Momijigari with Elizabeth Rose - Tokyo Imperial Palace & East Garden
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| Elizabeth Rose at the Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
During the Tokyo leg of our Nov 2016 autumn trip, we did a tour of the Tokyo Imperial Palace (more below). Generally, public access to the Imperial Palace inner grounds is restricted, so I had to register for the guided palace tour. The registration can be made online in advance, or on the same day on site. To save us the hassle of queuing, I made a prior registration via the Imperial Household Agency website. (Registration guidelines now here; prior registration now here). We still had to queue in the end, however. After the palace tour, we spent the remainder of the day strolling around the Imperial Palace East Gardens (more below), which I personally enjoyed more than the palace's inner grounds itself.
Tokyo Imperial Palace
The Tokyo Imperial Palace (Kōkyo) is the primary residence of the Emperor of Japan. The area the palace encompasses includes the site of the former Edo Castle, best known as the Tokugawa shogun's residence and seat of power during the Edo era (1600-1868). Also called Chiyoda Castle, Edo Castle was designed and built in 1457 by samurai warrior-poet and military strategist Ōta Dōkan (1432-1486). Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) established it as his base after the 1590 Siege of Odawara, and continued to expand and fortify the castle. At its peak, Edo Castle had 20 gates, 11 towers/keeps, 15 barracks, and the main castle tower (tenshukaku) was 51m tall, the tallest in Japan. The castle remained the Togukawa shogunate's seat until the 1868 Meiji Restoration. |
| Contrast of old and new: Fujimi-yagura from a distance, view from around the Kunaichō Chōsha, Tokyo Imperial Palace |
Following the Restoration, the Meiji Emperor moved his official residence from the Kyoto Imperial Palace (posted here) to Edo Castle. During the Meiji era, much of Edo Castle's structures disappeared and over time, various buildings were added. Most of the Tokyo Imperial Palace was destroyed in the 1945 Tokyo air raids during WWII. The current palace complex, the Kyūden, was constructed and completed in 1968.
For the Imperial Palace tour, we entered through the Kikyomon. The gate is a short walk from Otemachi Station, along Uchibori-dori (literally "inner moat road"). The road name is a historical reference to the uchibori (inner moat), 1 of the 2 moats that encircled Edo Castle. The other was sotobori (outer moat), the namesake of the road Sotobori-dori. Remnants of the sotobori remain in the area between Ichigaya and Iidabashi, of which the Chūō-Sōbu Line runs alongside. Unsurprisingly, the names of many places in the Chiyoda ward are historically derived from Edo Castle. The ward's name itself is historically derived from Chiyoda Castle, Edo Castle's other name.
During the Edo period, the area between the sotobori and uchibori was where the shogun's vassals (hatamoto and gokenin) resided. This area is present-day Jimbocho, Bancho, Kojimachi, Kasumigaseki and Nagatacho. Outside the uchibori resided the other samurai that served the shogunate as bureaucrats, courtiers and administrators. This area is present-day Hongo, Koishikawa, Ushigome, Ichigaya, Yotsuya, Akasaka and Shiba. (More on Tokyo Cheapo's Free History of Edo, Part 1 and Part 2.)
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| The Kikyōmon, Kikyōbori, and Tatsumi-yagura of Tokyo Imperial Palace, view of Uchibori-dori |
The short walk along Uchibori-dori from Otemachi Station skirts the Kikyobori, from which we saw the two-storied keep known as the Tatsumi-yagura (sometimes called the Sakurada tatsumi-yagura). A sumi-yagura, i.e. corner keep, the Tatsumi-yagura is one of the 3 remaining original keeps from Edo Castle, and is the only original keep in the Sannomaru that remains today. It is also sometimes called the Tatsumi niju-yagura or Sakurada niju-yagura in reference to its 2 storeys.
As we were walking towards the security checkpoint at Kikyomon, everyone was abruptly stopped by the palace guards. As Hubby and I were wondering what was the issue, an armoured motorcade drove out of the palace gates, and we caught a glimpse of the Imperial family. In the first car were Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, and the second car were the Crown Prince Naruhito and the Crown Princess Masako. Lucky break! While most of the Japanese in the area bowed in respect, I noticed a few from the older generation who prostrated themselves. I couldn't help thinking about how different some things have become in the space of a few decades.
