30. March 2025
The Japan Meteorological Agency announced this afternoon that the cherry blossoms at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine are now fully open. Normally the conditions ideal for viewing continue for around a week, so the weekend of April 5th and 6th should still be fine for viewing. From previous experience, the Sumida Park near Asakusa is always a few days behind other areas of Tokyo. Neighboring cities like Yokohama are also a few days behind Tokyo, so there will be more chances to view the blossoms by...
24. March 2025
The Japan Meteorological Agency announced today that the blossoms have opened for the cherry tree that they regularly monitor at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine. This announcement comes five days earlier than 2024. With warm weather expected through Friday, the blossoms should reach peak viewing mode within the next 5 days or so. Normally the peak condition lasts for around a week meaning the first weekend in April (5th and 6th) would be the rough deadline for enjoying them in central Tokyo. Areas...
12. March 2025
The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers will be playing their 2025 season opener at the Tokyo Dome on March 18 and 19th. They also have a pair of exhibition games scheduled against the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers of the NPB. A major promotional campaign has been going off since the start of the year and ads are everywhere in the city. "MLB Tokyo Series Fan Fest" is being held at the Tokyo Skytree from March 8 until the 19th where there will be a public viewing of the games, talk shows by...
10. March 2025
Tokyo saw three snowy days in the previous week but the cherry blossom forecast remains mostly unchanged from the initial forecast with the full bloom expected around March 28th. This would mean the best viewing window would be estimated as March 27-April 3. Usually there is still an error of a few days at this point, but the upcoming two week forecast looks similar to (or somewhat above) average temperature with a good amount of sunshine, so a drastic last-minute delay like 2024 seems less...
20. February 2025
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows announced that the performer of the mascot Tsubakuro has passed away. The mascot made its debut in 1994 and has since become the face of the club and sells the most merchandise among any of its team members. Tsubakuro was popular for his interaction with players as well as comical handwritten comments using a pen and sketchbook. Tsubakuro will not be making any game appearances for the time being and whether the team will bring the mascot back with a different...
29. January 2025
Catching a pro baseball game in Japan is an activity that I recommend any sport fan to do during their stay. However the league does not want you uploading and sharing the exciting shots you took at the stadium to any social network platform - if they fall under a certain criteria. Announced in September 2024, the new rules take effect from February 1st. Fans will be prohibited from: 1) Uploading any movies related to the baseball game that exceeds 140 seconds (this also applies for pre-game...
28. January 2025
Former Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer will be returning to the Yokohama DeNA Baystars for the 2025 season. The Baystars announced the signing on January 27, a few days before the team starts their spring training. Bauer joined the team in May 2023 and posted a record of 10-4 with an ERA of 2.76 in 19 starts. He was injured in late August and did not pitch for the rest of the season. Bauer opted to play in Mexico for the 2024 season. Japanese fans are looking forward to what he can do in a full...
23. January 2025
Weather Map Inc. released its first cherry blossom forecast for the upcoming season. URL: https://sakura.weathermap.jp/en.php More detailed information is provided in Japanese. https://sakura.weathermap.jp/area.php?city=Tokyo According to their forecast, Tokyo will see its first sakura bloom around March 22 and the full bloom on March 30. The estimated peak viewing opportunity will be from March 28-April 5. For Kyoto, the first bloom is forecasted for March 26 while full bloom will be on April...
05. January 2025
Tokyo's Toyosu Market held the first tuna auction of the year. A group including the Ginza Onodera restaurant chain made the highest bidding, at 207 million JPY or about 1.3 million USD for a bluefin tuna that weighed 278kg. The auction is held every morning when the market is open. Anyone can watch the auction from the enclosed viewing platform inside the wholesale building. The auction starts from around 5:30am. The majority of the tuna will be frozen ones. The wholesale function moved from...
01. January 2025
Starting this year, I will be bringing back the blog feature on this website and provide topics on anything new happening in the Tokyo area and around the country. In 2025, there will be several big events happening in the country. In Osaka, the World Expo 2025 will be held in Yumeshima Island from April 13 to October 13. In Tokyo, the World Athletics Championships is coming back for the first time since 1991. The competition will be held at the National Stadium from September 13-21. There are...