Sakura Project at Yurakucho Lumine
During March 22-25, 2012 in Yurakucho Lumine, they had a giant vase of cherry blossoms from all 47 prefectures. The “plant hunter” gathered all the cherry tree branches and either…
Early-blooming cherry blossoms in Matsuda, Kanagawa
Went to see Mt. Fuji and early-blooming (hayasaki) cherry blossoms in Matsuda, Kanagawa Prefecture in March 2012. These cherry blossoms are the Kawazu sakura (河津桜) variety which bloom earlier and…
Fukushima Prefecture PR fair
Fukushima Prefecture held a PR fair (がんばろうふくしま！大交流フェア) at Tokyo International Forum on March 20, 2012 to promote itself. Lots of stage entertainment, food booths, mascot characters, and talk shows. Famous…
Sanja Matsuri Boat Procession
On March 18, 2012, Sunday, To mark the 700th anniversary of Asakusa Sanja Matsuri Festival in 2012, a boat procession was held on Sumida River on March 18, 2012 (浅草三社祭斎行700年祭…
Earthquake information in Japan
When an earthquake in Japan is reported overseas, the problem is that they only report the magnitude of the epicenter (usually offshore). They don’t usually report the magnitude in the…
Prefectural “antenna” shops
I’ve been visiting these prefectural “antenna” shops in central Tokyo. Most prefectures have these shops to sell/promote their local products (mainly food) and provide tourist info. If you’re in Tokyo,…
Kagawa Prefecture is Udon-ken
Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku has recently scored a brilliant PR coup with its “Udon-ken” (うどん県) tourism PR slogan/campaign. Kagawa is seeing a sharp increase in tourists as a result. It…
Hina Matsuri Doll Festival at Konosu, Saitama
Happy Grrlz Day! Saw Hinamatsuri at Konosu City Hall in Saitama Prefecture for the first time. The lobby had a huge pyramid (7 meters high) of 1,800 hina dolls flanked…
Tokyo Marathon 2012
Tokyo Marathon 2012 was held on Feb. 26, 2012. I took pictures near the finish line at Tokyo Big Sight. Amid 36,000 runners, there was lots of entertainment. Finish line…
Takahashi Naoko at Tokyo Marathon Expo 2012
Takahashi Naoko was giving an interesting talk at the Tokyo Marathon Expo at Tokyo Big Sight today. She gave marathon tips to a large crowd. Nicknamed “Q-chan,” she was the…