Festival of the Rooster (Torinoichi)

The Festival of the Rooster (Torinoichi) is held at Shinto shrines on November 26. In our tour, at Course A, you can see lots of stalls selling colorfully decorated bamboo rakes (Kumade) in the compound of Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine. Bamboo rakes are said to rake in money and good fortune. It’s fun to walk around the stalls, hearing lively negotiation between a Kumade seller and a customer.

Next tour: November 26, Saturday

Our next free volunteer-guided walking tours will be held on November 26, Saturday.
It should be the best season for watching beautiful coloured leaves. Don't miss!
Click here for tour details.

Meet us at Kumin-Matsuri festival this weekend

Want to know more about our free tours? Come and talk with us at Kumin-Matsuri festival this weekend.

We have our booth in international exchange square in Event Plaza on north part of Kiba-Koen park. Look for the banner of "KEV". You can also challenge yourself with a quiz for prize!

Kumin-Matsuri will be held on October 15 & 16 in Kiba Ko-en, Koto-ku, Tokyo.
See you there!

Just unveiled: Japan’s largest wooden seated statue of Fudomyoo "See it and then die."

The consecration ceremony of the Japan’s largest wooden seated statue of Fudomyoo was held at Fukagawa Fudoson temple on Sept. 15.

The statue uses over 500-year-old camphor trees in Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan. It gives off a good sacred smell of camphor because the statue totally shows its bare wood surface without any lacquer coating. 

It's a great work by one of Japan's most acclaimed sculptors of Buddha statues. He gave 5 years to his work. He expended so much energy on the work that he had lost some 30 kilograms (66 lbs.) of body weight when he completed it.  He must have accomplished the work at the risk of his life.

The seated statue is 3.2 meters (10.4 ft.) high and weighs about 1.5 tons (3300 lbs.).  If the statue rises to its feet, it may be over 5 meters high.

Next Free Tours : September 24, Saturday

Our next free volunteer-guided walking tours will be held on September 24, Saturday.
Have a glimpse of Shitamachi (Tokyo’s old town) and discover a local traditional Japanese culture with your friends.

new statue of Fudomyoo

【Course A】
“See the difference between Shinto shrines &
Buddhist temples. Experience the mysterious

Goma Fire Ritual in Esoteric Buddhism."

Tour dates & time : September 24, Saturday, 2:00 pm– 4:00 pm (2 hours)
Visit: Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine and Fukagawa Fudoson Temple
Meet at: Torii gate of Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine (3 minute-walk from Monzen nakacho station on the Tozai Subway Line: see the map)
Tour fee: Free of charge

Basho statue

【Course B】
“Learn about Basho, the founder of Haiku, the world’s shortest poems; 

Take a scenic walk in a 

Japanese Garden

.”
Tour date & time: September 24, Saturday, 1:00 -3:00 pm
Visit: Basho Kinen-kan Memorial Museum and Kiyosumi Garden Park
Meet at: Basho Memorial Museum(7minute-walk from Morishita Station on Toei Shinjuku-Line or Oedo Subway Lines : see the map)
Admission: 100 yen for Basho Memorial Museum and 150 yen for Kiyosumi Garden Park (pay at the gate)
Tour fee: Free of charge

【Course C】— Customized course

Please feel free to consult us concerning other courses and their dates as well.

Examples:

●Fukagawa Edo Museum

Here, you can get a feel for what life was like in Tokyo’s old town in Edo period.
●Sumo stables
You may have a rare opportunity to watch a powerful Sumo wrestlers’ morning training session.
●Edo wood carving
You can admire a skilled artisan’s precious traditional crafts.

For application: Please select your desired course and e-mail to : koto.guide (a) gmail.com -- replace (a) with @--, with the subject "Koto City Walking Tour", and your name, gender, nationality, number of participants and your contact number in message body. We will reply to your e-mail as soon as possible.

*We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service. We will never sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties.

Free Tours in June

Our next free volunteer-guided walking tours will be held on June 25, Saturday.
Have a glimpse of Shitamachi (Tokyo’s old town) and discover a local traditional Japanese culture with your friends. (Inquire about custom tours and days.)

