Nihongo Notes

First impressions of Tokyo: A City of Contrasts

Tokyo was the first and last place of my tour of Japan in May. The best day I had there was actually my last day in Japan. I spent the day with a friend I’d made online. We’d been talking in English and Japanese for a while and she was kind enough to show me [...]

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Sanja Matsuri (Three Shrine Festival) in Asakusa, Tokyo

I was lucky enough to be in Tokyo during the Sanja Matsuri (三社祭, "Three Shrine Festival") at Asakusa. It was my first full day in Japan and what better way to start the trip than with a festival! I ended up walking down some of the side streets waiting for the parade to start and found some interesting shops and a very peaceful garden. Once I returned to the temple area it was packed with people waiting with cameras in hand.

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