Ageha Night Club
Location: Shin-Kiba station
Tel: 03 5534-2525
Address: 2-2-10 Koto-ku, Shinkiba, Tokyo. 136-0082

Videos

Ageha is probably the biggest club in Tokyo with one dance floor that can accommodate up to 2400 patrons. Because it is large you get most of the big international acts stopping through. Continue Reading

Director: Hirokazu Koreda

Nobody Knows (daremo shiranai) is the story of four children, each to a different father, who are abandoned by their reckless mother. The movie won several awards and is a moving rendition of an actual event that happened in Tokyo.

Director: Isao Takahata

Takahata san is from the same Ghibli studios as Miyazaki and Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no Haka) is one of the saddest movies you will ever see. The movie is even the sadder for its poignant and beautiful animation. The story follows a young boy and his sister trying to survive in World War II Japan. This is an incredibly powerful film and easily deserves its place in the top ten.

Director: Yasujiro Ozu

Good morning is a humorous film where two boys decide to take out a vow of silence against all adults due to their family’s refusal to buy them a TV set. The vow of silence sets off a chain reaction of errors and comedic misunderstandings. Interesting as a time piece to show life in an era when television ownership was just beginning to sweep the nation in Japan.

Director: Masayuki Suo

A successful but unhappy accountant finds what he has been missing when he drops into a dance studio to take dance lessons. This is a delightful movie which far surpasses the inferior American remake starring Richard Gere and Jenifer Lopez.

Director: Yasujiro Ozu

Tokyo Story (Tokyo Monogatari) is about elderly grandparents who visit their children in Tokyo. The movie is a humourous satirical look at the the contrast of old and new, and the generational gap between the grandparents and their children.

Director: Akira Kurosawa (1910 – 1998)

Ran is Kurosawa’s last epic film. A period piece based in the Sengoku Era, this samurai film is visually very impressive. The color is beautiful and Emi Wada won an Academy Award for costume design. The action is stunningly shot and the huge battle scenes are breathtaking. The plot is loosely based on King Lear and adapted to a Japanese period piece.

Director: Akira Kurosawa (1910 – 1998)

Ikiru is the tale of a Japanese businessman who finds he is dying and wants to make the best of the time he has left. Kurosawa shows his distaste for bureaucracy and this movie is a sharp criticism of certain aspects of life in modern day Japan.

Videos

Director: Itami Juzo

Tampopo is a humorous, understated, small movie about the owner of a ramen shop who learns to touch peoples lives and transform her own by making noodles. This is a heartwarming look at small town Japan and the interrelationships within family and community.

Videos

Continue Reading

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

This list wouldn’t be complete without mention of the greatest Japanese animator. His films are fairy stories which capture the social and cultural essence of Japan. They are invariably epic, beautiful, and touching. Spirited Away follows the adventures of a melancholy ten year old girl, who stumbles upon a world of monsters and spirits in the midst of her family’s move to the country.

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Seven Samurai (Shichinin no Samurai) is about a poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves. This film was remade as a Western in The Magnificent Seven.

Videos

Continue Reading

Toys Kingdom (omochya no ookoku) is a really good area to take the kids to. There are toys galore and it is divided up into different sections for the kids to play in. There are dolls and dollhouses, tabletop and arcade games, computers for kids to muck around with, lots of balls and toys with sliding balls, instruments, a play rail land with heaps of trains, jungle gyms, huge areas with building blocks to play with.

Basically, it has everything a young kid could ever want. It is located in the Tokyo Dome Complex right next to Suidobashi or Korakuen stations.

Most areas in Tokyo have a Jidokan (child center) and are often attached to the ward office. Many of them have huge play areas with lots of toys. If it is a rainy day and you need a bit of a rest then these are a great option. There are lots of other kids there so they can entertain themselves for hours and if you feel like socializing with the other parents then you are more than welcome to.

If you are lucky, the library will also be in the vicinity so you can join and get some fun books out for your kids. Ring the English line at your local ward office and they will point you in the right direction.

Children’s Castle is about an 8-10 minute walk from Shibuya or Omotesando Stations. It was designed as a place for children to play, learn, and develop. It is a 13 story building with at least half of the floors dedicated to kids.

There is a pool, book library, video library, computer room, nursing room, play hall, fine arts studio, music area, roof garden, play area, and lounges. Admission is not too expensive and it is a great place to go with the kids on a rainy day. Continue Reading

Tokyo Tower is always a fun place to take the kids. If there is good visibility you can see right to Mount Fuji and get a fantastic view of Tokyo Bay and Tokyo city. There are glass bits on the floor for the kids to stand on and feel like they are floating a million miles in the air.

Tokyo Metropolitan Building is another option for getting up high and finding another fantastic view of the city. The Tokyo Metropolitan Building itself is a stunning piece of architecture and one of the prettiest buildings in Tokyo. The wide open spaces of west Shinjuku and the fact that it is usually pretty quiet on weekends make this place a good bet for a relaxing day out. Continue Reading

Take the drive out to the west of Tokyo on the Chuo Expressway or catch the Chuo Line to Takao station from Shinjuku. Not only is this a lovely area with mountains and beautiful greeny but there is also a fun cable car which takes you most of the way up the mountain. When you get to the top there are fantastic views of Tokyo, a shrine, and an area where the kids can enter and hang out with the monkeys.

The monkey park has about 40 monkeys and there is a guided tour to teach you all about their social stucture. It costs to get in but not that much.

Go to one of the movie theaters around Tokyo; there are plenty near many train stations. For kids it is oftern better to go by car so you can visit a theater attached to a mall or one that has good car parking.

The Toho theaters always have good parking and are fairly modern and well equipt. Try the ones below:

Next to La Fete Mall in Minami Osawa (west Tokyo) is a Toho Cinema that is large with plenty of parking. Have a shop at Calfoure while you are there. Continue Reading

Another great way to occupy the kids on a rainy day is to take them to one of Tokyo’s aquariums. There are several that are quite big and a lot of fun to look around.

Tokyo Sealife Aquarium

This aquarium is in the relatively new Kasai Rinkai Koen. There is a huge park next to the aquarium and you are right by the sea. The bulk of the aquarium is underground and it is fairly large. Continue Reading

Kichojouji is one of the cooler areas of Tokyo. It has the beautiful Inokashira park with its lovely man-made lake. The lake is surrounded by beautiful cherry blossom trees and is often filled with all manner of interesting buskers and street performers on the weekends.

You can buy some pellets or bread and feed the huge carp in the lake, or even take out a row boat or one of those swan boats that you pedal. There is a playground at the east end of the park for kids. Continue Reading

Tama Tech originally opened in 1961 as a place where motorcycles could be ridden freely. Over the years it was added to with the theme of a “scientific automotive theme park”. In 2002, a childrens area was added where 3 year olds and up could ride a bike or drive a car. The idea was to have fun while learning the road rules and how vehicles work.

Later a pool complex and various other attractions were added for the kids. The park is a great place for kids to learn and experience machines that provide mobility with a learning and scientific lean. Continue Reading