The closest golf course from the center of mega city in the world?

Do you know that there is a full-fledged golf course in Koto -ku in Tokyo?  

Yes, there is. It’s called Wakasu Golf Links.

I think it’s one of the closest golf courses from the center of mega city in the world.

It’s only about 10kms from the center of Tokyo. It only takes about 20 minutes from the famous Ginza by the subway and the golf club’s bus.

Where is the golf course located?  It’s located in Tokyo Bay Area. It’s faced Tokyo Bay.

Why is the course located there? I’ll explain the history.

This area was reclaimed land that had been filled with household garbage and other waste over a period of 10 years from 1965 to 1974. Surplus soil from the construction of the Shinjuku New Metropolitan Government Building is also being used.

Golf club’s bus at the nearest subway Station Shin-Kiba

View of the golf course from the yacht harbor

It was opened in Dec. 1990 as Tokyo metropolitan public golf course.

The name is based on the name of a golf course in Scotland, the birthplace of golf.

Wakasu Golf Links is one of Tokyo's best full-fledged golf courses, with a total length of 6,970 yards and 18 par 72 holes in a beautiful location surrounded by the sea on three sides.

Starting place of the front nine

Starting place of the back nine

Although the course is generally flat, the fairways of each hole have large and small undulations, and there are mounds on the fairway sides, making the course highly strategic.

As it is a seaside course, it will be more difficult when the strong wind blows.

Advanced golfers can feel the tension of not allowing mistakes, and women and beginners can enjoy the fun of golf. 

Golfers can also enjoy the wonderful view of Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo Bay while playing.

Pictures of the course

You might be surprised that many Japanese golf courses have their gorgeous clubhouse, but this course has only the casual clubhouse because it's a public course.

The view of the club house

The playing fee with a caddie is about 15,000 yen on weekdays and about 24,000 yen on weekends. What do you think of this fee, expensive or reasonable?

How do we book this course?  Reservations are accepted by phone or online from 12:00 on the day one month before playing golf. But. it’s really hard to book the course.  

Even if you make a phone call, it is busy and you could hardly connect. It's the same online.

Wakasu Golf Links is said to be the most difficult golf course to book in Japan.

Recently, it was announced on the website that all reservations will be shifted from first-come-first-served basis to lottery.

I wish we could play golf there with our guests from overseas in the future.

 Official website of Wakasu Golf Links : 若洲ゴルフリンクス公式サイト (golftk.com) 

 (No English version)

By Isao

Let's try Ramen in the "Tangyo" Sanctuary.

 Ramen is one of the most typical dishes in Japan. Have you ever tried it? Ramen is a noodle dish consisting mainly of Chinese noodles and soup, combined with toppings such as char-siu pork, seasoned bamboo shoots, seasoned boiled egg, nori (dried seaweed). 1) Chinese noodles: Should the noodles be thick or thin? Should the cross-sectional shape be round or square? 2) Soup base: Soy sauce or salt? Miso (soybean paste)? 3) Toppings: What to put on top? Each restaurant offers Ramen with its own unique twist. Japanese imported this dish from China and put their own spin on it to make what is one of the fast foods in Japan. There are many types of local Ramen throughout Japan. Tokyo Ramen typically consists of thin, frizzled noodles, chicken broth flavored with soy sauce, and toppings such as char-siu pork, seasoned bamboo shoots, and nori.

Typical Tokyo Ramen

Ramen is very familiar to the Japanese. There is an area in the Kiba/Toyocho neighborhood of Koto-City that offers a unique way of eating Ramen. It is to eat Tanmen and Gyoza (crescent-shaped pan-fried dumplings stuffed with minced pork and vegetables) as a set. It is called "Tangyo" for short. Tanmen is a dish of stir-fried vegetables and pork, simmered in a chicken broth, and served with Chinese noodles.

Ordering Gyoza as a side dish with Ramen is by no means special, but the style of ordering them as Tangyo has been around for a long time and is unique for the reason. I am not sure how this style came about (Although I have looked into it).

