Tokyo Guide : Toyosu Fish Market
Toyosu Market (Toyosu Fish Market) is a large market located in Koto City, Tokyo, where fresh fish, vegetables, meat, and other food items are sold. It moved from Tsukiji Market in 2018. It became an important place for Tokyo’s food industry, like the “new Tsukiji Market,” where you can buy fresh ingredients or enjoy meals.
Near Toyosu Market, there is a facility called “Senkyakubanrai (千客万来).” This facility is designed to welcome a large number of visitors and provide a variety of experiences for both tourists and locals. The name “Senkyakubanrai” literally means “welcoming thousands of guests,” and the facility focuses on offering activities such as dining, shopping, and sightseeing.
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Recipe : Sakura Mochi
Sakura Mochi (桜餅) is a Japanese confectionery associated with cherry blossoms and is made by wrapping rice cake sweets in cherry leaves. This wagashi is made with a special flour called domyoji flour and steamed to give it a unique texture.
There are two types of what are called “sakura mochi,” one invented in the Kanto region and spread mainly in eastern Japan, and the other invented in the Kansai region and spread throughout Japan.
Although it is a confectionary eaten year-round, today it has become one of the essential sweets for the Dolls’ Festival, partly because it is colored pink to resemble cherry blossoms with food red, as the name implies.
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2 : What time do children in Japan usually go to school and come home?
In this series, I’ll be sharing questions that our customers have asked!
Q. What time do children in Japan usually go to school and come home?
A. The times at which Japanese children go to and return from school vary slightly depending on the school and region. For elementary school students, the typical time to leave home for school is between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m., ensuring they arrive before classes begin. The time they return home depends on their grade level. Lower-grade students usually finish school around 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., while upper-grade students may finish around 3:30 to 4:00 p.m.
For junior high and high school students, the school day tends to start earlier. They typically leave home between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. Students involved in extracurricular activities, such as club practices, may go to school even earlier for morning training sessions. School ends around 4:00 p.m., but many students stay later—until 6:00 or 7:00 p.m.—for club activities.
In addition, a significant number of students attend cram schools (juku) or extracurricular lessons after school, which often results in them returning home even later than their school dismissal time.
Recipe : How to prepare Matcha
Matcha is a type of powdered green tea, and it is especially used in Japanese tea ceremonies. Matcha is made by steaming tea leaves, drying them, and then carefully grinding them into a fine powder using a stone mill. Unlike regular green tea, matcha involves drinking the tea leaves themselves.
Matcha is loved not only for its use in tea ceremonies but also as an everyday beverage. In recent years, it has become widely used in sweets, drinks, and cooking. In this article, we will introduce the basic way to make matcha.
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Tokyo Guide : Asobono for Kids
Are you looking for a place to have fun with kids in Tokyo, especially on a rainy day, where they can run around and play? Here’s a recommended spot: ASOBono!, a large indoor playground located in Tokyo Dome City in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. It’s a popular spot for families where children can play to their heart’s content!
ASOBono! is designed for children from infants to elementary school students, offering various areas that help enhance their creativity and physical abilities.
Adventure Ocean Area: Right when you enter the facility, this area catches your eye. It features a large ball pit, slides, and plenty of space to move around and play. There are also trampolines, and my kids always start by getting active here.
Crawl Garden Area: This area is dedicated to infants aged 0-24 months, with soft mats laid out for crawling babies. The space is enclosed to prevent babies from wandering too far, and there are age-appropriate play equipment available for them.
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Recipe : Nikujaga
Nikujaga is known as an important Japanese home meal. “Niku” means meat (and it’s usually Japanese beef for this dish) and “Jaga(-imo)” means potato. Other than Japanese beef and potato, there are carrot and onion. As for color and texture, you can add green beans and Shirataki to add volume. It’s a bit funny but it is said that if young women she can cook this dish very well, she is ready for getting married. What an interesting and important dish!
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Fukagawa meshi
Fukagawa-meshi is a traditional local dish originating from the Fukagawa area in Koto Ward, Tokyo. It primarily features clams, such as asari (Japanese littleneck clams), and was popularized among fishermen as a quick and easy meal.
The name comes from the area’s historical association with fishing and water transportation since the Edo period.
Fukagawa-meshi is also recognized as one of the “100 Selected Local Dishes” by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. It can also be enjoyed at home, with many recipes highlighting the umami of clams.
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Recipe : Anmitsu
Anmitsu (あんみつ) is considered as a summer dessert but we can buy it all year around here in Japan. This Japanese style parfait is made of small cubes of agar agar jelly, red bean paste called anko, mochi, various fruits, ice cream (either vanilla or matcha flavor) and boiled red beans. It’s usually served with brown sugar syrup called Kuromitsu that you pour over the Anmitsu before enjoying this sweets.
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Tokyo Guide : Kiyosumi Gardens
How about having a break from visiting hustle bustle touristy spots in Tokyo and enjoying the Japanese garden? Kiyosumi Gardens (清澄庭園) is a traditional Japanese garden located in Kiyosumi, Koto Ward, Tokyo.
Renowned for its tranquil scenery and historical significance, it is one of Tokyo’s most beautiful gardens. Designed in the Edo and Meiji periods, this garden features a *chisen-kaiyu-shiki* (circuit-style pond) layout, offering visitors a chance to enjoy picturesque landscapes throughout the year.
At the teahouse in Kiyosumi Gardens, visitors could enjoy matcha and traditional Japanese sweets.
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Tokyo Guide : Fukagawa Edo Museum
Fukagawa Edo Museum (深川江戸資料館) is a cultural and historical facility located in Koto Ward, Tokyo, that offers visitors a chance to experience the life and atmosphere of the Edo period (1603–1868).
The museum features a recreated Edo-era townscape, complete with houses, shops, and streets, giving an immersive glimpse into daily life during that time.
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