Fukagawa Fudoson temple

【Course A】
“See the mysterious Ritual of Fire and the biggest and most luxurious mobile shrine; Find different religions.”
Tour dates & time : June 25, Saturday, 2:00 pm– 4:00 pm (2 hours)
Visit: Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine and Fukagawa Fudoson Temple
Meet at: Torii gate of Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine (3 minute-walk from Monzen nakacho station on the Tozai Subway Line: see the map)
Tour fee: Free of charge

Kiyosumi Garden

【Course B】
“Learn about Basho, the founder of Haiku, the world’s shortest poems; Walk through a Japanese Garden.”
Tour date & time: June 25, Saturday, 1:00 -3:00 pm
Visit: Basho Kinen-kan Memorial Museum and Kiyosumi Garden Park
Meet at: Basho Memorial Museum(7minute-walk from Morishita Station on Toei Shinjuku-Line or Oedo Subway Lines : see the map)
Admission: 100 yen for Basho Memorial Museum and 150 yen for Kiyosumi Garden Park (pay at the gate)
Tour fee: Free of charge


For application: Please select your desired course and e-mail to : koto.guide (a) gmail.com -- replace (a) with @--, with the subject "Koto City Walking Tour", and your name, gender, nationality, number of participants and your contact number in message body. We will reply to your e-mail as soon as possible.

We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service. We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties.

Next tour: May 28, Saturday

Our next free volunteer-guided walking tours will be held on May 28, Saturday.
It's a beautiful season in Tokyo. Enjoy tours, have a glimpse of Shitamachi (Tokyo’s old town) and discover a local traditional Japanese culture with your friends. (Inquire about custom tours and days.)

【Course A】
“See the mysterious Ritual of Fire, find the difference between Shinto shrines & Buddhist temples.”
Tour dates & time : May 28, Saturday, 2:00 pm– 4:00 pm (2 hours)
Visit: Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine and Fukagawa Fudoson Temple
Meet at: Torii gate of Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine (3 minute-walk from Monzen nakacho station on the Tozai Subway Line: see the map)
Tour fee: Free of charge

【Course B】
“Learn about Basho, the founder of Haiku, the world’s shortest poems; See a Japanese Garden.”
Tour date & time: May 28, Saturday, 1:00 -3:00 pm
Visit: Basho Kinen-kan Memorial Museum and Kiyosumi Garden Park
Meet at: Basho Memorial Museum(7minute-walk from Morishita Station on Toei Shinjuku-Line or Oedo Subway Lines : see the map)
Admission: 100 yen for Basho Memorial Museum and 150 yen for Kiyosumi Garden Park (pay at the gate)
Tour fee: Free of charge


For application: Please select your desired course and e-mail to : koto.guide (a) gmail.com -- replace (a) with @--, with the subject "Koto City Walking Tour", and your name, gender, nationality, number of participants and your contact number in message body. We will reply to your e-mail as soon as possible.

Why cancel the Fukagawa Festival?

Soon after the big earthquake on 3.11, Tomioka Hachimangu shrine in Koto-ku, Tokyo, decided to cancel this year's Fukagawa Festival, which is one of the big three festivals in Tokyo and held only once every three years.

But local people are not convinced why it has to be cancelled. Cancellation doesn't make sense, they think.

As the Festival attracts half a million onlookers, we could use the chance to help such activities as fundraising for the people affected and also to help revitalising the economy, their website says.

They have started collecting signatures appealing for holding the Festival.　If you agree with them, you can contribute by sending e-mail to : fukagawa_2011@mail.goo.ne.jp, with the subject "Kaisai Sando"(in favor of holding the festival) , and your name and address (only state / prefecture is OK) in message body.

Fukagawa Festival: Held every three years in August, also called "water-throwing festival", as spectators throw water on the mikoshi carriers. More than 50 spectacular Mikoshis, or mobile shrines, parade through the town with Tokyo's traditional calling out "Wa-sshoi". The water helps both cooling them down and making people more and more excited.

Next tour: April 30, Saturday

We will be holding free volunteer-guided walking  tours on April 30, Saturday, as scheduled.
It's one of the best seasons for walking tour in Tokyo.

Fukagawa Fudoson

【Course A】
“See the mysterious Ritual of Fire, find the difference between Shinto shrines & Buddhist temples.”
Tour dates & time : April 30, Saturday,  1:00 pm– 3:00 pm (2 hours)
Visit: Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine and Fukagawa Fudoson Temple
Meet at: Torii gate of Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine (3 minute-walk from Monzen nakacho station on the Tozai Subway Line: see the map)
Tour fee: Free of charge



For application: Please select your desired course and e-mail to  <koto.guide (a) gmail.com> -- replace (a) with @--  (subject: Koto City Walking Tour) with your name, gender, nationality, number of participants and your contact number. We will reply to your e-mail as soon as possible.

