Sights of Tokyo (part seven)
Each city also has its own business center. It is worth a visit not only for those interested in business and how things are done in other countries, but also for anyone who wants to enjoy modern architecture. In addition, you have a unique opportunity to see how contrasting Tokyo is and how areas with ancient architecture combine with the “concrete jungle”.
If you want to find the business center of Tokyo, then feel free to go to the Shinjuku area , which stands out for its huge number of high-rise buildings; there really are plenty of them here.
The most remarkable building in Shinjuku is considered to be the Tokyo City Hall building , which was built in 1991. The nationally known architect Kenzo Tange had a hand in its creation. The skyscraper is 48 floors high and extends 243 meters into the sky. Anyone can go up to the observation deck on the 45th floor to enjoy views of Tokyo and Mount Fuji (note that you can only see it in clear weather).
There are also electronics stores in the area; there are quite a lot of them here. Nearby is the Kabukicho district , which offers hundreds of diverse restaurants and izakayas (late-night restaurants), as well as nightclubs.
It is also advisable to look at the Shinjuku Gehen garden , which was founded back in the 17th century. At one time, this was the residence of Lord Naito, and since 1903, this garden has been the personal property of the Imperial family. Since 1949, it has been officially open to the public, everyone can visit it. Here you can see three types of garden at once: traditional Japanese with famous tea houses, English with wide lawns and French. The garden contains several different varieties of sakura, which means the park is actually an ideal place to admire the sakura. It is better to come here in March or early April; sakura blooms at this time.
Nearby is the Harajuku area , which is famous for its Shinto shrine - Meiji-jingu . It was erected in honor of Emperor Meiji and his wife, and is now considered the most revered in Tokyo. Around the temple is Yoyogi Park, one of the largest parks in the country, with a total area of about 700,000 square meters.
You can also visit Takeshita Street , which has the best boutiques. You can often see local youth on Omotesando Street, and there are also many boutiques, small cafes and restaurants. You can also visit the Oriental Bazaar to stock up on original souvenirs for all your friends and acquaintances.
Yoyogi Park
Takeshita Street
Omotesando Street on weekdays:
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Sights of Tokyo (part eight)>
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An industry group representing ryokans and inns is taking action to restrict the provision of short-term rentals to minpaku as their popularity soars. According to Japanese businessmen, global service is a threat to the Japanese hotel business.
| Accommodation in Japan, which can be found on the Airbnb website |
A meeting was held in Tokyo on Wednesday, which was attended by more than a thousand operators involved in providing accommodation to tourists. At the meeting, the Ryokan and Hotel Association strongly expressed the need to stop the practice of minpaku. Let us remind you that the term “minpaku” means renting out housing in private apartments (houses), the booking of which, for the most part, is carried out on the Airbnb portal. “There should be fair competition among private hotel owners, so the operation of such establishments should be carried out solely on the basis of a license,” said the head of the Association, Shigeki Kitahara. Founded in 1957, the group includes about 20 thousand hotels throughout the country. According to the Association, minpaku can rent housing for a period that in total for the entire year cannot exceed thirty days. In addition, minpaku must be officially registered as business entities. The pressure on illegal minpaku actors must be increased. Also, members of the Association are confident that the rules of operation of minpaku and requirements for housing should be officially approved, as for ordinary hotels. For example, housing rented out as a minpaku must be provided with fire exits as well as adequate fire safety equipment. This protest and indignation is caused by the fact that last Thursday the government allowed private individuals to rent out housing for a total annual duration of up to 180 days. Shigeki Kitahara expressed his opinion that permission to rent out housing (minpaku) for a total of up to 180 days a year is actually the legalization of illegal business. He believes that minpaku should meet all safety standards and minimum requirements that are required of hotels, which does not yet exist. Renting private housing in Japan has become especially popular since 2014, when it became possible to book it on the Airbnb portal. Currently, there are about twenty thousand unregistered housing that is for rent. Over the course of the year, more than half a million tourists used the services of minpaku!
Among the main reasons why the government decided to actually give the green light to the minpak was the upcoming Olympics and the desire of the authorities to accommodate all the numerous guests who will come to the country in 2021. In April, the law regulating the activities of hotels was repealed. This greatly simplified the procedure for obtaining a license for minpaku. The majority of minpaku in Tokyo are concentrated in the Ota area. There are also a large number of minpaku in Osaka Prefecture, which has become one of the special economic zones, with loyal operating conditions for such establishments.
| Accommodation in Japan with Airbnb |
Currently, the government of the country is asking all municipalities to review the legal regulation of the work of the mentioned entities. This also applies to Kyoto. By the way, in 2015, in the ancient capital of Japan, 90 percent of private housing that was rented out operated outside the legal framework. The race to increase accommodation capacity ahead of the Olympics could pose a threat to foreign visitors, according to hotel industry representatives. First of all, this is due to the low fire safety of minpaku.
Based on materials from online publications. Visa to Japan with booking through the Airbnb website.
