June 2018 – Tokyo Sampomaster

Introduce a new walk course to the Sky Tree! Let’s enjoy Edo Kiriko, local food, shrine!

“Tokyo Sky Tree” is a famous sightseeing spot that everyone knows, but walking from JR Kameido station makes it a more interesting experience.
By choosing this course, you can eat Japanese traditional craft “Edo Kiriko Showroom” and local food “Kuzumochi” and “Kameido Gyoza”, and you can also go to the shrine “Kameido Tenjin Shrine” famous for Japanese art “Ukiyo-e”.
This course will take about 3 and a half hours to eat local food and appreciate art.

Kameido Gyoza from Kameido station

JR Kameido Station will arrive in Shinjuku by train for about 20 minutes.
When you arrive at the station, proceed straight ahead north entrance, you will arrive at the first destination “Kameido Gyoza” in about a minute’s walk.

Kameido Gyoza

Gyoza is the name of Japanese potstickers in Japan, “Kameido Gyoza” has no menu other than dumplings food aside from drinks. The skin is ultra-thin and baked to crispy level, the cabbage seems to be sliced to a large size, the texture which is crunchy is exquisite.
It is 250 yen per dish, please be aware that it is obliged to ask for at least 2 dishes per person.

Edo Kiriko cooperative showroom

Kameido Umeyashiki

“Kameido Umeyashiki” It is about 8 minutes on foot from JR Kameido Station, delicious local sweets, rice balls and souvenirs are on sale.”Edo Kiriko cooperative showroom” is in the facility.

Edo Kiriko is an image of blue or red, but here is a black Edo Kiriko shining in the “monotone”. It seems to match also the monotone interior.
From young people to skilled workers, you can see the artistic handicrafts of various Edo Kiriko craftworkers who are affiliated to the union.
If you visit here, I definitely recommend you look at Edo Kiriko from directly above, you should see another world like a kaleidoscope.

Kameido Tenjin Shrine

Kameido Temple Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Kameido Ward, enshrined Sugawara Michizane and is familiar as an academic god.
“The Plum Garden in Kameido” famous for Utagawa Hiroshige’s Ukiyo-e is a work of this land.

It is now famous as a wisteria place.
The light purple lovely flower became a bunches, the way the trees sway is very beautiful,It is called “the most beautiful place to wisteria”.
The contrast between the Tokyo Sky Tree and the shrine is interesting too.

Funabashiya

Funabashiya is a venerable japanese confectionaries(wagashi) shop that was founded in the approach to the Edo period in 1805, It is also known as the originator of kuzumochi.
Kuzumochi (Japanese Sweet Recipe) is mochi cakes made of kuzuko.
It is traditionally served chilled and a popular sweets in summer,topped with kuromitsu and kinako.

Tokyo Sky Tree’s interesting photographic spots

Jikken-bashi bridge is definitely a recommended spot for Tokyo Sky Tree shooting, If you have a single-lens reflex camera and have visited here since the sun went down, you can shoot the upside-down sky tree on the river.

Walking in the Jindaiji area | Botanical Gardens, Temples and Hot Spring

If you want to relax slowly in Tokyo sightseeing and want to beautiful flowers and nature, “Jindaiji area” is recommended.
You can reach from Shinjuku within 1 hour, and you can enjoy a vast botanical garden, mysterious temples, a natural hot spring, the townscape as if you had time slip in the Edo period!
In addition, there are more than 20 buckwheat noodle shops in this area and you can eat delicious soba in a store like a scene of SAMURAI movie.

Jindai Botanical Garden 神代植物公園

The Jindai Botanical Gardens are Tokyo Metropolitan Botanic Gardens located in Chofu City, Tokyo, It is the only plant park as Tokyo Metropolitan.
Approximately 4,500 kinds, 100 thousand plants are planted in the park, also known as sightseeing spot of plum and cherry blossoms.

Address: 5-31-10 Jindaiji-motomachi, Chofu-city, Tokyo
Opening Hours: [Sun · Tues – Saturday · Holiday] 9: 30 ~ 17: 00
※ The last entry of this garden is until 16:00
※ The closing time of the aquatic botanical garden is 16:30
Closed: Monday(If Monday is a holiday, next day)
Admission Fee: 500yen
Tel: 042-483-2300
Website: http://www.tamanoya.com/
Access:

From Keio Line

From Chofu Station, get off at “神代植物園前 Jindai Shokubutu Kouen Mae” to Kichijoji Station or Mitaka Station on the Odakyu Bus,
Or get off at “Jindai Botanical Gardens” for Keio Bus to 深大寺 Jindaiji

From Tsutsujigaoka station, get off at “Jindai Botanical Gardens” for Keio Bus to 深大寺 Jindaiji

From JR Chuo Line
From Mitaka Station or Kichijoji Station, Odakyu Bus to 調布駅北口 Chofu Station North Exit or 深大寺 Jindaiji
Get off at “神代植物園前 Jindai Botanical Gardens”
※ The bus ride time is about 20 minutes.

Jindaiji backwheat noodle shop “Tamano-ya” | 深大寺そば玉乃屋

Personally recommended at Jindaiji area where there are many soba shops is “Tamano-ya”.
This buckwheat store in front of the Jindaiji-temple gate behind the “Jindai Botanical Garden” is as if it appears like a director Kurosawa’s SAMURAI movie in a dim forest.