Back To Normal

Worrying about visiting or going out in Japan?

In Tokyo, everything has got back to normal and people here are enjoying sunny beautiful days of spring as usual.

Why don't you get out and attend our free walking tour?

Family and children enjoy Hanami, cherry blossom watching, in Kiba-koen park, Koto-ku, Tokyo

Valuable Stones in Kiyosumi Garden

Did you know that Kiyosumi garden has a big collection of rare, valuable stones? No other Japanese garden in Tokyo, or maybe in Japan, has such collection of stones of this size and variety.

It was made possible because the garden was built by Iwasaki Yataro, the founder of Mitsubishi-- one of the biggest conglomerate in Japan. As a millionaire in the beginning of modern Japan, Iwasaki collected famous stones and rocks from all over Japan and brought them to Kiyosumi, using his company's ships. They were placed by the pond, along the path, or used as stepping stones.

Next time you visit Kiyosumi garden, look for different colors, shapes, placements of various stones. When it rains, some of them look more beautiful.

Want to know more about these stones and Kiyosumi garden? We have free English guided tours for you!

Sado Akadama-ishi (red stone)

Perhaps the most rare, precious stone in this garden.
Used to be popular for rich Samurai gardens. This type of stones were yielded only in a limited area in Sado Island, Niigata. Unfortunately, almost all of them have had been mined out, and no more left to be yielded. That's why it is so valuable.

Soshu Manazuru-ishi

It took thousands of years for a stone to become a natural basin like this.

Kishu Ao-ishi (blue stone)

There  are a lot of blue stones in various part of the garden. They have different colours, shapes and surfaces.

This three Ao-ishi stones represent Buddhist statues. Small stones at the bottom represent water.

Stepping stones

Natural stones are placed as stepping stones to cross the pond, instead of bridges.

Sazare-ishi

Weathered stone covered with moss.





Kiyosumi Teien
Beautiful Japanese strolling garden in Koto-ku, Tokyo. Built in 1878 and contributed to the city of Tokyo in 1932. Appointed as Place of scenic beauty of Tokyo Prefecture in 1979.

Free tours : January - March

We have the following free volunteer-guided walking  tours in January, February and March.
Enjoy the friendly atmosphere of Edo Shitamachi (Tokyo’s old town) where the history and culture of Edo era (early 17th − mid 19th century) still lives. Friendly, English speaking locals are your  guides.


Fudomyoo, God of Fire


【Course A】
“See the difference between Shinto shrines & Buddhist temples.”
Tour dates & time : (Saturday)  January 29, February 26, March 26 / 13:00 – 15:00 (2 hours)
Visit: Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine and Fukagawa Fudoson Temple
Meet at: Torii gate of Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine (3 minute-walk from Monzen nakacho station on the Tozai Subway Line: see the map)
Tour fee: Free of charge


【Course B】

Kiyosumi Garden

“Learn about Basho, the founder of Haiku, the world’s shortest poems; See a Japanese Garden.”

Tour dates & time: (Saturday) January 29, February 26, March 26 / 13:00 – 15:00 (2 hours)
Visit: Basho Kinen-kan Memorial Museum and Kiyosumi Garden Park
Meet at: Basho Memorial Museum (7minute-walk from Morishita Station on Toei Shinjuku-Line or Oedo Subway Lines : see the map)
Admission: 100 yen for Basho Memorial Museum and 150 yen for Kiyosumi Garden (pay at the gate)
Tour fee: Free of charge

【Course C】 — Customized course
Please feel free to consult us concerning other courses and their dates as well.

Examples:
●Fukagawa Edo Museum
Here, you can get a feel for what life was like in Tokyo’s old town in Edo period.
●Sumo stables
You may have a rare opportunity to watch a powerful Sumo wrestlers’ morning training session.
●Edo wood carving
You can admire a skilled artisan’s precious traditional crafts.


For application: Please select your desired course and e-mail to  <koto.guide (a) gmail.com> -- replace (a) with @--  (subject: Koto City Walking Tour) with your name, gender, nationality, number of participants and your contact number. We will reply to your e-mail as soon as possible.