What occurs to you when you heard the name of a place, Narita?

Needless to say, it reminds you of Narita International Airport. But Narita city is originally famous for a temple, Narita San temple.

The temple is the headquarters of an Esoteric Buddhism school. Its principle object of worship, Fudomyo-ou statue was moved from Kyoto to the place in order to put down a  revolt in the first century. Actually the temple is close to Narita Airport, and you can visit it when you have some time before your departure.

Access:

Narita station(KS 40)  on Keisei line, which is one station away from Narita Airport Terminal2-3 station(KS41) and two stations away from Narita Airport Terminal 1 station (KS42).

It takes 8 minutes from Narita Airport Terminal2-3 station(KS41) to Narita station(KS40).

A ten-minute walk takes you to the temple from Narita station.

   Railways are the most essential public transportation in Japan for both travelers and local residents. In Saitama city, a suburban city of Tokyo, you can see the history of the railways in Japan.

   They exhibit used train cars, ranging from a steam locomotive to a Shinkansen Bullet train. It is possible to go into some of them. 

   The museum used to be located near Akihabara, and moved to the current place. Although it is not so conveniently located, a little bit away from Tokyo, you can enjoy traveling to the museum by train. It takes about one hour from Shinjyuku, Tokyo. 

Access:

Tesudo-Hakubutsu Kan station, where you can find English signs, the Railway Museum,  on New Shuttle line.

The station is one station, three minutes, from JR Oomiya station.  

JR Omiya station

( JR : Saikyo line, Keihin tohoku like, Utsunomiya line, Takasahi line, Shonan-SHinjyuku line and Ueno Tokyo-line)   

Do you happen to know there is a Daibutsu ( a great statue of Buddah ) in Tokyo? Actually we have one in Tokyo.

When it comes to Daibutsu, ones in Kamakura and in Nara are famous. They have a long history. Compared with them, Tokyo Daibutsu was erected only about 40 years ago ( in 1970 ).

However Tokyo Daibutsu is conveniently located and the site is far less crowded than that of Kamakura one or Nara one. So it is comfortable to enjoy visiting the site. In addition, you can enjoy a calm atmosphere of the surrounding area, which makes you think it hard to believe that you are in Tokyo. 

access

It takes about 15 - 20 minutes on foot from those stations  

Stations:

Chikatetsu Akatsuka ( Tokyo Metro Yurakucho line or Fukutoshin line ( Y03 / F0 ))

Shimo-Akatsuka ( Tobu - Tojo line ( TJ9) ) 

    If you would like to experience commoners' lives of the Edo era, you might want to visit this museum. Unlike other museums, it is possible to touch the small objects like their utensils and walk into the residents' houses and shops.  The district is not so popular among tourist from abroad, but the museum is worth visiting. 

* access: 5 mins from "Kiyosumi - Shirakawa" station, on Oedo subway line and Hanzomon subway line. 

  There are some must see spots near Monzen-Nakacho and Kiyosumi-Shirakawa station.

 Most famous ones include Fukagawa Fudo temple and Tomioka Hachiman shrine near Monzen-Nakacho station.

 They also include Kiyosumi Teien, a Japanese traditional garden and Edo-Fukagawa Museum, where you can see and even go into the streets in the Edo era. 

 Access:

Monzen-Nakacho: On Tozai Line (T12) and Oedo Line (E15)

Kiyosumi-Shirakawa: On Hanzomon Line (Z11) and Oedo Line (E14)   

Thanks to the owner of a Japanese traditional rice cracker shop, I was able to experience making crackers by myself ( * this experience is not always available ) .

 Busta, the new highway bus terminal in Shinjuku, has started its operation. 

  I went today to Asakusa, the most famous sightseeing spot in Tokyo,  to visit some shops and restaurants serving halal dishes and souvenirs, for example, Japanese rice crackers, Ramen noodles, homemade cakes, Shushi and the like.  

  There are more and more such kinds of halal-friendly shops and restaurants because the local government helps the shops to be halal-friendly. 

        Which Express is faster, Limited-Express, Express, Semi-express, or Rapid-Express ?

You will find several kinds of trains on the same line in Japan. Some require you to pay extra fee but others do not.

For example, in Odakyu-line, which takes you to Hakone and Enoshima (near Kamakura), the Limited Express, Romance Car, is the fastest and needs extra fee in addition to the basic fare. In contrast, Limited-Express, Express, Semi-express, Rapid-express, and Local don’t need extra fee. But which is faster? The answer is Rapid-Express. So please make sure you take Rapid-Express or Romance Car, if you go to Hakone or Enoshima in a hurry. 

       Like Odakuyu-line, other lines also have several kinds of trains. But if you have no idea which is faster, Express, in general, is faster than others.