Tangyo (Tanmen and Gyoza)

As you can see, it's a very hearty meal! Just order "Tangyo" and you will be one of the locals! Get a taste of Japanese food culture in the Kiba/Toyocho neighborhood of Koto-City, where you will find a several popular restaurants serving Tangyo. Last but not least Japanese people believe that slurping will enhance the taste of noodle and stimulate their appetite. The nearest stations to the Tangyo Sanctuary are Kiba Station (T13) or Toyocho Station (T14) on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line.

ATSUGI, Takeshi

Open terrace along Sumida River

I’ll introduce a waterside of Sumida River in Koto city, Tokyo. 

The reason why is that watersides are closely related to lives of the local residents, and I would like you to enjoy them as well. Many people enjoy jogging, walking, walking their dogs, and basking in the sun along rivers. 

In the Edo period, goods were transported through rivers. In those days Sumida River supported economic activities as part of the water transportation network.

Now the river has finished its role as transportation waterway and has become a place for people to relax.

This picture shows the terrace of Sumida River. It's located 2 kilometers east of Tokyo Station. The river flows to Tokyo Bay.

There is also an open deck adjacent to a restaurant. You can enjoy coffee, draft beer and clam chowder there, as of 2023. 

This deck is open to the public from 7am to midnight. From the deck, you can see Tokyo Sky Tree, boats crossing Sumida River, and Kiyosu Bridge. 

Tokyo Sky Tree, a broadcasting tower, is the tallest free-standing structure in Japan. Kiyosu Bridge is a nationally designated important cultural property. The tower and the bridge are beautifully lit up at night.

This sightseeing boat is popular with tourists and locals alike. It's designed by Matsumoto Reiji, a master of the manga and anime world. The boat resembles the spaceships Matsumoto Reiji draws in his anime. 

Why don't you come here sometime to relax in the nice open air?

The nearest station is Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Subway Station, 'Z11'.

by YM

#KEV #KAWATERRACE #Tokyo_Sky_Tree #Sky_Tree #SkyTree #Sumida_River #Kiyosu_Bridge #Sumida_Terrace #Matsumoto_Reiji #Reiji_Matsumoto #Tokyo_Cruise #Open_Terrace #KawaTerrace #Kawa_terrace #Koto_English-speaking_Volunteer_Guide_Association 

Japanese yellow rose and Stature of Ota Dokan (山吹の花と太田道灌像)

Keiko Miyoshi

 

I had two memories.

One of those was a story in medieval period: One Samurai had rain on his way back from his father's home. He didn’t have a raincoat,蓑（みの）,so he stopped at a farmers house and asked to borrow it. A woman came out from the house and gave him a small branch of Japanese yellow rose(山吹の花). Then, she sang him Waka, Classic Japanese poem,「七重、八重、花は咲けども山吹の実の（みの）1つだに無きぞ悲しき」. The samurai didn’t understand its meaning, so his subordinate taught him the meaning. “She would like to lend you a raincoat, but she is poor, what she can do is only give a branch of Japanese yellow rose”. The samurai was ashamed of his lack of knowledge. Then he started to learn Classic Japanese poem.

I read this story in my young age. Back then, I was impressed by her action and poem, “what a elegant lady she was！". But, I was not interested in the Samurai at all.

Another memory was a samurai stature.

Before The Tokyo Metropolitan Government office was moved to Sinjuku, the offices were located near to JR,Yurakucho station. City workers had opportunity to go there with documents in urgent time. I saw one samurai stature that was standing in front of the first building of the Government office. “Who is he ? ”. Again, I had no interest in that Samurai.

A lot of water has flowed under the bridges.

Recently, I had chance to learn Koto-ku history through some books. Onagigawa river was constructed to transport salt from Gyotoku in Chiba prefecture, to Edo, now Tokyo. It was first work by Tokugawa Ieyasu(徳川家康), first governor in Edo period (※1603～1867). He is an icon who built Edo Castle and continued 260 years peaceful era.

But, in the moment, I found one samurai name in a small space in the book. His name is Ota Dokan(太田道灌) who built Edo Castle in the latter period of Muromachi period (※1336～1549). Original main castle and 2 another buildings of Edo Castle were built by him. Furthermore, small ports were constructed near the castle and the economy was flourishing. He was a clever person with the pen and sword. He had loyalty to his master and expanded their territory. Unfortunately, he was assassinated by a plot because allied armies feared his ability. He was also good at literature, “A story of the Japanese yellow rose ” was introduced in the same page in the book.

