TOLENTINO+Jasmine

Tokyo is a modern and cosmopolitan city of skyscrapers, neon, electronics stores, large shopping complexes and countless bars and clubs. But Tokyo is also steeped in history and tradition, with shrines and temples, sushi and noodles, public bathhouses and ryokans (guest houses). The city's dozens of museums range from the traditional (art and history) to the unusual (parasites). Other popular attractions are the Tsukiji Fish Market, boat rides up the Sumida River and, of course, karaoke bars.
 * [[image:15.jpg width="492" height="868" caption="tokyo tower"]][[image:14.jpg caption="tsubasa! manga!"]][[image:13.jpg caption="pocky!!!!"]][[image:12.jpg caption="japanese fan"]][[image:9.jpg caption="japanese kimono"]]media type="custom" key="4604996"[[image:4.jpg caption="japanese garden"]][[image:6.jpg caption="pikachu"]][[image:2.jpg caption="my name in japanese"]]TOLENTINO Jasmine

=Spring in Tokyo= Spring is one of the most pleasant seasons for visiting Tokyo. Be sure to visit one of numerous parks around Tokyo for //hanami// or cherry blossom viewing. Click here for more places to see [|Tokyo's sakura]. =Feature Articles= We have added a feature articles section to the site. Tokyo Essentials welcomes contributions on any topic related to Tokyo. =Tokyo Pictures= Upload and share your Tokyo and Japan pictures here. Please send us an email to request an account. =Summer in Tokyo= While the temperature in Tokyo doesn't go much over 30 degrees centigrade in summer, it does get quite humid. The beaches "officially" open from July and they can be a good place to cool down. Mountain get aways are also popular to escape the heat and humidity. Despite the heat, Tokyo is a fun place to be during summer with an interesting mix of festivals that are held right through summer. Spectacular fireworks shows are held almost every weekend at different locations around Tokyo. If you are feeling thirsty, be sure to take in a beer garden.

The garden is normally calm. Visitors can also enjoy refreshment at a teashop in Nakashima located in the middle of the pond in the garden that offers matcha and Japanese sweets in a tea-ceremony style. A peony garden, plum tree grove and cosmos fields have flowers for every season. Exhibitions falcon and Japanese goshawk traditional hunting techniques are demonstrated daily.
 * Hamarikyu Gardens** (浜離宮恩賜庭園 , //Hama-rikyū Onshi Teien//? ) is a public park in Tokyo, Japan. Located at the mouth of the Sumida River in Chūō-ku, it was opened  April 1, 1946 . The park is a 250,165 m² landscaped garden surrounding Shioiri Pond, the park itself surrounded by a seawater moat filled by Tokyo Bay. It was remodeled as a public garden park on the site of a villa of the Shogun Tokugawa family in the 17th century.

The **Japanese tea ceremony' // (茶道 , sadō //or //chadō'//? )**, or "the Way of Tea," is the ceremonial preparation and presentation of the powdered green tea known as matcha. The tea ceremony is highly ritualized and the manner in which it is performed or the art of its performance is known as 点前 (//temae// ? ). Zen Buddhism was integral to the ceremony's development, and its influence pervades many aspects of its performance. Tea gatherings are known as //chakai// (茶会 ? ) or //chaji// (茶事 <span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #0000ee; font: bold 80% sans-serif; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0.1em; padding-right: 0.1em; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">?  ). //Chakai// generally refers to a relatively simple course of hospitality that includes the service of confections, mild tea (<span class="t_nihongo_kanji">薄茶 <span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, //usucha//<span class="t_nihongo_help noprint"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #0000ee; font: bold 80% sans-serif; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0.1em; padding-right: 0.1em; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">? ), and perhaps a light meal (<span class="t_nihongo_kanji">点心 <span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, //tenshin//<span class="t_nihongo_help noprint"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #0000ee; font: bold 80% sans-serif; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0.1em; padding-right: 0.1em; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">?  ) , whereas //chaji// refers to a more formal gathering usually including a full-course meal called kaiseki, followed by confections, strong tea (<span class="t_nihongo_kanji">濃茶 <span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, //koicha//<span class="t_nihongo_help noprint"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #0000ee; font: bold 80% sans-serif; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0.1em; padding-right: 0.1em; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">?  ) , and mild tea. A //chaji// may last up to four hours.

The **Japanese tea ceremony** (cha-no-yu, chado, or sado) is a traditional ritual influenced by Zen Buddhism in which powdered green tea, or matcha (抹茶), is ceremonially prepared by a skilled practitioner and served to a small group of guests in a tranquil setting. Since a tea practitioner must be familiar with the production and types of tea, with kimono, calligraphy, flower arranging, ceramics, incense and a wide range of other disciplines and traditional arts in addition to his or her school's tea practices, the study of tea ceremony takes many years and often lasts a lifetime. Even to participate as a guest in a formal tea ceremony requires knowledge of sado, including the prescribed gestures and phrases expected of guests, and the proper way to take tea and sweets, and general deportment in the tea room.

Kaiten-zushi is a sushi restaurant where the plates with the sushi are placed on a rotating conveyor belt that winds through the restaurant and moves past every table and counter seat. Customers may place special orders, but most simply pick their selections from a steady stream of fresh sushi moving along the conveyor belt. The final bill is based on the number and type of plates of the consumed sushi. Some restaurants use a fancier presentation such as miniature wooden "sushi boats" traveling small canals or miniature locomotive cars. || ||
 * Conveyor belt sushi** (<span class="t_nihongo_kanji">回転寿司 <span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, //kaiten-zushi//<span class="t_nihongo_help noprint"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #0000ee; font: bold 80% sans-serif; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0.1em; padding-right: 0.1em; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">? ) (also called **sushi-go-round** (<span class="t_nihongo_kanji">くるくる寿司 <span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, //kuru kuru sushi//<span class="t_nihongo_help noprint"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #0000ee; font: bold 80% sans-serif; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0.1em; padding-right: 0.1em; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;">?  ), mainly by foreigners living in Japan or "yasu-zushi"), is the popular English translation for Japanese fast-food sushi. In Australia, it is also known as **sushi train** (as the sushi goes around a track on a train, rather than a conveyor belt).


 * [[image:http://www.japan-guide.com/g3/pixel.gif width="1" height="1"]] ||
 * ** basic information ** ||

tokyo tower With 333 meters, Tokyo Tower is 13 meters taller than its model, the Eiffel Tower of Paris, and the world's tallest self-supporting steel tower. It was completed in the year 1958 as a symbol for Japan's rebirth as a major economic power, and serves as a television and radio broadcast antenna and tourist attraction. Visitors can ascend to the main observatory at 150 meters and the special observatory at 250 meters to get a bird's eye view of Tokyo. Under good weather conditions, Mount Fuji can be seen in the distance. An aquarium, wax museum and several more attractions can be found on the ground floors of the tower. Separate entrance fees apply. It is recommended to combine a visit to Tokyo Tower with a visit to Zojoji Temple, one of Tokyo's major temples, that is located just next to the tower.

rides up the Sumida River and, of course, karaoke bars.