummy?

Actually, the taste was not so bad.

This ones, ingredients are octopus, mochi, cheese, and res ginger.

They tasted really good!!

Be careful when eating Takoyaki. It's very hot !!

We had really fun to make and eat Takoyaki together.
Photos in TAKOYAKI Party are put on our facebook.
Please visit our facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tokyo/Sakura-Hotel-Hostel-in-Tokyo-Japan/220350084985

Thank you for joining the party !!

Do you know where Ecuador is?

Ecuador is located in South America the west.
The North borders Colombia, the East and the south borders Peru.
The west faces the Pacific Ocean.
Ecuador means the equator in Spanish.

Ecuadorian guests stayed in Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

They are families.
One of them came to Japan on business.
Others came to Japan for sightseeing.

He works in the air cargo business, which is to export flowers from Ecuador to Japan.
He has 3-4 customers in Japan.
The main reason to visit Japan is to go to International Flower Expo Tokyo.
This is the largest flower and horticulture industory trade show in Asia.
If you are interested in it, please visit the web-site below.
http://www.ifex.jp/english/

It is the third time for him to visit Japan.
He visits Japan every year for International Flower Expo.
Every time, he brings other family members to Japan.
They enjoyed Tokyo sightseeing such as Ueno, Imperial Palace.
They go to Kyoto, too.
That's so sweet, isn't it?

We will be very happy if they enjoy staying in Sakura Hostel Asakusa.
We look forward to seeing them again.

In Japan, when we think of German food, German sausages are famous, as　well as German potatoes.

However, we found out that they eat a potato dish called　"Bratkartoffeln" instead of "German potaoes".

One of the local TV stations intrigued with this information when they interviewed a German person, Mr. Wilhelm Kabuswe, who is staying in our　hostel.

He made the "Bratkartoffeln" in our hostel kitchen.

Hmm... looks almost the same as the German potatos that we know.

Maybe in Japan we call it "German potatoes" instad of　"Bratkartoffeln".

Either way I like it very much. Let's have a beer with it! Kampa?i (cheers)!

We had September grand sumo tour of the second times on Septemner 22nd.
This time, Ebi and I (Agu) were in charge of it.
It was sunny and very hot like summer.
It's too hot to walk to Ryogoku, so we went there by bus.

In front of Kokugikan, many sumo fans were waiting for their favorite sumo wrestler coming.
When we got to Kokugikan, we saw a young sumo wrestler.

We took photos at the entrance.

with sumo mascot, SEKITORI-KUN.

We ate Chanko, which is stew-like dish traditionally served to sumo wrestlers.

Some people went to Edo-Tokyo Museum until the ring entering ceremony started.
We call this "DAIMYO KAGO", which carried the feudal lord and prince from place to place.

The ring entering ceremony

Hakuho won!!
His record reached 60 successive victories on Sep 24th.
If he wins on Sep 25th, he will be a champion in September Grand Sumo Tournament.

I'm really happy to have great time with them.
Thank you guys!!

It was France that the most guests stayed in Sakura hostel Asakusa last month.
The second was Spain, and the third was U.S.A.

Now in September, we have a guest from Tanzania.
Do you know where Tanzania is??
It's the biggest country in East Africa,
and the famous mountain "Kiｌimanjaro" is in northeastern part of Tanzania.

Our guest from Tanzania is Mr. Deepak Khetia.

He has two purpose to visit Japan.
1) To see WRC (World Rally Championship) held in Sapporo from September 9th till 12th.
http://www.wrc.com/

2) For business
He has his own company to sell cars in Tanzania.
Now, he started new business to import used Japanese cars to Tanzania from Japan.
During staying here, he visited Tokyo & Yokohama just for business.

He likes Japan very much.
He says that he wants to visit Japan for sightseeing with his family next time.
That's the reason why he didn't go sightseeing around Tokyo during this stay.
Sightseeing is reserved for next time coming with his family.

We welcome you anytime.
We look forward to seeing you again.

Have you ever heard something about the martial arts "Brazilian Jiu-jitsu"?
This is the combat sport that focuses on grappling and ground fighting.
We have the guest whose name is Dominic from San Diego.
He plays the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

He came to Japan for the Jiu-jitsu tournament "COPA REDIPS 2010".
There are 4 types of the tournaments.

