Hi there! This is Ayu from Sakura Hostel Asakusa!

Today, I'm going to introduce my travel experience to Fukushima prefecture.



You might have heard of the name of ''Fukushima'' in the news, but I would like to show you the different aspect of the place!

I've been there a few times before, and my best memory there is a winter trip in snow & ice!

On the 1st day of the trip, I visited Aizu-Wakamatsu city.
They have a tourist bus called ''Haikara-san'' running every 30 minutes.



It's very convenient because it stops every tourist spot in the city.


This time I'll introduce the biggest feature of the city.

It is their castle ''Tsuruga-jo''.

It's very beautiful covered with snow, isn't it?

Of course it was very cold outside, but the castle, the shrine and the Japanese garden covered with snow were all so beautiful!

Castle wall with a lot of icicles... so lovely, aren't they?


They have beautiful Japanese garden, but all covered with snow... Maybe nicer in spring or in autumn lol


After that, I took Haikara-san bus again, and headed for another spot I really wanted to visit.

See you in Part 2!

Posted by: Ayu (January 7, 2015 6:00 PM) | Permalink

Hi there! This is Ayu from Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

Today I'm going to introduce 2 shops (restaurants) newly opened in walking distance from our hostel.

One is called ''SUSHI MAMIRE'' (すしまみれ).
Yes, it is a sushi restaurant of course!


As you can see from the sign, they're open 24 hours!!

They newly opened on Christmas, and there were a lot of flowers to celebrate their opening!

It's only 5 min walk from our hostel, so now it's the closest sushi place to us.

I haven't been into this shop yet, but I've been to their branch in other town and really enjoyed it.
There's another 24h seafood izakaya newly opened in Asakusa, so now you can taste good sushi or sashimi anytime!


Another newly opened shop is called ''KURUME-YA'' (くるめや).


They're just a few-minute walking distane from our hostel, and we, staffs often eat there since they open in November.
What they serve is...

TONKOTSU RAMEN!!

Tonkotsu is a type of ramen soup, and it means pork bone soup.
It is very thick, but not so oily and even tastes mild.

This shop really is my favorite because this type of ramen is originally from my hometown KURUME city in Fukuoka prefecture.
Some of you might have heard of ''Hakata Ramen''.

It is the most famous brand of Tonkotsu ramen, but the one from my hometown tastes a little bit different.

If you come to Asakusa, please try it and tell me what you think!

See you around^^

Posted by: Ayu (January 3, 2015 3:30 PM) | Permalink

Hi all! This is Ayu from Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

Christmas is over, and most of you are enjoying your winter holiday now, aren't you?
We're having many guests from all over the world, and we're happy that many people chose Japan as a place to spend their New Year.

On the other hand, we're already receiving many bookings or room requests for coming spring.
That's because some people know that cherry blossom season is one of our busy season of the year.
(We still have some rooms/beds available, so please send us inquiry if you're interested!)

For those still thinking about visiting Japan in that season, I'll give you some tips today.



As Japan is a long country stretched from North to South, the climate is very different in the North and South.
In Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan, cherry blossom start blooming around New Year's day!
Their cherry trees are ''Hikan-zakura'', a different kind from ''Somei-yoshino'', the one we normally see in Honshu island.
The blossoms of somei-yoshino are light pink, but those of hikan-zakura are deep pink.



My friend from Okinawa told me that they don't have custom to hold ''Hanami'' (cherry-blossom viewing party) which is very popular in other part of Japan.
It was kinda surprising to me.

If you want to experience Hanami party, the best season will start after around March 20th to beginning of April.



Somei-yoshino starts blooming in Kyushu island, and then to the north gradually.

In Tokyo, end of March to beginning of April will be the time for full bloom, but it's very difficult to predict accurately.
The reasons are....
1. The petals will be fallen off easily if it rains hard just before full bloom.
2. The time for cherry blossom season seems to get earlier little by little... is it because of the global warming?

