Tateyama, Tateyama Trip Itinerary

Documented the main points covered for quick reference.

Video(Timelapse and Point of Interest) for reference :
https://youtu.be/g08OvdHtmo8

Day 1 - Drove from Tokyo to Tateyama. Our base was a camping ground. With breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks, it took us around 7.5 hours. Our target was a camping ground as below.

Tateyama Green Park Yoshimine Auto Camping Ground

〒930-1362 Toyama-ken, Nakaniikawa-gun, Tateyama-machi, Yoshiminenobiraki, 中新川郡立山町吉峰野開１２

076-483-2828

https://goo.gl/maps/P6bNSwWgCUG2

Day 2 - 

a. Drove from Green Park to Tateyama station. It took 25 min to reach. We were adviced to reach at 6:00 am here. Private cars are allowed to this point only. Some people get their car shipped to other side of Alpine route. We didn`t do that since our base camp was west side of Alpine route.

Parked our vehicle here.

駐車場

Ashikuraji, Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture 930-1406

https://goo.gl/maps/ubBtqZB38hu

If the above parking place is full, one will be diverted here.

near Ashikuraji, Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture 930-1406

https://goo.gl/maps/HUir8338VnH2

b. From below location, 

Dropped Pin

near Ashikuraji, Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District, Toyama Prefecture 930-1406

https://goo.gl/maps/ZnYEqGQXPNN2

you buy tickets for various transport. We bought it from Tateyama to Kurobe Dam which was our target Route. We bought it for to and fro. One can buy till Ogizawa too if interested.

You can do advanced booking from Web which I would advice to do so to save waiting time. 

You can book it from here :

https://tateyama-kurobe.alpen-route.com/ticket/jp/ticket.html

English version here : 

https://tateyama-kurobe.alpen-route.com/ticket/en/ticket.html

There is a separate queue for same day buying ticket and Web booking. Choose it accordingly.

c. On this day, there were buses available from Tateyama station till Murudo as an alaternste Route for Cable car which was too crowded and waiting line was long. We opted for it and the best decision we took since it gave us an opportunity to explore the scenic beauty right from the start. Cable car also concludes as Bijodaira and same bus route from there. At Murodo, one can get down and walk through the snow corridor. This takes around an hour. Other routes from there on are of few minutes only.

d. From there we went for scenic doorway and sky views too and Ikuro matey teaching to Kurobe Ko and Kurobe Dam using the trolley bus and cable car. 

e. From there we started back to Since we started early in the morning we were back  Tateyama station again using all kinds of transport. The longest waiting time was again at Murudo queue with people standing on stairs extending from 1st floor to 3rd floor. That was a kind of experience. I think the last bus from here is at 17:05. Pls check for that day. We were back to Tetyama station near our parking comfortably by around 17:30. 

f. From there, we went back to our base location

Day 3: 

We covered Toyama and Tonami area.

a. Tonami Tulip Garden

Tonami Tulip Park

〒939-1382 Toyama-ken, Tonami-shi, Hanazonomachi, 1, 砺波市花園町１−３２

0763-33-7716

https://goo.gl/maps/t5UciYsi78Q2

b. We wanted to have less known, less crowded beach

Shimao Seaside Park

Shimao, Himi, Toyama Prefecture 935-0032

0766-74-8078

https://goo.gl/maps/UngdkysoFLx

c. Starbucks

Starbucks

5 Minatoirifunechō, Toyama-shi, Toyama-ken 930-0805

076-439-2630

https://goo.gl/maps/BLtMeTThFUz

Day 4 : Onsen

グリーンパーク吉峰ゆ～ランド

〒930-1362 Toyama-ken, Nakaniikawa-gun, Tateyama-machi, Yoshiminenobiraki, 富山県立山町吉峰野開12

076-483-2828

https://goo.gl/maps/FH7Bt7Egy1T2

Day 5: Monkey Park

They say best time to visit is in Jan and Feb when it’s snowing. But it’s a great scenic short walk till the park.

Jigokudani Monkey Park Hot Spring

6845 Hirao, Yamanouchi-machi, Shimotakai-gun, Nagano-ken 381-0401

0269-33-4379

https://goo.gl/maps/BKdww9EfxFG2

Design Thinking as an Innovation Engine

A Crying BabyIn his book "Hit Refresh", Satya Nadella (now, CEO of Microsoft) talks about the interesting incident when he was getting hired into Microsoft. In Year 1992, when Nadella, went through his first round of interview, he was posed a question by the recruiting manager Richard Tait that "Imagine you see a baby laying on the street, and the baby is crying. What do you do?"

Nadella quickly replied, "You call 911." 

As Tait walked Nadella out of his office, he put his arm around Nadella and said, "You need some empathy. If a baby is laying on the street crying, you pick up the baby."

Nadella still got a job but the lesson of "EMPATHY" and he would take this lesson throughout his career at Microsoft.

Empathy is formally defined as "the ability to understand and share the feelings of another."

Renewed Interest

The word "Empathy" is coming back to center stage recently and this empathy is towards customer needs and the kind of the experience they would love to emmerse themsleves into. The process of Design Thinking has this empathy at its core.

There is a renewed interest in Design thinking by companies in Software Engineering, Healthcare industry, Automotive industry and other industries who are proactive in taking their User Experience & Engagement to a next level and use that as competitive edge in the overcrowded market.

Design thinking is a method for resolution of problems in a practical, creative and Emphatic way. Let us look at the crux of this practice.

A)   It is Different from a normal Problem Solving method

Normal “Scientific method” is more about the coming up with a hypothesis/theory resulting in model supporting by stats/facts. However, Design thinking goes one step ahead by considering “emotional” aspect of the problem along with traditional ways of designing. It not only considers the stated issues by a user for a particular product, but also throws a light on non-stated problems which helps in discovering the intangible underlying issues which cannot be uncovered by using pure maths/physics based approaches. This method brings in “Human-Centric Point Of View” and has “Empathy” to its core. Constructive and practical solution is the aim of Design thinking.

A normal PROBLEM SOLVING results in Answers but Design Thinking results in “New Possibilities” and Solutions. Following simple example will help in understanding this better.

B)   Main 3 Ingredients of “Design Thinking”

Following three factors are vital in using this method which results in what is referred as PREDICTIVE INNOVATION

1. DESIRABILITY (About People)

• Tries to answer the question “What your User want?”
• This is #1 and most overlooked area
• Answer to this question will generally result in

① Value Proposition,

② Customer Relationship and

③ Customer Segments

2. Viability (About Business)

• Tries to answer the question “What can be sold in the market?”
• Lot of companies start from here but this should come after “Desirability”
• Answer to this question will result in

① Cost Structures

② Revenue Streams

③ Channels

3. Feasibility (About Technology)

• