Category: Tour spot information

One day gourmet tour to Chiba on my birthday

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One day tour with my famlily

Yesterday was my birthday, and I turned 65. Thank you all for the congratulatory messages on Facebook or other media. I would like to express my gratitude once again.Turning 60, Kanreki; according to the Chinese calendar, a combination of zodiac animals and cosmic elements that consists 60 years, and the 60th birthday marks the one cycle of this, and it was a turning point in many ways, but 65 is also a turning point that makes me feel like an elderly person, as I am now fully paid out of my pension and can use senior discounts at various facilities.Yesterday, my wife, son and I went on a one-day trip to Boso in Chiba for the first time in a while. Recently, my son has been busy with school and part-time work, and it has been difficult to coordinate his schedules with my wife’s part-time work, so we have had fewer opportunities to go out together. Also, my son will finally start working as a full-time employee from April, so it looks like we will have even fewer opportunities to go out together, so on the last day of my son’s winter break from school, we enjoyed a short trip together with all member of my family for the first time in a while.

Initially, I had planned to have breakfast on the Boso Peninsula, then take a ferry across Tokyo Bay and do some sightseeing on the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa, but yesterday the wind was strong and the waves in Tokyo Bay were high, so the ferry was canceled, so we ended up spending some time relaxing in Chiba.

Delicious seafood

First, we went to a seafood restaurant run by the fishing cooperative and had a super-large bowl of tempura and enjoyed many types of sashimi raw fish, of horse mackerel. It would be difficult to order such a large bowl of tempura unless I shared it with my son, who is a big eater. After that, I took a look at the daffodils, which were in best season, did some shopping at the agricultural cooperative’s farmer’s market, and relaxed at a day spa in Chiba City. My son doesn’t like beer as much as I do, so he offered to drive without drinking any after the spa, so I was happy to be able to enjoy a blissful moment with a cold beer.So, we didn’t do any sightseeing and just took it easy, but I think my 65th birthday started off pretty well. I appreciate I can continue to have good relationship with all of you on this year, too.

Best season of autumn leaves in Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

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Beautiful Autumn Leaves

On Sunday, I guided a group of young people who are staying in Tokyo for a medium to long term, to Koishikawa Korakuen Garden as member of Tokyo City Guide Club. It was divided about 10 guests into four groups, and I guided two guests from India and Germany. The autumn leaves were in full bloom at that time, so I think the guests enjoyed themselves well.

However, since the pairings were decided at the entrance to the garden, it was the first time that both guides and guest group, so there were some confusions.

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden was built to make people in Edo, who could not easily travel to Kyoto, to enjoy a simulated Kyoto trip, but it was some difference for participants from Germany, which had a similar feudal system, and participants from India, which has a different history, to understand the background. In addition, the English pronunciation of the guests was different, so it was difficult to communicate within the participants.

I have explained this garden many times before, and I had information in advance about the type of people I would be guiding, so I was able to plan the scenario and time allocation of my explanation to a certain extent, but I also had to worry about how much I should improvise to suit the pace and level of understanding of the two guests.

Also, because we were divided into four groups, we had to coordinate the viewing time for the whole group, and I had to skip some places to explain, so as a guide, I was a little worried and left with regrets about how much the group enjoyed. However, we were saved by the fact that the autumn leaves were at their best.

Astonishing autumn leaves at Kitanomaru Park

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Best time for Maples and Ginkgo trees

I organized an autumn foliage observation event for a group of the Tokyo City Guide at Kitanomaru Park as a host. The maples in the forest were at their best on a cloudless day, and the gradations from orange to crimson were beautiful. The old ginkgo tree, said to be about 200 years old, was a beautiful yellow suitable for a landmark. Members of the event learned how to distinguish between species in maple trees, which can be difficult to distinguish between, and enjoyed not only the autumn leaves but also the red berries of evergreen trees.

A quiet and beautiful day in Odaiba in late autumn

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Joyful volunteer work

The last day of November, the 30th, was a calm day in Tokyo, blessed with good weather. It had been a while since I last volunteered in the Odaiba area, and I was able to spend the time leisurely giving instructions to people looking for their destinations at Yurikamome stations or other places, and providing consultation to their next destination or the airport. As the autumn leaves in Odaiba have turned a lot, and looking at the Christmas lights, I began to feel like the end of the year was finally upon us.

Amazing autumn views from Mt. Takao and Japanese gardens in Tokyo with wonderful guests from the U.S.A and Canada

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On Sunday (November 10th) and Monday (November 11th), I guided two friendly senior couples from Phoenix (Arizona) in the United States and Toronto, Canada, to gardens (Koishikawa Korakuen garden and Hama Rikyu Gardens) and other places in Tokyo and Mt. Takao. The customers had made a reservation about half year ago, and they wanted to see the Japanese gardens and autumn leaves, so I made the schedule above, taking into consideration the opening days of the gardens and the possibility of increasing the chances of enjoying the beautiful autumn leaves at a leisurely pace. However, as the scheduled date approached, I was worried about whether I could provide a satisfactory guide, as the autumn leaves were much later than usual and the weather forecast predicted a high probability of rain on both days.