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| Fujimi-yagura (literally, [Mt] Fuji View Keep) of the Tokyo Imperial Palace |
The first point of interest on the palace tour was the Fujimi-yagura. It is a 3-storeyed keep that stands on a 14.5m tall stone rampart. The keep itself is about 15.5m tall. The Fujimi-yagura is an all-sided keep, meaning it looks the same from all directions. It was so-named because it was said that Mt Fuji could be seen from the keep. Unfortunately, we are not permitted to enter it, and thus are unable to confirm if Mt Fuji can indeed be seen.
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| Fujimi-yagura of the Tokyo Imperial Palace |
Reconstructed in 1659, the Fujimi-yagura is one of the oldest remnants of Edo Castle. It is one of the only 3 remaining keeps of Edo Castle. As mentioned, there used to be 11 keeps in Edo Castle. The other two remaining keeps are Tatsumi-yagura (mentioned above) and the Fushimi-yagura (mentioned below).
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| Kunaichō Chōsha (Imperial Household Agency Building), Tokyo Imperial Palace |
Next was the Kunaichō Chōsha, the headquarters of the Imperial Household Agency. The building dates back to 1935. After WWII, until construction of the Imperial Palace was completed, the third floor of the building was used as the temporary Imperial Palace.
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| Chōwaden Reception Hall, Tokyo Imperial Palace |
Subsequently, we were taken to the Chōwaden, the largest building in the Kyūden, covering some 163-sqm. It is used for various official state functions and ceremonies. Also, on January 2nd and the Emperor's birthday, the Imperial family stands at the verandah of the Chōwaden, and the Emperor delivers his address to the members of the public gathered at the Kyūden Tōtei, the plaza outside. Those 2 occasions are the only days when the public is allowed access to the palace's inner grounds.
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| The Kyūden Totei Plaza, Tokyo Imperial Palace. At the right-most corner is the Matsu-no-to. |
Both the Chōwaden and Kyūden Tōtei are part of the Kyūden, the new Imperial Palace complex in which the Imperial family conducts their daily lives. The palace tour does not take us into the Kyūden, as the public is not permitted to enter it. As mentioned, the previous palace complex was mostly destroyed in WWII. The current buildings of the Kyūden were completed in 1968. It consists of 7 buildings: Seiden State Function Hall, Homeiden State Banquet Hall, Chōwaden Reception Hall, and the Emperor's daily office. The architecture of the Kyūden is a mix of modern and traditional: the modern ferro-concrete structure incorporates various traditional elements into its architecture, albeit rendered in modern materials such as steel, concrete and glass. In this regard, the Chōwaden probably stands as a good example. But since we are not permitted access to much else of the Kyūden, I don't know of any other building to point to. I admit I'm very curious if the interior likewise replicates traditional palace architecture and how (or if) it has been built with modern materials.
Next, we cross over the Seimon-tetsubashi, "main gate iron bridge". With its ornate iron rails and lanterns, it is a beautiful bridge, deserving of being a well-known Tokyo landmark. It is also called the Nijubashi because its original wooden predecessor was built on top of an auxiliary bridge. On one side of the Seimon-tetsubashi is a view of the Fushimi-yagura.
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| Seimon-tetsubashi and the Fushimi-yagura, Tokyo Imperial Palace |
The Fushimi-yagura is a two-storied keep that is a remnant of the former Edo Castle, and the only original keep left in the Nishinomaru. It was originally located at Fushimi Castle in Kyoto, but was relocated sometime in the 17th century, during the time of the 3rd Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-1651).
On the other side of the Seimon-tetsubashi is a lovely view of the Seimon-ishibashi ("main gate stone bridge"), Kōkyo Gaien and modern-day central Tokyo.