1) the tournament where they don't wear Jiu-jitsu uniform.
2) the tournament where they must wear Jiu-jitsu uniform.
3) the tournament according to weight
4) the discrimination class tournament

He participated in these all 4 tournaments.

Now, he came back to the hostel with the champion certification!!
Look at this photo!!

We are so proud of him.
Congratulations, Dominic !!

Our sumo tour was held on Sep 15th.
This time, Naoto and Aki were in charge of sumo tour.

They went to Ryogoku with 20 guests by bus.

Before entering sumo stadium called Kokugikan, they had lunch at Chanko restaurant.
The restaurant they went is Chanko Edogawa.

<http://r.gnavi.co.jp/a232566/menu3.html>

Unfortunately, they don't have English page.
Just take a look at what Chanko is.

They were satisfied with yummy Chanko, and got in Kokugikan with happy smile.
Ring entering ceremony started around 4:00.

One of the most famouse sumo wrestler, Yokozuna Hakuho, won the match yesterday.
He succeed in 51 continuous winning so far.
Awesome !!
This record is the third in sumo history.

We have sumo tour again on Sep 22nd.
At that time, he might update his record and become the first in sumo history!?
It's going to be so exciting, isn't it?

Roberta (left) and Sierra (right) from Hawaii recently stayed at Sakura Hostel for about a week.

Everyday when I saw them, they were in such pretty dresses, so I was wondering if they are models or so.

And finally, I found that they are designers from Hawaii!!
Hmmm, make sense!

They were here to exhibit their works at the event, "room 21" that held in Harajuku last weekend.

I like their "Eco-friendly" style, and just love the design :)
Let's check out their brand☆

Sierra Dew

"Sierra Dew is a lifestyle brand that strives to create trendsetting "conscious" wearable art for the contemporary woman." from her website >> http://www.sierradew.com/index.html

Roberta Oaks

The shop

I found this photo on Roberta's facebook page
I think it's really pretty, isn't it? I love to visit this sweet shop next time when I'm in Honolulu XD

Thanks again guys for staying with us!
We're sure to see your fashion item in Japan in the near future :) Aloha!

We have got present from Korean guests.
There was 4 university students for research in tourism.

They made us "Chigimi(Korean pizza-like dish) in our kitchen
It was really good~~~~!!!

And two Korean Girls.

We made their reservation for "Hakone Ryokan(Japanese accommodation)

And We have got this!!!!! WOW

Thank you for your presents and stay. Hope to see you again.

We have another traveler from France who is going to explore Japan by bike.

He left his bike here and will go to Okinawa by bike when he comes back!
He also left a message in Japanese on his bike:

It basically says: "PLEASE don' t take my bike!"

This is Benjamin:
Today a guest came in and showed us this:

It' s bread from a German bakery called "Bäckerei" (O.o)
See two German guys enjoying German food in Japan:

Enrique is a model who is popular in Toronto, Canada. He is a H&M retailer as well.
Since he works in the fashion industry, he always wears cool clothes.
One day he was looking for a male's school uniform called, ''Gakuran.''
He came over to ask ''Where can I find a school uniform?''
I recommended this cosplay shop in Akihabara, but he wants to get a real school uniform.
I had hard time finding it, but Doctor Know-all, Tsuyoshi knows the place to sell a school uniform.
It sells near from our hostel actually.

Make a nice pose ^^

The term ''Gakuran'' is a combination of gaku (学) means "study" or "student",
and ran (らん or 蘭) means Holland or the West in general.
Therefore, gakuran translates as "Western student (uniform)".

I'm so happy taking a picture with such a nice model :D

Helblindi is turning into Samurai.

Look at my sword!

Wait a second, is that...?

Just an umbrella.
Go on and fight the rain. lol

Do you know this beautiful singer?

Her name is Goldee.
We found her song on Youtube the next moment I fell in love with it!!
Click the photo!↓↓

It just makes me wish to fly to the Caribbean beach!

Guess how I found her.
Yeah! She was recently in Tokyo to take her new music video and stayed at our hostel!! =D

Goldee, thanks for staying with us!
I'm very much looking forward to seeing you in the new video ;)

Marcin were walking around Asakusa, and he found a great gift.

He got a tiny cute Yukata. Yukata is a casual summer kimono.
Originally, they were worn as bath robes by both men & women,
but nowadays, people wear them casually during the summer, such as fireworks shows
and summer festivals.

Guess who is gonna wear it?

His dog!