In the meantime, I decided to thoroughly check out Mt. Takao last Wednesday and the gardens in Tokyo on Saturday to check the condition of the destinations. In addition, I found out just before the tour that all four of the guests were quite seniors, considering the walking distances we have to walk over the two-day trip and checked elevators and escalator on routes as much as possible (as there were no elevators nor escalators in the gardens or on the mountain paths, I thoroughly checked the stations and other places where escalators could be used).

I also sent photos of the summit of Mt. Takao during the pre-trip inspection in advance to provide information that while we can’t expect to see full colored maples, but can enjoy some colored maples on Mt. Takao, so as not to raise the guests’ expectations too much. Also, in the gardens in Tokyo, I decided to focus on the ingenuity of the gardens and the autumn leaves of zelkova and wax trees and acorns such as oaks instead of maples.

Fortunately, it was raining that night, but the weather changed from cloudy to sunny during the day, so we were able to enjoy the tour. The peak season for autumn leaves and cherry blossoms is limited, and the impression changes depending on the weather, so I realized how difficult it is to prepare in a limited schedule to ensure that our guests are as satisfied as possible.

Still, by making as much effort as possible, the sun was on our side, and we were able to see beautiful smiles at the end.

This tour was organized through Tours by Locals.

The magnificent traditional techniques of the world-famous female falconer

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On Sunday, the second day of the three-day weekend, the Kanto region was blessed with clear autumn weather, a huge contrast to the previous day. I went to see and enjoy a falconry procession in Iwatsuki, Saitama.

Iwatsuki is located north of Edo and was a key location for the defense of Edo. It was also an important town as a post station on the Onari Road, Shogun’s special road and a side road of the Nikko highway, where the shogun frequently passed. It was also a place where shoguns often enjoyed falconry, so a falconry procession was recreated to evoke those days.

I was able to see a female falconer demonstrate falconry, something I don’t usually get to see, and I also enjoyed watching the falcon fly into my hand.

Autumn harvest observation event in Yoyogi Park on a cold, rainy autumn day

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Unfortunately, it rained in Tokyo on Saturday, the first day of the three-day weekend. However, the rain was still a little light in the morning, so the Nature Exploration group in Tokyo City Guide Club held an observation event in Yoyogi Park with the theme of autumn fruits or nuts.

We don’t usually pay much attention to these small fruits, but if looking closely, I can see that Chinese hackberry, Scabrous aphananthe, and camphor trees are secretly bearing fruits.

Also, depending on the type of acorn, the way the fruit is formed and the shape and pattern of the cupule, also called a cap, vary, and when we understand the differences, we will feel a little proud. The autumn leaves in the park have started to change little by little, with flowering dogwood and winged spindle bearing red fruits, but most of the trees, including the maple, are still green.

The autumn leaves are a little late this year, but in a little while the leaves of the trees in the park will turn red and yellow and we will be able to enjoy them again, but I am a little worried about how the heat of this summer will affect the autumn leaves.

What surprised me a little was that the early-blooming Kawazu cherry trees was blooming out of season. Could this be due to the long, hot summer this yea

r?

Offering the best experience for cruise ship guests visiting Tokyo

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Yesterday and the day before, I was assigned a task work for the first time since spring, showing guests who came to Japan on a cruise ship around Tokyo’s tourist spots and taking them to the airport after disembarking. The cruise ship I assigned this time crossed the Pacific Ocean from Alaska and arrived in Otaru about four days ago, then docked in Tokyo. It was a ship with many seniors and elegant persons on board, and children were not allowed on board.

Many of the passengers were visiting Tokyo for the first time, so I took them on a bus ride through the city center, explaining the popular tourists’ spots such as Tokyo Tower or the State Guest House that could be seen from the window of coach, and guiding them the Imperial Palace and the Skytree.

I usually guide small families and groups on custom-made itineraries using public transportation such as the subway, but it was quite a challenge to explain the surrounding scenery from the bus window one after another to about 30 customers, and to guide them so that they don’t get lost in the crowded the Skytree and Solamachi shopping town. I also walked slowly, being considerate of senior passengers, and walked shorter distances than usual, so I thought my legs wouldn’t get too tired, but standing and sitting on the bus and talking to face to customers seemed to put a lot of strain on my legs, and yesterday my legs were so tired I had to give them a massage in the bathtub long time.

Still, I completed the whole trip without any passengers getting lost, and when we got off the bus, everyone was smiling and I even received a small tip, so I guess it was all good.

Of course, there are many small things I could have done better, and I need to improve one by one.

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