Kamukura Ramen, Ikebukuro

Kamukura, Ramen or Chinese restaurant, originally opened in Osaka and became one of the most popular Ramen or Chinese noodle shop in Osaka. A few years ago, that famous Ramen shop came to Tokyo.

Kamukura Ramen is quite different from usual one, whose main vegetable is Hakusai or Chinese cabbage, which is the secret of Kamukura Ramen.

The concept of the shop is that you can be a Kamukura Ramen addict after eating the Ramen three times. When I first ate the Ramen, I thought the taste was something strange. As I ate the Ramen, I found it more delicious.

Many TV and film stars are fans of this shop. Wentworth Miller, an American actor, also enjoyed Kamukra Ramen.


Food Taste:★★★
Food Volume:★★
Atmosphere: ★★
Hospitality:★★
Cost performance:★★★




＜Guide Memo＞関西では有名なかむくら。東京にも新宿、渋谷、池袋にあります。
ここのラーメンは、白菜を使った不思議なラーメン。不思議ですが、胃に優しい味で、病みつきになります。
ラーメン初心者には、別のお店の方がいいと思いますが、日本食を色々堪能しているゲストは連れて行けます。
つまり普通のラーメンじゃないということです。まずは普通のラーメン。普通のラーメンにあきたら、かむくらへ。

Gundam Cafe, Akihabara

If you are a big fan of GUNDAM, this café must be very impressive and enjoyable!It is the only official GUNDAM café in the world located near Akihabara Station.
The models and figures of GUNDAM are waiting for you!!

In the Café, Animation without English Caption is available.

Food Menu such as spaghetti and curry rice￥790～
Coffee￥340～, Beer￥500～, Sweet ￥250～
↓Hello Latte ￥380

It is so popular that all seats are sometimes occupied by fans during weekends.
GUNDAM Goods such as chopsticks, notebooks and some snacks are sold, too.


＜Guide Memo＞ガンダムファンなら間違いなく案内したいガンダムカフェ。
パスタやカレーのランチがあるが味は期待できない。値段は普通。（ランチ￥890、コーヒー\340）
店の中には模型やフィギア満載。ガンダムの映像も流れている。ガンダムグッズも売っている。
混雑状況は行ってみないと分からない。すんなり入れることも多い。土日やアキバでイベントがあるときは要注意。

Atelier gem genie in Akihabara, Tokyo

Atelier gem genie is the decoration shop in Akihabara.

Various goods such as figure,digital camera,cellular phone,iPhone,glasses and wine bottles can be decorated with Swarovski.
They are the samples of figure decorated, and absolutely impressive than I expected!

Decoration with Swarovski is subculture of Japan.



＜Guide Memo＞アトリエ・ジェム・ジニー秋葉原にある雑居ビル3F。デコショップ。
店内は、デコしたキラキラのフィギアでいっぱいです。デコされたガンダムは○十万。
自分のものをデコ。携帯で￥8400～。ワンポイントは、2100円～。
デコ好きの若い女の子にはおすすめの店。デコ好きの外国人は、ネットで購入していると思いますので、このお店に連れていくと喜ぶと思います。小さいお店なのでFITのみ。

Demboin in Asakusa, Tokyo

Demboin has been the residence of the head priest of Senso-ji for generations constructed in 1777.

Demboin has a garden of some 12,200 square meters. The garden is said to have been created in the early 17th century by prominent tea master, architect and garden designer Kobori Enshu.

Tenyuan, tea room, was built by tea master Sakubei Makino in 1780's.

It is located in Sensoji Temple, and is basically not but sometimes open to the public.
Admission ￥300 including the exhibit of Ema or Picture tablets of Japan.