At that moment, two memories were connected in my mind. The samurai, who was given a Japanese yellow rose, and the stature of Samurai, was Ota Dokan. Then I thought "Where did the stature go?"

I opened my PC, and found that it has been setting in the Glass Building of the Tokyo Forum, former site of the Tokyo Government office. Surprisingly, I also found a lot of his statures in Kanto area. I know Tokugawa Ieyasu is a prominent person. But I believe Ota Dokan was also honored by many people. Otherwise there aren’t so many statures.

I found a feeling of satisfaction and relief in my mind.

※depens on data

Oh! What is that?

Something red and white over there rightward. (The lefttward red box is a mailbox.)

Let’s take a closer look.

It has a red ribbon. What is it?

It has two red eyes and two antlers. Yes, it’s a reindeer!
By the reindeer, the tree has a wreath.

Merry Christmas!

These photos are taken at Toyosu quarter in Koto City. Actually, Toyosu volunteer group tend this flowerbed. If you visit here, you can enjoy beautiful and colorful flowers every time in the year.

(By Sho)

Prelude to Oku no Hosomichi

 

Everything has its beginning and end.

The same is true of the Japanese master of haiku in the Edo period that spanned over two hundred and fifty years from early 1600. A haiku in Japanese, written in five-seven-five form, is composed of 17 syllables. Today, it is increasingly popular around the world. A classical Japanese haiku should include a seasonal term.

Matsuo Basho had set out northward on a hundred-fifty-day long journey from Fukagawa in 1689, according to published records by his and others. He was 46 at the time.

After selling his humble reed-thatched cottage near the Sumida River, the great haiku poet temporarily stayed at the villa owned by Sugiyama Sanpu, one of his disciples in the city of Edo (present Tokyo).

Sanpu, a wealthy fish wholesaler and one of the talented disciples, supported financially his master who had lived in Fukagawa for 14 years. At present, a bronze statue of Basho in travel attire in those days stands at the site called “Saito-an, the place where Basho had departed from.

After wrapping up the 2,400-kilometers’ (1,500 miles) travels, it took five years for the haiku master to finish off “Oku no Hosomichi” (The Narrow Road to Oku). Some scholars say that Oku in this context means deep north, but others state that the traveling by the great poet was intended to go deeply into the world of haiku, or both.

In 1694、Basho passed away at age of fifty-one in Osaka.

The Saito-an is five minutes’ walk from the A-1 exit of Kiyosumi-Shirakawa subway station in the capital’s Koto City. Elsewhere nearby, there are several interesting spots to visit connected with the haiku poet.

Go to the Basho Museum website at; https://www.kcf.or.jp/basho/

by kozo

Taste of Autumn：Chestnut rice

 

Autumn is often referred to as "autumn of appetite" or "autumn of harvest" because of the variety of foods that are harvested in the season and the enjoyment of eating them.

Sanma (saury), written in Chinese characters as "autumn sword fish," is a typical autumn delicacy, shaped like a long, thin sword.

Vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and mushrooms, as well as fruits such as grapes and pears, are also harvested in abundance during this season.　Rice is also harvested at this time of year. The new rice, called "shinmai," is shiny, sweet, and very tasty.

 

Among them, my favorite autumn delicacy is chestnuts. Japanese chestnuts are sweet and delicious, and can be boiled and eaten as they are, or used as ingredients for various sweets.

Today, I would like to share with you a chestnut rice dish that my family looks forward to every year.

It is very easy to make. All you have to do is peel thick chestnuts and cook them with an appropriate amount of salt. After cooking, sprinkle a pinch of sesame seeds and enjoy. Since the seasoning is simple, you can taste the flavor of the chestnuts themselves.

 

There are various types of chestnut rice depending on the household. It can be eaten at bento shops and Japanese restaurants, or you can buy products for chestnut rice that have been peeled and seasoned. If you have a chance, please try it.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（by Kaori）