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| The Seimon-ishibashi, East Gardens and modern-day central Tokyo, view from the Seimon-testubashi, Tokyo Imperial Palace |
The Seimon-ishibashi has been nicknamed "Meganebashi", i.e. "Spectacles Bridge", because of its shape when reflected on the moat. Prior to the Meiji era, the Seimon-testubashi and Seimon-ishibashi were wooden bridges. During the Meiji era, they were replaced with the present-day iron-cast and stone structures.
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| Autumn foliage in the Tokyo Imperial Palace |
Along the tour route, we did get to see some beautiful fall foliage. I vaguely recall walking down a pathway bordered with landscaped pines, and other trees - the Yamashita-dori. There were some maples all decked up in autumn foliage.
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| Fujimi-tamon and Hasuikebori, Tokyo Imperial Palace |
Further down the tour route we came to the Fujimi-tamon, the defence house that sits on the stone rampart over a moat. It was built for defence and decorative purposes, and was used as a repository and armory. There were originally 15 such defence houses in Edo Castle, but today only the Fujimi-tamon remains. At the foot of the stone rampart is the Hasuikebori, literally "lotus pond moat". During our visit, it wasn't particularly lovely, being full of dry remains. It is best viewed in summer, when the numerous lotus flowers bloom, and cover the entire moat.
From this point, the tour route took us back to Kikyomon, where the tour ended. From there, we then headed for the East Gardens, which is free access and open to the general public.
Imperial Palace East Gardens
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| Ninomaru Garden, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Rooftop of the Dōshin-bansho, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
One such building is the Doōshin-bansho, a guardhouse of the former Edo Castle. In the past, samurai guardsmen would be posted at the Dōshin-bansho to keep watch over the castle grounds.
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| Hyakunin-bansho, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
The other guardhouse remaining is the Hyakunin-bansho, literally "hundred person place". It was so named because it formerly housed the hundred guards who were closely associated with the Tokugawa clan.
Close to the Hyakunin-bansho is the O-bansho, another guardhouse. The Doshin-bansho, Hyakunin-bansho and O-bansho are the 3 remaining guardhouses of the former Edo Castle.
I confess I wasn't actively tracking to our walking route, or carefully noting down the names of these historical buildings. I also didn't photograph many of them. My eyes were too distracted by the autumn foliage. This was a spot with some beautiful autumn foliage.
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| Autumn foliage over the Nakanomon's stone walls, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Autumn foliage over the Nakanomon's stone walls, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
In days past, there were several key ramparts around this area, near the Doshin-bansho and Hyakunin-bansho. Now all that remains are the stone remnants of the Nakanomon.
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| Ninomaru Grove, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
We next strolled to the Ninomaru Grove (Ninomaru zoukibayashi). The grove stands in the Ninomaru of Edo Castle, formerly the site of the shogun's villa and his heir's residence. At the time, it was also the site of gardens and teahouses. However, these buildings burnt down in 1863 and were not rebuilt. Today, the Ninomaru is the site of the beautiful Ninomaru Grove and Ninomaru Garden.
The Ninomaru Grove (or Ninomaru Woods) was created between 1982 to 1985 according to the wishes of the Showa Emperor. It is said that he was a keen nature-lover, and had planned this Musashino woodland-like area on the site of the Ninomaru. Personally, I find the Ninomaru Grove a splendid autumn-viewing spot in Tokyo, a must-see momiji-gari spot. As the saying goes, pictures speak louder than words.
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| Autumn foliage at the Ninomaru Grove, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Autumn foliage at the Ninomaru Grove, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Autumn foliage at the Ninomaru Grove, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Autumn foliage at the Ninomaru Grove, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
Wandering down the paths of the Ninomaru Grove is like wandering through a veritable woodland forest. I almost forgot we were in the centre of the world's largest metropolis!
The trees in the grove include oaks (konara and kunugi), maples (momiji or kaede), hornbeams (zokibayashi), Japanese camellia (yabutsubaki), Japanese pieris (asebi) and Japanese red pine (akamatsu). There are also clumps of silver grass (susuki). Shining in the sun, they look alternatively silver, alternatively a pale gold.