＜Guide Memo＞伝法院のお庭を見る前に、浅草寺お宝の絵馬を見ることができます。絵馬といっても大絵馬。
1M～2Mの見応えがある絵馬が並んでいます。
お庭を公開するときは、大抵この絵馬も一緒に公開するようです。なのでお庭の他に絵馬の知識も要。
お庭は不定期に公開しています。（毎年というわけではありません。）
公開しているときは、回遊式日本庭園を見せるチャンス。
コンパクトですが、本坊、五重塔、お庭と見どころが詰まっています。無料で煎茶のサービスもあり。
庭園には桜、フジ、つつじ、菖蒲など春の花は一通りありました。
所用時間は、絵馬展15分＋お庭15分＋お茶10分？=40分程度
桜の季節は混雑するので要注意

Mansei, Akihabara

Mansei is one of the most famous beef restaurant chains. It has the restaurant building in Akihabara, in which from B1F to 10F Mansei restaurant can be enjoyed. The third floor and the 4th floor are casual beef restaurants.

↑Beef slice lunch including rice and miso Soup ￥1,180



↑Hamburger steak lunch including rice and miso soup　￥1,280

↑The restaurant has a retro atmosphere.

↑The view from the wondow seat

English menu is not available, but each menu item has its photo.
Booking is available both for lunch and dinner.
You can enjoy one of the famous restaurants at the reasonable price!


Food Taste:★★★
Food Volume:★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★
Hospitality:★★★
Cost performance:★★★★




＜Guide Memo＞秋葉原で利用しやすいレストランです。何といっても有名な万世。連れていく価値あり！です。
3階、4階はカジュアルレストラン。昭和の雰囲気があり、落ち着けます。
4階は、完全禁煙です。値段は、800円程度～。CPは、なかなかいいです。
ランチタイムでも予約可能です。席の予約ができます。窓側の席がおすすめ。

Sankeien in Yokohama, Kanagawa

Where is this mountain/the old house?

They are not in Satoyama or countryside but in Yokohama!
I can say that Sankeien is the most interesting traditional Japanese-style garden in the suburb of Tokyo.
It is rich in nature and has many significant structures in Japanese history.

Sankei-en was the residence of Sankei Hara designed and built by Sankei himself in 1902 and opened to the public in 1906.
Many of historic buildings designated as the important cultural assets of Japan were originally built in Kyoto
and relocated to the garden.

↑Rinshunkaku, the important cultural asset of Japan, was built in 1649 as the second residence for Shogun Kishu Tokugawa in Wakayama. Spring such as cherry blossoms can be enjoyed here.

↑Choshukaku the important cultural asset of Japan, was built in 1623 by the third Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu Tokugawa. Autumn such as maple trees and ginkgo trees can be enjoyed here.

↑Hyotanmon-Chozubachi
This water basin was the favorite of Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

↑Hatsunejaya
The novel prize winning Indian Poet Tagor who stayed Sankeien for 2 months and a half and Japanese literary Ryonosuke Akutagawa and many others have visited this arbor.

 Admission ￥500　30min. from Yokohama station by Bus




＜Guide Memo＞三渓園は、本当にすばらしい。東京にはこんなに自然と歴史的建造物を楽しめる場所はありません。東京の庭園と違い、ビルは視界に入りませんので、別世界に来たような感覚を覚えます。交通がとても不便なので、バスツアー、ハイヤーの場合のみ、使えそうです。入場料500円。資料館無料。1000円払ってもいいくらい。
ハイライトの三重塔、臨春閣、聴秋閣のコースで、1時間半～2時間。ボランティアガイドさんに案内してもらうと、自分たちでは見つけられない面白い話が聞けます。

Sankeien Saryo in Yokohama, Kanagawa

Sankeien Saryo is a small Japanese café in Sankeien, Yokohama.
It offers Japanese noodle, Udon or Soba, as well as Japanese sweet such as Dango.
If you prefer a quick lunch and want to spend more time seeing the garden, it can be your option.

↑Japanese noodle with Templa at ￥1,000, which is reasonable.
Templa includes a shrimp, Japanese mushroom, egg plant, lotus root and seasonal vegetable,

Noodle ～￥750（a wide variety of Japanese noodles are available.）
Onigiri or Rice ball ～￥350
Dango　～￥200
Inside: 3 tables for 16 people
Outside:3 tables for 12 people

 ＜Guide Memo＞三渓園内の小さなお店。観光地にあるよくあるお店。
時間がないときにおすすめ。おそばは、なかなか美味しい。
天ぷらそば1000円は、ボリュームもあり、コストパフォーマンスは高い。
おそば、おうどんがOKなゲストなら、庭園を見ながらここでランチもいい。
ただし、席数が少ないので、休日と桜、紅葉の季節は混雑しそうなので避けた方がいい。

Yamate in Yokohama, Kanagawa

Yamate is located in Yokohama city, 30 minutes from Tokyo central station.
The area is famous as foreigners' neighborhood from 1860’s. Some of those classic houses such as a former British diplomat's house were designated as the important cultural assets of Japan and open to the public.

↑Ehrismann Residence by Antonin Raymond, Czech architect

↑Diplomat's house by J.M.Gardiner, American architect

 

↑Bluff No.18

 

↑Japanese residence built in 1909.

Without admission, you can enter inside those houses.
The architecture is really interesting.
For those people interested in architecture as well as history of opening Yokohama port, it must be very good place to visit.



＜Guide Memo＞外国人が洋館に興味あるかといえばNOでしょう。
ただ横浜（みなとみらい、中華街など）を案内することはあるので、時間調整でドライブすることはあります。（私は2度山手をバスで案内しました。）
洋館はどれも素敵。中も無料で入れます。これまたかなり素敵♪
万が一、建築とかに興味があり、ウォーキングでまわるなら、2時間～3時間要

Tokyo Sky Tree had NO Damage

The Tokyo Sky Tree, which is under construction, had no damage by the massive 3.11 earthquake, and its construction work has been continued.
The tower reached its full height of 634.0 metres (2,080 ft) in March 18th just after the quake and has become the tallest tower in the world.

This photo is taken just on the gound of Tokyo sky tree.　It is huge...

This photo is taken from Asakusa, located within walking distance.

Tokyo sky tree is already a very popular tourist destination among Japanese people.



＜Guide Memo＞地震にもびくともしなかった東京スカイツリー。
構造上の被害なし。けが人なし。
地震後も工事は続行。地震から1週間後の3月18日、ひそかに634M達成。
浅草から10分の距離です。散歩道はさほど面白くもないけれど、天気が良ければ、アサヒビールの横を通り、散策もいいかも。

Small Japanese Garden in Sensoji, Asakusa

Sensoji temple in Asakusa is the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo dates back to 628.
It is a must place to visit and most visitors enjoy the main temple and Nakamise shopping arcade on its ground.

↑Inside the main temple

↑Besides those, small Japanese garden is recommended.
Some of visitors skip or miss the garden. But it is absolutely beautiful.
Not so many people are there, so the garden is like your private garden, in which various kinds of plants including sakura or cherry blossoms and Japanese koi or carps can be seen.

↑The stone bridge was built in 1618 and the oldest stone bridge in Tokyo.



＜Guide Memo＞FITの時は、ここは、必ず案内します。
境内と仲見世の雑踏と違い、静かな小さなお庭。
小さいながらも、お庭の中で、東京最古の石橋、朝倉氏の彫刻を見ることができます。
鯉は、どのゲストも喜びます♪

Nadaman Shinjuku,Tokyo

Nada-man is a very famous Japanese restaurant.
Nada-man in Shinjuku is located on the 14th floor of Odakyu Department store.
We can choose a counter specialized in Templa, Sushi, Teppan-yaki, which has an elegant atmosphere.
Also, you can choose a table and you can order whatever you want.

This is a templa lunch at ￥2,980 excluding 10% service charge.
The appetizer includes salad, jelly like food made of devil’s tongue and egg soup.

The main includes two small prawns, a white fish, mushrooms and vegetable Templa.

This is a Kakiage-Templa, a mixture of vegetables and prawns.

The desert, sherbet is included in templa lunch, and coffee is not.

Food Taste:★★★
Food Volume:★★★
Atmosphere: specialized counter ★★★★, table ★★★
Hospitality:★★★★



＜Guide Memo＞なだ万新宿店、立地がいいです。新宿駅直結小田急デパート14階。
ランチは、2500円～。雰囲気は、カウンターの方が◎。ウェイトレスさんは、みな着物きて、接客◎。
ランチにお金を使えるゲストには、なかなかいいレストランです。
量は、女性にちょうどいい。男性には足りないかも。