Why don't you join this cherry blossom prediction, and plan your trip to Japan for next spring!
Send us the room request from our website if you decide when to visit us^^

Please also refer to JNTO website for more detailed information on Cherry Blossom Season.?(Not update for 2015 yet)

Posted by: Ayu (December 27, 2014 10:00 PM) | Permalink

Hi all! This is Ayu from Sakura Hostel Asakusa again.

Yesterday we held our monthly event ''Shodo (Japanese Calligraphy) Workshop'' in our lobby.

It is one of our free events, and many guests have enjoyed their first try every month.


This time, a family from China also joined this event.

They told me that in China?they used to learn calligraphy in their mother's generation, but they don't learn it anymore nowadays.
It was kind of interesting because calligraphy originally came from China to Japan, and is still learnt at school in Japan.

So, it was their first experience for the kids!

They were looking very curiously at the teacher's demonstration.

And then, it's their turn to try!

They look so happy!

Of course their mother was busy taking the pictures of the kids' first experience lol

We're holding such enjoyable events every month.
In January, we also have our No.1 popular event Sumo Tour!

Please check our website for more information, and plan your stay in Sakura Hotel/Hostel if you're interested!
* Most of our events are exclusive for Sakura Hotel/Hostel guests and Sakura House residents.

We all look forward to serving you^^

Posted by: Ayu (December 22, 2014 9:50 PM) | Permalink

Hi there! This is Ayu from Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

The other day, I went to Odaiba with my friend who visited Tokyo from my hometown Fukuoka.



We went to there to see....



GUNDAM statue!!

It stands in a front garden in Diver City Tokyo, and lighting up show is held several times a day.
The show was amazing especially because we went to see it at night.

When the show is not going on, you can go really close to the statue!



I don't write about the details as many of you are looking forward to seeing it by yourself.


In Diver City, they also have Gundam Cafe,

and an attraction called Gundam Front.

This time I only looked around the free area of Gundam Front.
They have GunPra Collections and shop with wide variety of Gundam items.



I was not really interested in Gundam at all before, but now I'm becoming a fan of it!

If you're coming to Tokyo, don't miss Odaiba area and Gundam statue even if you're not a big fan!

See you next time ^^

Posted by: Ayu (December 20, 2014 5:30 PM) | Permalink

Hi there! This is Ayu from Sakura Hostel Asakusa^^

As I am a frequent traveller to Korea, I'd always love to ask your question about your trip from Japan to Korea.

Some of our guests arrive at our hostel after enjoying their short trip in Korea during the transit, but on the other hand, there are some who plan to trip to Korea while staying in Japan.

If you go from Tokyo to Seoul, I'll defeniely recommend to travel by air.
The flights between Haneda/Narita intl Airport to Seoul (Gimpo/Incheon) Airport is so frequent by several airlines, and it normally costs around 20,000 - 30,000 yen in return.

But if you have much time and if you can travel flexibly, there are some other reasonable or unique ways.
Let me introduce them today!

1. Tokyo -> Osaka -> Seoul/Busan
If you're also planning to visit Osaka or Kyoto, you can take a reasonable flight from Osaka to Seoul or Busan.
The airline company is called ''Peach'', which is a new LCC from Japan.



I've never taken any of International flight by Peach, but I used to be a frequent user of its domestic flight between Osaka and Fukuoka when I lived in my hometown Fukuoka.



Their fare is so reasonable (around 5,000 yen - ), but the flight is so confortable.
I strongly recommend Peach for your trip!


2. Tokyo -> Fukuoka -> Busan
This route is for those who have much time traveling and curious enough to explore different cities in Japan.
From Tokyo to Fukuoka (Hakata), you can travel by Shinkansen (bullet train), highway (or night) buses, or normal trains (takes more than 1 day, though).
Between these 2 cities, you can also stop by Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima.

From Fukuoka, easiest way to travel to Korea is by ship!