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| Susuki at the Ninomaru Grove, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Autumn foliage at the Ninomaru Grove, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
Apparently, the Ninomaru Grove is also planted with seasonal woodland flowers such as fringed iris (shaga), fairy-bell lilies / Japanese fairy bells (chigori-yuri), woodland orchids (kinran and ginran) and clustered bellfowers (hotaru-bukuro). I confess I didn't go around looking for woodland flowers, because the susuki and autumn foliage were so beautiful, so distracting... And it was not the right season for all these woodland blooms anyway.
The paths through the grove took us past the Suwa-no-chaya, a traditional teahouse.
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| Elizabeth Rose at the Suwa-no-chaya in the Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Suwa-no-chaya, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
During the Edo period, the Suwa-no-chaya was located in the Fukiage Garden (Fukiage Gyoen). The teahouse was rebuilt and moved to its present location in the East Gardens in 1912. The Fukiage Gyoen is off-limits to the public as it is part of the Fukiage Palace (Fukiage Gosho), the private palace where the Imperial Family resides.
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| Suwa-no-chaya, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
From the Suwa-no-chaya, the path took us to the Ninomaru Garden (Ninomaru-teien). The Ninomaru Garden is a traditional Japanese garden around a pond landscaped with rocks, pine trees, various plants, and a little waterfall at a corner.
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| Ninomaru Garden, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
The original garden was designed by Kobori Enshū, the Japanese artist also known for the gardens of Sento Imperial Palace (posted here), the Toranoko-watashi-no-niwa at Nanzenji (posted here) and Katsura Imperial Villa. Unfortunately it was destroyed in a fire in 1867. The present garden was created in 1968 based on a plan made during the time of the 9th Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Ieshige (1712-1761).
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| Ninomaru Garden, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Ninomaru Garden, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Wisteria arbor overlooking the pond at the Ninomaru Garden, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Autumn foliage at the Ninomaru Garden, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Autumn foliage at the Ninomaru Garden, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| View of the Ninomaru Garden from the wisteria arbor, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Ninomaru Garden, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| More susuki, Ninomaru Grove, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
From the Ninomaru Garden, we strolled through the Ninomaru Grove again. The autumn foliage in the Ninomaru Grove is truly splendid. In this season, I could spend all day just in the East Gardens alone.
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| Ninomaru Grove, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Autumn foliage at the Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
The main path was lined with trees clad in brilliant autumn foliage. I was having such an awesome time just admiring the trees, that I confess I missed out quite a lot of other things.
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| Bairin-zaka, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
At the end of the main path was the Bairin-zaka, literally "plum forest slope", a steep slope in front of the Imperial Palace's Shoryobu Chosha (Archives Department). Bordering the stone ramparts are ume trees, hence the name. The ume trees were said to have been planted in 1478 by Ōta Dōkan, the architect of Edo Castle as mentioned above. Apparently, Dōkan planted them as a dedication to Sugawara no Michizane, the Heian era scholar-poet deified as the kami of learning, Tenjin. His tale is recounted in my Kitano Tenmangu post.
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| Budding ume trees at the Bairin-zaka, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
Today, the ume trees were bare, but I'm sure that in the early spring (February/March), the place would be such a beautiful sight!
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| Camellia shrubs near the Bairin-zaka, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
Not far from the Bairin-zaka were camellia shrubs, which were in flower. Their glossy dark green leaves and vibrant blooms made a great contrast to the bare, knobbly branches of the nearby ume trees.
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| Autumn foliage near Bairin-zaka, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Autumn foliage near Bairin-zaka, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
The autumn foliage at the Bairin-zaka itself was also quite brilliant at certain spots, and looked beautiful spilling over the stone ramparts.
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| Citrus fruit trees at Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
As we followed the path, towards the Honmaru, we also came across some trees laden with some kind of citrus fruits. Not sure what kind of citrus fruit they were, but they were around the size of grapefruit and smelled fabulous!
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| Camellias in bloom at the Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
More camellia shrubs in bloom along the path. And we got to the Honmaru. In this area are the Tōkagakudō and the tenshudai, the stone foundation of the Edo Castle's main castle keep.
