December 30, 2013

Comiket 85 - Winter 2013

The 85th Comiket (short for “Comic Market”) is currently being held in Tokyo, until tomorrow December 31st. Like the summer Comiket that I attended in August, it takes place at Tokyo Big Sight, on the island of Ariake. There are 3 parts to the Comiket: The main event is the Doujinshi fair (which I didn’t visit this time, since it seems to mostly consist of rows after rows of stands selling amateur homo-erotic manga) but there are also mutiple areas for cosplay, as well as a hall for professional companies to sell their products. The weather was great and the venue was really crowded.

December 28, 2013

Tokyo Sea Life Park aquarium

Tokyo Sea Life Park is an aquarium located in the Kasai Rinkai Park in Edogawa, Tokyo.

December 28, 2013

Kasai Rinkai Park

Kasai Rinkai Park (葛西臨海公園) is a park built on reclaimed land in Edogawa City, Tokyo. The park includes an aquarium (Tokyo Sealife Park), a bird sanctuary, two manmade islands, a viewing tower and a ferris wheel.

December 26, 2013

The National Art Center, Tokyo

The National Art Center, Tokyo is a museum in Roppongi. Instead of maintaining a permanent collection, it focuses on serving as a venue for various art exhibitions. The architect for the building was Kisho Kurokawa. The facility has 47,960 m² of floor space on a 30,000 m² site with four stories above ground and one below.

December 24, 2013

Autumn at Kyu-Furukawa Garden

Kyu-Furukawa Garden is a park in Kita City, Tokyo. The park includes an old western-style building designed by architect Josiah Conder, a rose garden, and a traditional Japanese-style garden.

December 24, 2013

Black Spicy Miso Ramen at Yaguratei in Shinjuku

Hotaru (ほたる; meaning Firefly) Ramen, with additional egg.

December 23, 2013

Christmas Illuminations in Tokyo

For Christmas, Tokyo gets transformed into a sparkling winter wonderland as millions of colourful lights are displayed in trees, on and around buildings, and even on landmarks such as Tokyo Tower. This page lists many locations where such illuminations can be seen this season (most will be taken down on the 25th).

December 21, 2013

Sunshine Aquarium

The Sunshine Aquarium is located inside Sunshine City, in the Ikebukuro area.

December 19, 2013

Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome

Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome is located on a corner of Yumenoshima Park, in Koto Ward, Tokyo, and features a giant domed greenhouse. This dome holds about 1,000 varieties of tropical and subtropical plants, with colorful fruits and flowers throughout the year. It is heated using waste heat from trash burning at the nearby incineration plant. Boats floating at a yacht harbor can also be seen from the north side of the dome.

December 18, 2013

Miso Ramen at Junren in Takadanobaba

Miso Ramen, with additional corn and egg.