Other information - Fantastic private tours in Japan

Category: Other information

Unseasonable snow fell in Tokyo

Posted on 2025年3月19日2025年6月16日 by japan flower tour home

Today (19th March 2025), we have unexpected snow even in the city center of Tokyo, with a thin snow layer on ground. A thin layer of snow has accumulated on the roof of the Kaminarimon Gate (Thundar gate) and main hall of Sensoji Temple, and the lawn of in front of the Imperial Palace and Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden are also slightly white.

The early-blooming cherry varieties have already begun to bloom, but the mid-season and later varieties that will bloom from now on may be a little late in blooming.

Joining Tokyo International Marathon by Volunteer work

Posted on 2025年3月2日2025年6月15日 by japan flower tour home

I enjoyed for participation as a volunteer in the Tokyo Marathon on March 2nd. On the day of the marathon, which was held in beautiful and peaceful spring weather, I was in charge of guiding the runners who had finished to the changing rooms. This internationally major event, with about half of the approximately 38,000 participants being from overseas, really shows that people from all over the world are looking forward to it.

On the day of the race, we supported the runners who had finished the race by guiding them to the place where they could change clothes, so that the runners who had completed the full marathon could change clothes and head home without using too much energy as much as possible. Even though many of the runners were exhausted, they thanked the volunteers and staff who supported them, saying, “Thank you! I had fun today.” It was a day that made me feel glad to be a volunteer.

Every runner shared the use of the changing rooms, which were not particularly spacious, and they also separated their trash before throwing it away. When the activity was over, there was no trash on the ground at all, so the volunteers did not have to collect trash or clean up. I also felt the high quality of the runners who participated (I think that the good manners of Japanese runners partly influenced to foreign runners).

Recently, the problem of overtourism has been pointed out, and the decline in the quality of tourists visiting Japan is often pointed out, but I once again felt that it is important to attract such visitors with a high sense of purpose, and to have them recognize the good points of Japan, and if possible, to lead to raising their awareness.

Field workshop on Japanese apricot/ Ume plum

Posted on 2025年2月18日2025年2月18日 by japan flower tour home

Last weekend I hosted an observation event for Ume plum or Japanese apricot and other early spring plants at Koishikawa Korakuen Garden as an organizer as nature observation group in the Tokyo City Guide Club. I invited guides, not only knowledgeable about Ume blossoms and plants, but also about Koishikawa Korakuen Garden’s history, participants were able to hear a lot of interesting stories.

We were given a detailed explanation of the relationship between Koishikawa Korakuen Garden, which was the garden of the Mito clan’s upper residence in Tokyo, and Kairakuen Garden in Mito, which is famous as Ume blossom viewing spot. We also learned that for each plum blossom, the name of the variety can tell you to a certain extent what the shape of the flower and how it blooms, how to interpret the tree shape created by pruning, and how the shape of the flower changes even in one tree depending on the time of year it blooms, making our view of plum blossoms even more interesting.

I also learned a lot of eye-opening stories, such as the fact that the difference between Christmas camellia, which are about to end their season, and Japanese camellia Tsubaki, which are about to enter their peak season, can be easily understood from the perspective of Christmas camellia flowers, which are pollinated by insects, and Japanese camellia flowers, which are pollinated by birds. It seems that the plum blossoms are blooming and coming into full bloom late this year, so it looks like we’ll still be able to enjoy them.

Based on the results of observation workshop, I have also updated my ume plum or Japanese apricot encyclopedia page. Please take a look if you are interested.