Can you imagine his little pooch puts it on?
That's so adorable.
I'll show you guys the picture of his dog wearing Yukata later on.
Marcin, please don't forget to send me the picture.
I can't wait to see it!

You can easily tell which country we welcomed people come from the most in April if you were here!

Yes! France was No.1!!

Special thanks to Nicolas Brun♪
It's always great to see you!
I believe we can see you again very soon :D

Merci beaucoup!

Our Breakfast Revolution

We made an effort to make our breakfast more attractive.,
First, my college friend, Masaki who visits to Japan for a few days is making a breakfast menu for us.

He took an art major with me in college. He made a nice calligraphy.
Drinking and making art is the best way to come out a great idea for him.
He did the same thing while in college, too. lol

Look, it's more emphasized, right?

Next, today is Hiro's debut of making soup.

Soup Minester Johrel taught him how to make a delicious onion soup.
Onion soup is great, but personally, I love Johrel's cream mushroom soup.
Hiro, keep practicing to make a good soup to fill up my stomach lol

Danilo-san from Italy came back to our hostel for the first time in almost a year!
He brought some photos of staff taken at his last time stay. Thank you soo much, Danilo-san!
He is always smiling, and very very kind.

Danilo 2010

Danilo 2009

You must have changed the spectacle case in the past year!

We look forward to update your photo in 2011 again :D　
Take care for now☆

His T-shirt says "I don't speak Japanese."
You liar! I heard you were speaking very good Japanese!! :D

Harris from Colombia brought us some gift.
A pretty drawing from Colombia and sweets from Spain :D
We love them so much!
Muchas gracias!!

Check Harris's blog!
You find some cool photos of Tokyo on his website!!
http://conociendotokyo.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donperrocc/sets/72157623914979262

Genius artist, Marcin designed my name tag.

My ''O'' became Sakura flower. It is related to Sakura symbol of this hostel.

How pretty.

''Look at my driver's license!''

Well...I can't see clearly.
Let me see.

OMG. This is the coolest driver's license I've ever seen.
This gangster cat names ''Nameneko.'' Nameneko comes from the word ''なめんなよ (Namennayo).''
It is a japanese slang, that means ''Don't bullshit me'' or ''Don't look down on me''
and generally used in daily conversation since it become a big hit in 1980.
But a lot of people showed this license for checking ID, so that police complained about it.

This is how Nameneko looks like.

This is not a composite photograph. Those kittens actually wear costumes.
People make them to stand up and put them on those gangster costumes. Amazing right?

You definitely should get one. You can get those items near our hostel.
It costs only 100 yen.
When a police man asks you about this license, just say ''Namennayo.'' lol

In Japan, people don't hitchhike normally.
But this guy is ambitious for hitchhiking.

It takes 7 or 8 hours to get to Kyoto by car.
If he is so lucky, some truck driver will pick him up, I guess.
Good luck, man.

Marcin is an artist. Yesterday, we went to Sakura International Party together.
We had to wear pink item, so creative Marcin made a nice Sakura piercing.
He cut Sakura picture out from our brochure, and put a hole in the middle, and put on his nose piercing.

What a genius.

Robin's family is the cutest family ever!
They are so friendly and always told me interesting stories.

One day, Robin showed me an incredible item.
It is a beautiful Robin's family picture in crystal.
This is a special remembrance I guess.

From the top

From the side

And one more great info from Robin,
they went to the Ninja restaurant in Akasaka, named NINJA AKASAKA.
You can check out how cool the restaurant is!
http://www.ninjaakasaka.com/youtube.html

Thank you for staying with us, Robin, beautiful Robin's wife and cute children!
I hope I will see you guys in the near future.

Do you know Jiu-Jitsu?
We have a big tournament in Tokyo today and tomorrow.

This is the second time to welcome the fighters from Guam for this tournament.
Though they are strong fighters (looking scary?), they are soooo polite and friendly.

Sakura Hostel Asakusa is now full of fighters!!

Hi, Nienke!
How are you doing?
Your dad told me that you are working very hard;)

He gave me lovely ceramic box today.
I'll put some pierced earrings in it♪
Arigatou...

I like talking with you every morning☆

Next time, you should come with him!

Have a nice day!!
Matane...

Julia and Susann gave us this cute bear from Hamburg :)
He was so lovely that Yuri kidnapped him to her home right on the same day.

