Romance Car

It might sound strange for international tourists that the express train is called Romance Car.

Romance Car ロマンスカー

I am not sure, but some people say it is named after its usage. The train was developed, targeting couples to have romance at the destination.

It is bound for Hakone, Odawara and Eno – shima in Kanagawa prefecture.

These destinations are very popular as one or two-day trip.

Recently, the new railway vehicle of Romance Car, GSE was launched.

I think this latest car is the most comfortable among all the Romance Car.

 The seats of the front rows are very specifical, but the fare is the same, and the first books, the first occupies.

The seats are very comfortable with a lot of improvement such as wider windows, cup holders and hooks to hang a jacket or a bag.

I believe you can make romance probably through the trip by this latest Romance Car.

Today’s tip:

You should book the seats of the front rows of Romance Car with your lover.

 

 

Day trip to Kamakura

Kamakura is an ancient capital of 12th century.

It is famous for many shrines and temples and very popular as a sightseeing spot in  line with Kyoto ane Nara.

Last weekends, I visited Kamakura and eno-shima, small island which is bridged from Shonan Coast.

It was the first time in 10 years to visit there.

The first time I visited there was 30 years ago, when I was a  junior high-school student. It is one of the most  popular places as the destination of school trip because the students can learn history on site.

After the first visit, I had visited there regularly, because it is very accessible from Tokyo, and it is suitable place to experience small unusual matters such as  eating local sea foods and snacks, praying to God and appreciating ancient buildings.

This time, I tried a very new thing for the first time in my life.

Do you know Sha-kyo or Sha-butsu?

Sha, written in ‘写,’ means copying.

Kyo, written in ‘ 経,’ means Buddhist  Sutra.

Butsu, written in ‘仏,’ means Buddhist statue.

So, Sha-kyo means copying Buddhist sutra and Sha-butsu means copying Buddhist statue. These actions are the ways of praying like invoking Buddha.

You can choose what you pray for. I praied for full recovery from cancer and sound health. It was very unusual experience for me to concentrate on copying each Japanese kanji character by hand-writing with Chinese ink brush. I believed that concentration in quietness brings mental and physical benefits. Believing makes dream come true.

Buddhist sutra is written in Japanese kanji characters. So, it might be difficult for international tourists, but there is shorter version of Buddhist sutra. In that sense, Sha – butsu seems to be more approachable for international tourist especially from  western counties.

But, actually, Sha – butsu is more complicated and time-consuming because Buddhist statue is drawn in very detail.

You can experience  Sha-kyo and Sha-butsu at Hase-Kannon in Kamakura city.

It is required to offer ¥1000 as a donation to Hase – Kannon to experience Sha – kyo or Sha – butsu.

You can choose Sha – kyo or Sha – butsu on site, comparing which suits for your hand writing. If you are not familiar to a Chinese ink brush, you can use a pen  or a pencil  which are both provided.

Today ‘s tip:

Kamakura is good destination of day trip from Tokyo.

You can experience small unusuals including  Sha – kyo or Sha – butsu.

Good luck to all of you !

 

 

Recommended site for Foodies

In Japan, the most famous website with recommended reviews about restaurants is  “Tabelog.” I agree that it is helpful to find average restaurants. But some restaurants are highly appreciated due to its sponsorship. On the other hand, other restaurants are not properly evaluated without sponsorship to that website. In my opinion,  some sushi restaurants are typically over-rated, while almost all the ramen noodle restaurants are properly evaluated.

Let’s compare the rating distribution in Tokyo among top 15%.

Sushi; top 834 among over 5,561, rating 3.3 to 4.86, price range $40 – Over $300

Yakiniku; top 648 among 4,329, rating 3.49-4.59, price range $40-$200

Tempura; top 195 among 1,307, rating 3.52-4.34, price range $20-$300

Ramen; top 995 among 6,638, rating 3.53-4.09, price range $5-$10

Hamburger;186 among 1,241, rating 3.12-3.74, price range $5-$20

Now, you see that the rating distribution for sushi restaurants is the widest and it is obviously related to the price range!!!

Rating of recommended reviews is biased somehow. Most reviewers have limited experience and they are biased with the previous rate or the price itself. Some of them are affected much more by rating or pricing than their tasting.

Here are the three kinds of bias in summery.

1.Selection bias;

it is caused due to biased target selected by reviewers.

2.Information bias;

it is caused due to rating, pricing. Furthermore, it is caused by mistaken memory. Not every reviewer rates right after the experience.

3.Confounding bias;

If you have several dishes in the course menu, you might be affected by the first one or last one. Sometimes, a poor customer service reduce the rate of tastes.

Therefore, I recommend to follow the reviewers who you think rated properly in alignment with your experience. Tabelog recommends you the reviewers to follow based on your experience and tastes. That function is very useful.

Furthermore, there are some professional foodie among reviewers in “Tabelog.”  Some of them write an article in a magazine. 。

Today’s tips;

It is good to find your favorite reviewer in “Tabelog” to find the good restaurant in Tokyo.

My favorite is

 

 

 

The best place to stay in Tokyo

Where is the best place to stay in Tokyo?

Kichijo-ji is always top-ranked as a living place in the survey, but I don’t believe that.

The quantitative survey don’t always discover the truth, since popularity is affected by reconition. Kichijo-ji became famous across the country through the survey.

Of course, it is all right to live near the station like Kichijo-ji of Chouo-line, if you don’t mind the packed in the heavily crowded train or traffic jam of National route 20.

From the view of real estate professional, I recommend to live in the inside of Yamanote-line.

First, the inside of Yamanote-line has almost the same area as Singapore, which is very convenient to move around. Like Singapore, the public traffic network is highly developed. In addition, the passing traffic in downtown area has decreased as a result of the completion of the KEN-O EXPWY. Therefore, the traffic jam has been decreased and it got easier to catch taxi.

Second, it is ideal to work and shop and dine near the living place. Most office buildings and shopping malls are located in this areas.

Furthermore,  almost all the prestige universities and hospitals are located in inside of the Yamanote-line. It is convenient for students and patients to constantly make visits.

Then, the next question;

where is the best place to stay inside of Ymanote-line?

Basically, the center of Tokyo is the Imperial Palace. Traffic network is developed from Nihombashi which is 10-minute walk from Tokyo station close to the Imperial Palace.

Chiyoda-ku or Minato-ku is located around the Imperial Palace, which means they are the best place.

Chuou-ku, Shinjuku-ku, Shibuya-ku,Shinagawa-ku or Bunkyo-ku is adjacent to these two districts,  so they are the second best. However, some areas of those district are out of Yamanote-line, which is not ideal.

Ideal location is near the station of Marunouchi-line or Ginza-line which is the oldest subway line and is not connected out of Yamanote-line.

Do you get the point of superiority of Marunouchi-line or Ginza-line ?

Different from Hibiya-line or Chiyoda-line which is connected to local lines, not so many passengers are flown into the trains at the stations of Marunouchi-line or Ginza-line.It means you are not suffered from crowds during rush hours. Moreover, it is more punctually operated because it is not affected by delay of local trains.

I found some international tourists are confused with the crowds at the station of Chuo-line.

In my conclusion, the best place to stay in is the place close to the station of the Marunouchi-line or Ginza-line.

This tip is applicable to find not only residences but the hotel or hospital to stay for weeks.

Today’s tip;

The best accommodation in Tokyo is located near the station of Marunouch line or Ginza-line.