Enjoy Bicycle Ride in Koto City!

Koto city is offering bicycle rentals called “Community cycle (Bicycle sharing)”.

Community cycle is the system that has many docking ports where bikes are pooled.

You can rent a bike at a docking port and return it at any other port you like.

For example, you can rent a bike at some subway station’s docking port then go to sightseeing or shopping, finally you can return it at any other station’s port.

In addition, these bikes are electric bikes. It is easy to go up and down roads in Koto city.

For renting a bike, please prepare your smart phone and credit card.

The steps are as follows;

1. Resister your information and your payment information

2. When you rent a bike, login the membership website, choose where is your bike docking port, then you will receive the passcode by email.

The fare is;

One trip: First 30 min. 150yen, then 100yen/30 min.

One day: 1,500yen/day; over 7hrs ride is cheaper than one trip.

More detailed information is described in the website below.

http://docomo-cycle.jp/koto/en/

Caution!!

The driving lane in Japan is “Left Side”. You sometimes see the guide sign printed on the road (see Photos).

Please enjoy and spend your tour more effectively by renting a bike! 

by TO

Cherry blossom viewing on a Japanese traditional boat

 Why don't you experience the cherry blossom viewing on a Japanese traditional boat? 

People in Edo era would enjoy it!

It is said that emperor in the 9th century began cherry blossom viewing in Kyoto. Since then it has spread first among nobles, then warriors all over Japan. At last in the middle of the 18th century in Edo era, a lot of ordinary people started to enjoy the cherry blossom viewing. They dressed up and enjoyed drinking and eating under cherry trees with full bloom. Some of them were dancing. They seem to enjoy this season as we do. There still remain many Ukiyoe which described how it was like.

 Because of the lower temperature, it was a little bit early for the full bloom on Mar.25^th in Tokyo. But cherry blossom season is just around the corner. Everyone is hardly able to wait for the full bloom, so various festivities are being performed here and there. Now we can experience cherry blossom viewing on a Japanese traditional boat in “Oo Yoko Gawa River” in Koto ward. The cherry blossoms were planted on the both banks of the river and the branches of the cherry trees have grown toward the river. While in full bloom, on the boat, you will feel like going through the tunnel of the cherry blossom flower. Because the boat man rows on only by his own power, but not by the engine, Japanese traditional boat goes very very slowly and quietly. Actually I felt this leisurely row calm and peaceful. The breeze on the river’s surface was comfortable. People in Edo era would enjoy this relaxed mood seeing the cherry blossom. The Japan Weather Association says next weekend (Apr.1st) cherry blossom will come into full bloom. Come and enjoy this event. You should be there to enjoy the cherry blossom tunnel.

 *Boarding is available on every Saturday and Sunday 3/25-4/9 and 4/5. Reception counter (lowest photo) is around “Kuro fune Bashi Bridge” opens 9:30-14:30(depends on the congestion)  It takes 20 minutes operation and costs 500 Japanese Yen. Children under 3 years old are not permitted.

 For further details, please consult the below.

www.mon-naka.com/sakura/shousaimap.html

                                                                              By N.Y.

Seasonal Festivals with Rice-cake Sweets in Season

Winter is still here, but spring has come just around the corner. Japan has distinctive four seasons and each season has its own festivals. In spring, on the 3^rd of March, we have Doll Festival called Hina Matsuri, or Girls’ Day.

This is a special day for girls. Families especially having girls display special hina dolls, which wear beautiful ancient court costumes. The female doll’s costume is called “juuni-hitoe (twelve-layered ceremonial robe)”. Even today at the imperial family’s wedding ceremony, princess wears this “juuni-hitoe”. This day at families they celebrate the growth of girls, and wish for their health and happiness. The origin of this festival is from China, where people used to make dolls from paper and throw them into the river, wishing driving away evil spirits or bad luck from their bodies, they say.

There are some special foods for the festival. Traditional Japanese rice-cake sweets in season are one of them. They are “sakura-mochi” and “kusa-mochi”. Both of them are rice-cake with sweet beans paste inside.

“Sakura-mochi” is wrapped with a pickled cherry blossom leaf. There are two types mainly, such as Tokyo-style (above left) and Kansai-style (above right). Flour to make rice-cake is different. For Kansai-style, doumyouji flour is used. So Kansai-style “sakura-mochi” is usually called “doumyouji”. We eat “sakura-mochi” after taking off its wrapped leaf, but   sometimes we eat Tokyo-style “sakura-mochi” with its wrapped leaf. The leaf is a little bit salty, which tastes a good combination with sweet beans inside.  

The other seasonal rice-cake sweet, “Kusa-mochi” (below centre) includes a kind of edible grass in spring called “yomogi”, together with sweet beans paste inside. The colour of green represents health, driving away evil spirits.

At hina-dolls platform, we often see a diamond-shaped, three-coloured rice-cake called “hishimochi” displayed. Originally it used to have two-layered, white and green. White is the colour of rice and green is the colour of “yomogi”. People in those days used to pray for their children’s good future, offering things to drive away evil spirits.

If you come around here Koto district, one of the best choices to visit is Fukagawa Edo Museum (https://www.kcf.or.jp/fukagawa/), where you can experience ordinary people’s everyday life, backing to Edo period, about 350 years ago. Of course, you can enjoy each seasonal festival display including Hina Matsuri.

After visiting the museum, why don’t you try “sakura-mochi” and “kusa-mochi”, if it is spring. I think they must be good with black coffee or tea, as well as Japanese green tea. Japanese sweets are good with a little bit bitter drinks.

by MS