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| Tōkagakudō, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
The Tōkagakudō, or Peach Blossom Music Hall, was built in 1966, in commemoration of the 60th birthday of Empress Kōjun (6 March 1963). The hall was so-named because the peach blossom was the emblem of Empress Kōjun. The octagonal shaped building is a ferro-concrete structure. The shape of the roof resembles the petals of the clematis, and each outer wall is decorated with mosaics depicting flying birds, the sun, moon and stars.
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| The tenshudai remains at Edo Castle's honmaru, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
Then there is the tenshudai, the massive stone foundation on which once stood the main castle keep. Constructed in 1607, the tenshudai had 5 storeys, was 51m tall with multiple roofs and was ornamented with gold. After it was destroyed in the 1657 Great Fire of Meireki, it was not rebuilt. Even so, the height of the stone foundation, and the size of the stones forming it are impressive.
Geek trivia note: the tenshudai was briefly featured in 3-gatsu no Lion, in vol. 2 chapter 18 of the manga, and season 1 episode 9 of the anime when Fukushima native Matsunaga Shoichi waxes lyrical about samurai spirit of Aizu, specifically Hoshina Masayuki, the first daimyo of the Aizu Domain (present-day Fukushima).
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| Screenshot from 3-gatsu no Lion season 1 episode 9 at 15:25 - the Edo Castle tenshudai, one of the many things that Matsunaga mentions in his monologue (complete with rakugo setting) in praise of the spirit of Aizu and Hoshina Masayuki. |
Next to the tenshudai is the Honmaru Lawn (Honmaru Oshibafu), an open lawn that is the spot, or close to the spot, where the Honmaru Palace (Honmaru Goten) once stood. This was the part of the Edo Castle complex where the Tokugawa shogun and his court used for residential or government purposes.
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| Honmaru Lawn, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Honmaru Lawn, Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
In the present-day, there is a very relaxed, leisurely ambience to the place. Rather like an oasis in the midst of the urban jungle that is central Tokyo. There doesn't seem much that goes on except for various visitors and office workers passing through or having lunch on the lawn, or families picnicking and playing during the weekend.
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| Photographing Elizabeth Rose at the Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
Somewhere along the way, around the gardens, I found a nice spot to photograph Elizabeth. A secluded grove with the leaf-strewn grass, clusters of shrubs and short trees all clad in beautiful autumn foliage.
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| Elizabeth Rose at the Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
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| Elizabeth Rose at the Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens |
I thought it'd make a nice spot to photograph Elizabeth, free-standing. So far for most of the pictures I'd taken of her in the East Gardens, she had been handheld. Used a pair of chopsticks (rubber-banded together) to prop her up. The ground helped, since I could stick the chopsticks in, though she did fall sideways a couple of times. Time to get one of those dolly prop items...
We left the East Gardens via the Otemon, which used to be the main gate of Edo Castle. The Otemon supposedly took its present form in the 1620s during the reign of the 2nd Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada (r.1605-1623).
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| Part of the Otemon, formerly the main entrance to Edo Castle, Tokyo Imperial Palace |
The Otemon has since been destroyed or damaged around 5 times: in the 1657 Great Fire of Meireki; damaged in the 1703 Genroku earthquake, the 1855 Ansei Edo earthquake and the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake, and during WWII Tokyo air raids in 1945. The current gate was reconstructed during 1965-1967.
Due to lack of time, we didn't visit Kōkyo Gaien, the Imperial Palace Outer Garden. It was opened to the public in 1949 and its grounds are dotted with some 2,000 black pines and some zelkovas (keyaki). Would've liked to visit the area but no time, and hence no photos... (⋟﹏⋞) To my regret. (We have since visited the Kōkyo Gaien in November 2017, in the company of Peko-chan: posted here.) The historical landmark of the Gaien is as at the southwest corner, the Sakuradamon, a remnant of the former Edo Castle. The gate was the site of 2 assassination incidents: the 1860 assassination of Ii Naosuke by ronin of the Mito and Satsuma Domains; and the 1932 assassination attempt on the then Emperor, Emperor Showa, by Lee Bong-chang, a member of the Korean Patriotic Legion. Also, near the Sakuradamon is a view of the Seimon-ishibashi and Seimon-tetsubashi, with a glimpse of Fushimi-yagura.