It only takes 3 hours, so it's very popular for Fukuokan to travel to Korea, and we even feel it like closer than traveling to Kyoto lol

Surprisingly, the fare is from 4,900 yen/return! Only 4,900 yen!!
* Booking up to 3 days before departure, number of seats limited



The ship is called ''Beetle'' and run by JR Kyushu company.

Its official website is only in Japanese, so you can try booking if you can read Japanese or if you have anyone to help you.
If you need help, I'd love to do it for you^^

I'm also the one planning a trip to Korea this winter, so I'll report then♪

Posted by: Ayu (December 13, 2014 10:00 PM) | Permalink

Hi all! This is Ayu from Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

Have you already bought any Christmas gifts?
I'm still thinking about it, so I often go around many shops at this time of the year.

Today, I was at Asakusa EKIMISE dept store which is about 10-minute walk from our hostel.

Every time I go there, I always stop by 2 of my favorite stores.

One is called ''illusie 300'' and as you can see from the name, their items are all 300 yen! (+tax)
Today I found cute items which would be very good for your souvenir or winter gift.

TOKYO socks!

Wow! This one is with SUMO wrestlers!

Mt. Fuji socks♪

Can you believe they are only 324 yen each?
Each has variation of 3 or 4 different colors, so it'll be nice to buy all colors and wear it with your friends♪

Next my favorite shop is ''Bleu Bleuet depot''.
They mainly sell wide variety of fashion items such as bags, pouches, stoles etc, but today I found something different.

Cute dolls for New Year celebration!

As 2015 is year of SHEEP in the Chinese astrological calendar, you can find many dolls with a shape of sheep.

''Manekineko'', the cat with a beckoning paw is also a symbol of bringing good fortune, so why don't you get a pair of Manekineko and sheep doll and set them?

If you walk around the town of Asakusa, I'm sure you'll find your favorite!

Posted by: Ayu (December 10, 2014 9:30 PM) | Permalink

Hi all! This is Ayu from Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

If you have visited Japan up to a few years before, you would have experienced the difficulty in finding free wi-fi service during your stay.
I was so surprised when I visited Busan, Korea last year that they have free wi-fi everywhere in the center of the city.
When I visited Seoul and Busan 4 years ago, it was not yet that popular, I think.

In Japan, now the service is available most of the hotels/hostels in the major city, but still not enough on the street, I thought.
However, as we're having more and more visitors from overseas and expecting Tokyo Olympics, we're trying eagerly to expand the service all over Japan.

On the other day, I went to Yodobashi Camera, one of the biggest electronics department stores in Japan, and recognized this ad.



You can get the login ID and password valid for 2 weeks for free at any of Yodobashi stores.
Once you get it, you can get connected at thousands of hotspots all over Japan.
(Spots with the signs of WIRELESS GATE, BB mobile point, Wi2 300, and eo mobile)

If you're staying longer than 2 weeks or your stay is too short to go all the way to Yodobashi, there's another option.

That is Japan Connected-free Wi-Fi.



Once you install this app and register, it will connect you automatically if there's any hotspot close to your present location.

Their access points have been expanded to 91,000 at this moment, including major airports, train stations, or sightseeing spots.

Only recently, Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway joined this service, and it's now much more convenient for you visitors!

If you want to have more stable connection while you travel around, rental Wi-Fi router will be a better option, but if you want to save money, it's worth trying!

See you around^^

Posted by: Ayu (December 3, 2014 4:00 PM) | Permalink

Hi there! This is Ayu from Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

Today, I'm going to write about horses.

Why horses?

We, SAKURA group owns a ranch in Aomori prefecture, in the north part of Japan, and breed racehorses there!

In Sakura Hostel Asakusa, we have a photo gallery taken in this Tohoku Bokujo.

On the other day, one of our guests, Mr. Ercan from Turkey found our gallery and got interested in horse breeding in the ranch.
He told us that he was also going to breed horses back home, and was so curious about the breeding procedure in Japan.