Remy!! (right)

He got an black one when he left.
Thank you for staying with us.
You should come back next summer again for drinking together at beer garden;)

Brian!!

Though he is not staying with us now, he came to buy our T-shirt:D
Thank you Brian for reading our weblog.
How do you like it?

Blue is your color!

It was really nice to see you again, Francisco!
The last time you were here was in March, 2008.
http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/blog/2008/03/free_hugs.html

I'm so surprised at your Japanese skill!
How did you learn?
I didn't use any English in our conversation.

Thank you for tequila!
I think I can drink it all by myself without sharing with Tomo:P

Maid cafe♪

As you might know, Akihabara is famous for maid cafes.
Have you ever been there?

Yes, I have!
About three years ago, I tried it with our Spanish guests.
My impression was...fun but I could have enjoyed if I were guy.

I heard that there are similar cafes in Thailand and I wanna try it, too!

Because Jesus is not coming.

He comes with summer every year and stays with us for a month.
He must come. It's been always like that since our hostel opened.
But now, he has a little problem and decided to postpone his trip to Tokyo this year.

Ohhhhhh, noooooooo!!!

Come back to your home, Jesus-san. We miss you.

What are you doing, Ebi-chan??

He's trying Tim Tam, Australian biscuit coated with chocolate.

Our guest, Chris, brought us some and taught us how the local people eat it in his country.

1. Prepare a warm drink like coffee and a Tim Tam.
2. Bite both ends off the Tim Tam and use it as a straw for your drink.
3. Eat your Tim Tam up quickly before it melts and falls apart.

You cannot avoid automatically bending down your head like Ebi-chan does on the photo.

Thanks, Chris.
Why did they name it Tim Tam, by the way? It sounds a little cute.

I'm not sure whether you are checking this weblog
but thank you for your mail and some brochures of your lovely country(island).

I think you were the first guest from Guadeloupe and also it was my first time to know it.
When I checked your island on the internet, I found it's worth visiting.

Do you mean you can show me around if I visit there?;)

Enrique(the left), from Mexico, just left for his country now.
To be surprised, he speaks Japanese very fluentry
(almost perfect!)without going to Japanese lunguage school.

He sometimes went for a drink with us.
Before leaving, he said "I don't want go back" many many times:)

We hope he'll come back again and I'm sure that
when Tomo goes to Mexico the next time, she'll visit him.

In November, we had many guests from Guam Island.
One is a group of fighters and they had a tornament in Tokyo.

At first, they looked a little bit scary:P
but were really kind(they gave me a candy!) and polite guests.
One day, one of them came back with a medal around his neck,
so I guess he won the match.

The other one was John:)
He had stayed with us before and it's his second time.
He is looking for a job in Tokyo right now.
I hope he could make it☆

Hi, Nicholas!
How are you?　I hope you are still checking our weblog.

We had received some gifts from you♪
Because I was not here on that day, Naoto almost took my wine:(....

But don't worry!
I got one and already drunk ;P

Also, thank you for some photos!
We are looking forward to seeing you the next time:)

Chris, Alex and Kevin were staying (living?) with us for a loooong term.
They checked in separately and staying at the different rooms
but they became friends and often hanged out together.

Actually, they sometimes checked out to go the other places and eventually,
three of them were in the same room (501).

We (our staff) enjoyed fireworks and party, and watched TV (olympis games) together.
Unfortunately, Alex checked out the day before yesterday and so did Kevin yesterday...
Chris is also going to check out soon:(

Please come back again and have a party;)
We'll keep beds for you guys in 501♪

☆Richard and his friends☆

Have you guys arrived at your home safely?
Thank you for staying with us:)
I hope all of you had a great time here in Japan.

Sorry, I forgot to ask all of your name...
We are looking forward to seeing you again:)

Do you know what country this is at No. 10 from last month?
It's Finland!

If you are wondering why Finland is ranked here, the reason is....

these long stayers from Finland.
(From right to left) Janne, Miika, another Janne and Jonne have been staying with us for such a long time. Three of them are leaving tomorrow and going back home. So sad ;(

Come back anytime, guys. Your home is always here ♪

Do you happen to know him??
If so, you are the great reader of our weblog;)

Jesus came back last week and it's his third time here.
When we see him, we realize that the summer has come this year!
He always spends a month here and makes many friends to travel around with.
His Japanese is getting better every year:)

I hope he'll have a great time again:)