Some parting thoughts before moving on....
Although parts of the Imperial Palace tour were interesting and informative, I didn't really find the experience altogether worthwhile. The tour doesn't actually cover many sites in the Imperial Palace. The reason being that the public is not permitted to access a majority of the Imperial Palace grounds, e.g. the Three Palace Sanctuaries, the Gosho, the Fukiage Omiya Palace, the Fukiage Garden, etc. All this is understandable; after all, it's not just security concerns, but also since members of the Imperial family are entitled to privacy in their private residences. Even for the few sites covered in the tour, we were not allowed to enter any of the buildings, not even the keeps. That said, I think the main reason why I didn't find the tour worthwhile likely is because of the tour group size.
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| The Tokyo Imperial Palace tour was super crowded. |
Overall, I think the tour group was simply too large, and the pace too rushed for an enjoyable experience. They take in a lot of people in 1 tour group, and the group mixes both people who booked in advance, and people who queued without booking. I think those who made advanced bookings were able to stand at the front of the group, but to be honest, with such a large group and little crowd-control, it all became a confused mass at some point, and everyone got all mixed up. It kind of became a free-for-all whoever-shoves-their-way-forward-gets-best-view kind of scenario. Inevitably, with so many people, there are invariably a number of rude and/or pushy ones. And there were sooooooo many.（♯▼皿▼）
Furthermore, the pace of the tour felt rather hurried, so we felt like we were rushed through most of the grounds, stopping only at a handful of sites (as covered above) with just enough time for the guide's explanation and some quick photographs.
Would I go on the Imperial Palace tour again? Honestly, probably not. Once is enough. If I could turn back time, we would probably skip the tour, and spent more time at the East Gardens and Kōkyo Gaien instead. The East Gardens also contains some historical sites that are open to public access (above). Some of the more well-known historical sites covered in the palace tour can also be seen from the Kōkyo Gaien (i.e. the Seimon-ishibashi, Seimon-tetsubashi...).
Finally, comparing guided tours of Imperial Properties, I found our experience at Shugakuin Imperial Villa (here) and Sento Imperial Palace (here) much more enjoyable, and just as informative and interesting. The tour groups at Shugakuin and Sento were smaller, and the pace less rushed. And if its landscape and leaf-peeping that one is after, Shugakuin and Sento don't lose to the Imperial Palace.
(This post was edited and updated on Monday, 22 June 2020. Among other things, corrections to the names of landmarks/spots of interest in the Imperial Palace were made.)
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More on Elizabeth's Japanese Autumn, November 2016
- I. Yokohama & the Miho Museum - Chinatown
(Heichinrou, Yokohama Mazu Temple) ● Yamashita Park ● Zou-no-Hana ●
Osanbashi Pier ● Yokohama Red Brick Warehouses ● Miho Museum
- II. Kyoto - Tofukuji ● Kiyomizudera ● Sohonzan Komyoji ● Eikando Zenrinji ● Manshuin Monzeki ● Iwakura Jissoin Monzeki ● Nanzenji, Nanzenin & Tenjuan ● Kitano Tenmangu ● Shugakuin Imperial Villa ● Sento Imperial Palace ● Kyoto Imperial Palace
- III. Tokyo - Tokyo University ● Rikugien ● Tokyo Imperial Palace & the East Gardens ● Kotonoha no Niwa trip to at Shinjuku Gyoen ● Italian at Salvatore Cuomo Bros., XEX Tokyo ● Sushi Masuda ● Nishiazabu Taku (aka Sushi Taku) ● Sushi Nakamura (1st taste of Juyondai) ● Sushi Tokami (1st taste of tossaki) ● molecular gastronomy at Tapas Molecular Bar ● French-Japanese at La Paix, Nihonbashi
- IV: Fuji Five Lakes - Part 1 (Bessho Sasa, revisited) ● Part 2 (Fuji Subaru 5th Station, Motosuko & Koyodai) ● Part 3 (Fujisansaku Park, Motosuko, Shojiko, Saiko, Kawaguchiko)
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