It was a very good opportunity for us to learn about horses, so I decided to introduce his questions and the answers from Tohoku Ranch staff this time.

Q1.<For the young horses >
Do you give or use any medicine, any injections or supplements for the young horses when they grow up?

>>No medicine. No supplements. Just some vaccination against diseases.
And some salt and calcium which are contained in their food.

Q2.<Young Horse Breaking Time>
What is the general age to start to saddle on to the young horse?

>>From autumn (around September) when they are one year old.

Q3.<General informations about the Training Course for 2 years old horses>
What is the training system like?

>>Walk, run, canter, gallop. Basic training.

It snows a lot all the time in winter around the farm.

So they do basic training to gain stamina.

Q4.<General Training for the running horses>
How long warming? After the training how long cooling time?
How long later you give water and food to the horse?

>>They start at 7AM.
30 minute walking (warming), 30 minute running, 30 minute canter, 30 to 60 minute walking.
They are given water and food one hour after training.

Q5.<Feeding for the racing horse generally>
How many times a day do you feed?
For Example for 450kg horse, how much food do you give?
Do you put extra supllements in the food?

>>We feed them 4.5 litter of food. We never give them any supplements.



Q6.
Any advice to make the horse stronger?

>>What is most important is basic training. Walking walking walking and walking.
Only from 2 months before the first race, they start training with more speed.
Tohoku Bokujo farm is in the north where it snows a lot.
So training in snow is very important, too.
Our horses have a good reputation for not having injury accident.



Now you learned a lot about horse breeding, didn't you?

If you want to know more about Tohoku Ranch, check out their website or Facebook! (Only in Japanese)

In Sakura Cafe Ikebukuro/Jimbocho/Hatagaya, you can try tasty pudding made from special egg 'Shindofuji' from Tohoku Ranch.

Well, this is all for today! See you around^^

Posted by: Ayu (November 28, 2014 6:00 PM) | Permalink

Hi there! This is Ayu the Football Mania from Sakura Hostel Asakusa.

Today, I'm going to introduce a new type of football.
Some of you might have never even heard of it, I guess...

That is Blind Football.

The World Championship is now being held here in Tokyo!



Blind Football is football played by athletes with visual impairments.

Its history is not very long yet. There have been nationwide tournaments in Spain and Brazil in 1980s, and was added to the Paralympic Games in 2004.
It is 5-a-side, so the rules are much more similar to futsal than 11-a-side football.

One team consists of 5 players - 1 goalkeeper and 4 field players. It is permitted to use sighted athletes only as goalkeepers.
Besides 5 players, there's also an important role called 'guide' (or 'caller' in Japan) who stands in the back of opposite goal and assist the players with voice.

This week, I had chance to watch the game in the stadium.
I had watched the video before, but it was my first time to watch the live game.
It was so amazing!!

This chanpionship is games of Class B1 (totally or almost totally blind), and players in this class must wear eye mask to be in the equal condition.



So it is clear that they cannot see the ball, other players, or even where they're standing, but they play as if they can see!


For players to know where the ball is, their balls are a bit different from the normal one.



It looks quite normal, but is filled with ball-bearings to make it rattle when it rolls.
With that rattle noise and the voices of sighted goalkeeper and guide, the players can see where the balls, other players are, and of course where they're standing at.

What do you think is the biggest difference for audience?
As VOICES are very important guide for players, we audience are not allowed to make any noise when the play is on!
I am very used to cheering in the normal football game, so it was kinda hard for me not to shout unawares.
However, there were many supporters for team Japan!




We, team Japan lost in quarterfinal today, but the tournament still goes on.
If you're interested, check out the official website, and you can also see the live streaming of the game!

I hope more and more people get to know and enjoy blind football!

Posted by: Ayu (November 21, 2014 6:00 PM) | Permalink