Tenzaru | 天ざる

Tenzaru is a dish of buckwheat noodles with seewead scattered on and a dish of tempura by 1350 yen.

Address: 5-11-3 Jindaiji-motomachi, Chofu-city, Tokyo
Opening Hours: [Sun · Tues – Saturday · Holiday] 9: 30 ~ 16: 30
Closed: Monday
Tel: 042-485-0303
Website: http://www.tamanoya.com/
Access: 1 min walk from Jindaiji gate of the Jindai Botanical Garden

Jindaiji Temple | 深大寺

The name of “Jindaiji” is said to originate from the water god “Jinja the Great” who was supposed to defend Xuanzangu, a Chinese monk who traveled to India in search of Buddhism.
Tell us that this temple opened up in the Tenpyo 5th year of the Nara period (733 years). In the Heian era in 859, it converts to Tendai sect.
This temple suffered a fire in 1646 and 1865 in the Edo period and lost most of the hall.
The current main hall is the reconstruction of the Taisho era.
The oldest temple in Tokyo is Asakusa in Asakusa, but the second oldest temple in Tokyo is this Jindaiji Temple.

There are many tea shops on the street in front of the temple, you can enjoy Japanese unique sweets such as buns and sauce and Japanese tea.

Jindaiji Hot Spring “Yumori-no-sato” | 深大寺温泉「湯守の里」

Entrance of Jindaiji Hot Spring

Address: 2-12-2 Jindaiji-motomachi, Chofu-city, Tokyo
Opening Hours: 10: 00 ~ 22: 00
※However, there may be temporary closure due to maintenance
Admission Fee:
1200 yen (There is no time limit, towel set · wears in the hall)
900 yen (Within 1 hour, no towel set · no wears in the hall)
Tel: 042-499-7777
Website: http://www.yumorinosato.com/
Access: 5 minutes on foot from Jindai Temple

The ingredient of this hot spring is sodium, the same concentration as the salt concentration of the human body.

Therefore, the burden when entering a hot spring is very few, it is a gentle hot spring.

The black hot water contains plenty of organic substances called “humic acid” in which plants such as kelp and ferns are matured, which are contained in the 1500 m underground layer.

Normal hot springs begin to degrade as soon as they enter the air.
This hot spring is suppressed from deterioration by the power of “humic acid”, and it has become plentiful mineral.
This “humic acid” also has the power to decompose toxins.

Take a walk around Ueno Zoo / Ueno Onshi Park / bar hopping in Ameyoko

Between Ueno Park area, with its cultural facilities, and Ameyoko area, packed with a variety of retails shop and restaurant, Ueno has two totally different faces.

Ueno Zoological Gardens is only place in japan where you can see the okapi, the giant panda, and the pygmy hippopotamus, which are three of the rarest animals in the world.

People who want to enjoy a lively atmosphere, go to Ameyoko.
You will love shopping as shopkeepers shout out energetically. Since they have everything, including food and all kind of miscellaneous goods, it is the perfect place to look for souvenirs. In addition, you can also find an area nearby where there are many popular taverns. It is also fun to do some “ladder-drinking”(pub crawl), by walking around to many different shops and drinking.

JR Ueno station Shinobazu Exit.
This is most nearest exit to Ueno Shinobazu pond.

area:
Taito-Ku, Tokyo

Genre:
Walking

LEVEL： Beginner Traveling time (not including breaks): 1.5 hours Distance： About 2km Access： Utunomiya/Takasaki Line,Keihin touhoku Line,Yamanote Line,Jouban Line Tokyo Metro Ginza Line,Hibiya line 「上野駅 JR Ueno Station」

Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Onshi Park.
This pond is natural pond in the Ueno Park.
This pond is famous for lotus flowers and blooms from the middle of July to the middle of August.

Shinobazu Pond Benten.
The Shinobazu Pond Benten was built during the Kanei period in the early Edo period.

Shimizu Kannondou
Shimizu Kanondo is a temple resembling Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto.

Ueno Toushouguu
In 4 years of Kenji (1627), Tokugawa Shogun Ieyasu of criticism told that he wanted me to make a place where my soul would last so long and built.

Ueno Toushouguu Main Holl

Ueno Zoo
9: 30 ~ 17: 00 (admission and admission tickets are sold until 16:00)

Brown Bear

pygmy hippopotamus

Gorilla

Ameyoko is a shopping district that has about 400 shops around 500 meters below the elevated Yamanote line from Ueno station.

Many of foods from the shops located in the Ameyoko are delicious and cheap.
Every shop is unique and suitable for bar hopping.
Let’s taste the popular IZAKAYA by going around various shops!

Ameyoko fruit bar
Cut fruit is sold 100yen per piace. Pineapple is most popular.

Ameyoko have many standing bars for you want a quick drink.

Izakaya”Daitouryou”
From the foundation in 1951, the popular tavern in Ameyoko “Daitouryou”.
Boiled horse’s stew is a popular,shop crowded every day.

grilled assorted chicken 450 yen

“Nikuno Ooyama”
Directly managed meat wholesaler founded in 1932. There is space for standing drinking and sitting in the common-people store, and You can savor specialty cattle at affordable price.

“Yamituki Mentee” 120yen.
Minced meat of good quality can be tasted because it is a meat wholesale.