Kurobera is the furthest a person can go from the city of Tokyo. “It is a place that has never seen a convenience store, a place that cell phones don’t work. People work in the fields all day and practice an ancient form of the Noh at night. Family names: Fujiwara, Miahara, date back to the Heike, over 800 years. Recent archeological digs show that people have lived here since the Jyomon.
Now there are less then 10 residents year round. The youngest, 71, you can see dancing in this video.”

Established 1872, the Tokyo National Museum (東京国立博物館, Tōkyō Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan?), or TNM, is the oldest and largest museum in Japan. The museum collects, houses, and preserves a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects of Asia, focusing on Japan. The museum holds over 110,000 objects, which includes 87 Japanese National Treasure holdings and 610 Important Cultural Property holdings (as of July, 2005). The museum also conducts research and organizes educational events related to its collection.

The museum is located inside Ueno Park in Taito, Tokyo. The facilities consist of the Honkan (本館, Japanese Gallery), Tōyōkan (東洋館, Asian Gallery), Hyōkeikan (表慶館), Heiseikan (平成館), Hōryū-ji Hōmotsukan (法隆寺宝物館, the Gallery of Hōryū-ji Treasures), as well as Shiryōkan (資料館, the Research and Information Center) and other facilities. There are restaurants and shops within the museum’s premises, as well as outdoor exhibitions and a garden where visitors can enjoy seasonal views.

The museum’s collections focus on ancient Japanese art and Asian art along the Silk Road. There is also a large collection of Greco-Buddhist art.

All information is provided in Japanese, Chinese, English, French, German, Korean, and Spanish.

How to get there?

(JR Line) 10 minutes from Ueno or Uguisudani Station
(Ginza or Hibiya Tokyo Metro Line) 15 minutes from Ueno Station
(Chiyoda Tokyo Metro Line) 15 minutes from Nezu Station
(Keisei Line) 15 minutes from Keisei Ueno Station

Price: 600Yen for adult, 300Yen for University students, free for High/Junior High/Elementary School Students and under.

Official Website

Okay, if you’re new in Japan, you might want to consider having someone take you around in a customized tour specifically for newbies. Tokyo can be an especially daunting place since it has a life of its own and English speakers may find it hard to even find the bathroom since mostly things are written in Japanese. So the Tokyo Trend Tours offers scouts who will take you around and help integrate you into the Japanese culture.

Among the things they will cover are:

* Fashion and youth culture
* Retail and shopping – from discount stores to showrooms to the flagship experience
* New products and concepts – from FMCG to luxury
* Network technology and mobile phones
* Marketing and advertising

I am not sure how much it is, I just thought it would be a great heads up for you guys who are interested in getting to know Tokyo a little better than your 100yen shops. Check out: Tokyo Trend Tours

Mount Mitake (御岳山, Mitakesan?) is a mountain in Tokyo, Japan. It stands 929 meters tall. On the mountain is a Shinto shrine.

It is one of the many highlights of the Chichibu Tama Kai National Park, which covers more than 1,250 square kilometers of forested mountains, hills, gorges and some rural towns in the prefectures of Yamanashi, Saitama, Nagano and Tokyo.

The trip from Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station to Mitake Station on the Ōme Line takes about 95 minutes. A cable car leads to the village at its top.

It is worth it to go to Mount Mitake for a weekend getaway because it is touted to be one of those “hidden gems” in Japan where culture and history still prevails. :)

Akasaka Sacas is a new shopping space that is as large as tiny “city” within Tokyo area. It was only opened in March of 2008 so currently the hype is all on the space. Sacas is made up of 5 main buildings, the TBS headquarters is among them as well as a residential block. The center has everything it ever needs, which hails it the name a city within a city.

How to get there?

Take the Marunouchi Subway Line to Kokkaigijido-mae Station (7 minutes) and transfer to the Chiyoda Subway Line for Akasaka (2 minutes). The one way fare is 160 Yen.

From Shinjuku Station

Take the Marunouchi Subway Line to Kokkaigijido-mae Station (12 minutes) and transfer to the Chiyoda Subway Line for Akasaka (2 minutes). The one way fare is 160 Yen.

Japan-Guide

Kappabashi Street is a must go for all kitchen gadget geeks, like me. I like gadgets, but i like kitchen gadgets more. It’s a love-hate affair but more love than hate. When I found out that there is a street in Japan dedicated to kitchenware, I was just ecstatic! Kappabashi, a street in between Ueno and Asakusa, has stores selling everything a restaurant or a specialized cook needs. But they do not sell ingredients thought, it’s just non-perishable wares.

So if you need plastic food for your exterior decor, you know where to go.

A case point of view on traveling to Akihabara district; where you can find all your electrical needs :P

For all you sake fanatic out there in Japan, you’ll be happy to know that there will be a sake fair this coming March on the 15th and 16th. This annual fair includes well over 100 sake brewers from across the Niigata region. As you might have heard, Niigata region is well known for their good quality rice and rice wine.

Like a wine tasting fair, everyone above the age of 20 is welcome to join the sake fair and in tasting the various sakes blends from the Niigata region. Admissions for viewing is free however, if you want to go on a sake tasting spree, you would need to exchange 1000yen for a cup whereby you could go from stand to stand tasting their alcoholic wares. There will be performances scheduled to entertain guests and specialty food from Niigata will also be available.

How to get there come 15th March?

By train from Tokyo

Niigata Station can be reached from Tokyo Station in about two hours by Toki trains along the Joetsu Shinkansen. The one way journey costs around 10,000 yen and is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass and JR East Pass.

The JR East “View” travel agency also offers special roundtrip packages for the Sake no jin event from Tokyo. They are available either for a daytrip (only 12,000 yen) or a two-day excursion packaged with hotel accommodation (from 21,500 yen).

By bus from Tokyo

There are hourly highway bus connections and an overnight bus between Tokyo (Ikebukuro Station) and Niigata. The one way trip takes about 5.5 hours and costs 5250 yen. A round trip ticket is available for 9450 yen.

From Niigata Station to Toki Messe

The Toki Messe convention center can be reached from Niigata Station by bus (about 10 minutes, 200 yen), by taxi (about 5 minutes, approx. 700 yen) or on foot (two kilometers, about 30 minutes).

Japan Guide.

This is SO beautiful:

It’s located in Japan but sadly, I cannot really find any information of an address. Maybe it’s a her personal address lol – oh well, check out the video. :)