Blogs from Ueno, Tokyo, Japan, Asia - page 6

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Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Ueno November 27th 2008

Sword Museum - West Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan My first day in Tokyo! Since I have a long weekend for Thanksgiving, I decided to travel to Tokyo. The first place I went to in Tokyo was the Sword Museum in West Shinjuku. The museum was small but I received an information packet with tons of interesting facts about samurai swords. Below is some of what it included: Manual for Appreciating the Japanese Sword The Nipponto (Japanese sword) is said to have virtually no parallel in any other forms of art made of iron. Our ancestors pursued aesthetic beauty even in arms and armor and swords were revered as treasures. Each sword is characterized by its refined shapre, thoroughly forged and polished steel surface and beautiful temper pattersm which represent specific eras and schools of its maker. What ... read more
3 Samurais
Samurai
Parts of a Sword

Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Ueno November 6th 2008

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Tokyo. Although we do not speak the language, it didn't really matter although my knowledge of the Chinese words do help quite a bit. We arrived at Narita erminal 2 very early on 27 Sep 08. By 10am we were on the Keisei Limited Express to Keisei Ueno Station in downtown Tokyo. Our hotel, The Oak, is located less than 5 minutes' walk from Inaricho Sta (G17) which is one train stop from Ueno Sta (G16). We should have taken the subway to Inaricho. Instead we took a long walk from Ueno Sta to our hotel passing Inaricho Sta on the way. Checked into our hotel room with ease because the hotel staff speaks English. The room was small, just big enough for two twin beds and ... read more
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Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Ueno November 4th 2008

dienstag, 04.11.08 am vergangenen mittwoch steige ich also in shinagawa, 6 minuten vor tokyo hauptbahnhof, von himeji kommend aus dem shinkansen aus. ich bin längst mitten in der metropolis, aber die letzten paar kilometer bis zu meinem hotel, nahe der shinjuku station, lege ich mit der jr jamanote line zurück. im prinzip ist die jr jamanote line wie eine u-bahn und fährt alle paar minuten, einfach von japan rail veranstaltet und nicht unter-, sondern oberirdisch. zudem fährt sie innert einer knappen stunde immer im kreis - logischerweise einmal links herum und einmal rechts herum. übrigens heisst oberirdisch nicht auf, sondern ein paar stockwerke über dem boden, denn auf eg-niveau gibt es nur fuss- und pneuverkehr. so gesehen wäre tokyo in der schweiz dank dem heiligen ACS gar nicht möglich... nochmals übrigens: gleiches gilt auch für den ... read more
dinner
near shibuya
wall painting

Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Ueno November 2nd 2008

Am Sonntag habe ich mich mit Adrian und Thomas in Ueno getroffen. Dort sind wir bei sonnigem Wetter durch den grossen Park geschlendert (Adrian und ich - Thomas kam viiiieeel zu spaet). Danach wollte ich eigentlich ins National Art Museum, aber da Thomas schon drin war, haban wir uns fuer das Museum of Nature and Science enschieden. Mit Science hatte es nur wenig zu tun. War mehr ueber Tiere und die Entstehung des Menschen. Eigentlich alles sehr schoen gemacht. Da wir sehr spaet im Museum waren, mussten nach relativ kurzer Zeit wieder raus, da sie schliessen wollten. Danach sind Thomas und ich Richtung Uni gelaufen, da ich in der Naehe der Uni wohne und Thomas' Bahn dort faehrt. Leider haben wir uns einwenig verlaufen..... Aber im Endeffekt haben wir die Uni doch gefunden ;)... read more
Tempel
ich vor dem Tempel
eines der Museen im Ueno Park

Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Ueno October 9th 2008

Today I went to Ueno. What I have noticed about the place so far is that there are temples and shrines everywhere! I have never seen anything like it. Have taken loads of pictures (which I managed to upload to Facebook - quite chuffed about that). Also went to Ueno Zoo. ... read more
Sensoji temple

Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Ueno October 4th 2008

"Backpackers" carried packs on their backs. They traveled the world and followed the aromas of banana pancakes, dreams of remoteness and the Lonely Planet's recommendations. Of this, we all agree These days the "Flashpackers" roam the earth. Decked with electronic gear and assorted power chargers, internal flight bookings and reservations at hidden spa-resorts. They have a different outlook to the laid-back rovers of the past. Snap it, log it, blog it. We are all Flashpackers now, we cannot avoid the inevitable upward pressure of the digital world, no matter how much of hobo we try to be. I once sat next to a guy from Seattle escaping the American Dream by cruising down the Mekong in Laos. He proudly told me how he was trying to live on just one dollar a day. Mike was scruffy ... read more
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not a cop

Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Ueno September 14th 2008

Sorry for the long absence of updating (we are now home, oops!) but I thought I would finish off the blog. From melbourne, Dave and I flew back home via Tokyo where we stayed in the Bunko region, near Ueno, in a fabulous Ryokan (Traditional Japanese accommodation) which I cannot recommend enough. Tokyo was great although a little more organised and dare I say sedate than I had imagined but a wonderful time was had and it would have been great to have had more time to see more of the country. Hope you like the photos and we have had a grrrrrreat trip (and made it back home safely). I will be back! x... read more
The Ryokan
Nooodles
Sumo

Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Ueno August 23rd 2008

Woke up to the sound of Maz telling the snorer hes an absolute cock! We were a bit tired especially as he rustles his plastic bags at 6 in the morning, it wasnt a good start to the day! We took our morning trip to starbucks and then got the metro to Ueno where we'd heard there was a zoo and a park. The park was very impressive, lots of war monuments and a temple. We saw an outdoor soup kitchen, a jazz musician and an aray of fountains. We also stopped to watch a street entertainer do a balancing trick - Maz wasnt impressed, she thought she could do a lot better so when we run out of money we can put her theory to the test. We spotted a childrens play area and couldnt ... read more

Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Ueno May 20th 2008

Our flight was delayed by three hours but eventually we made it to Tokyo and arrived at our hostel at 12.30am. Tuesday morning we wandered off aimlessly to see where it would take us. A rainy day, we came across some lovely gardens then the infamous Yasukuni Shrine where the Japanese honour their war dead including alleged war criminals. Negotiating the Tokyo metro is a big challenge!! Lots and lots of walking and stairs involved, and different tickets needed for certain lines. Darren parted company with Inge and Rodney to head for the Sumo tournament late arvo while they saw the bright lights of Ginza. Sumo was a real spectacle. We enjoyed dinner separately before an early night. Tokyo is a really clean city and very civilised given the population. Traffic seems worse in melbourne these days! ... read more

Asia » Japan » Tokyo » Ueno April 30th 2008

Its a sad day in Japan today. The last Panda at Panda Zoo (or Ueno Koen Zoo as it's more commonly known) has died. A few of you may know i have a certain affinity to the panda. As mentioned previously my friend Graham has remarked on several occasions that I do bear a strong resemblence to the beautiful, black and white animal. But its not just the dark circles under my eyes after a heavy night out that I share with this magestic beast. We have a common love for the same activities. Sleeping, Eating, Lolling about on the ground, and being stared at for no reason by complete strangers being a mere few of them. I never got around to writing about my trip to Panda Zoo. It was a week or two ago ... read more




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