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Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo Sake casks, Meiji-jingu Shrine Entrance to Meiji-jingu Shrine
Tokyo skyline
PENINSULA, TOKYO
Ideally located close to the Ginza/Marunouchi
area of Tokyo, the Peninsula is one of the newer
additions to the selection of luxury five star hotels
in the city, having opened in September 2007.
The rooms are very generously apportioned, a
rarity in such a crowded city. The hotel looks
over the Hibiya Gardens, which can be seen
from the 25 metre swimming pool or bubbling
Jacuzzi. The spa at the hotel is wonderful and
often has very good offers on treatments or
packages. A stay at the Peninsula Tokyo is always
an enjoyable experience and the staff are
welcoming and eager to help.
MITSUI GARDEN GINZA, TOKYO
The Mitsui Garden Ginza is a good value, medium
standard hotel, very well located in the heart of
the famous Ginza shopping district and just a
short walk from JR Shimbashi station. Some of the
deluxe rooms have spectacular views over Tokyo
Bay and Tower, and the standard rooms, although
certainly on the small side, are decorated in
modern, contemporary tones by Italian designer
Piero Lisoni. The hotel makes a great base for
sightseeing in central Tokyo, the Tsukiji fish
market and Hamarikyu Gardens. The restaurant
serves high quality breakfast, lunch and dinner
and there is a good bar for evening drinks.
Sumo
With a history spanning many centuries,
sumo is Japan’s most popular traditional
sport. Highly ritualised, it’s a truly fascinating
experience - watching a titanic clash between
two enormous, near naked wrestlers is one
you are not likely to forget. There are six
tournaments a year, two of which take place
in Tokyo’s impressive Kokugikan sumo hall.
Each lasts around 15 days but the fights
themselves are much briefer affairs with
bouts lasting a matter of seconds.
Wrestlers on way to a championship
Sumo wrestlers prepare to fight
Rules & traditions
The idea of sumo is to force your opponent
out of the ring or to throw him to the floor
using one or more of the 82 techniques. Just
some of the rituals involved in sumo include
the referee pouring an offering of sake onto
the ring as part of a dedication ceremony,
the ritual stomping before a match (shiko)
that drives away evil spirits, and the salt that
is tossed into the ring by the wrestlers for
further purification.
To this day, women are still forbidden to
step into the ring as they are considered to
violate its sanctity.
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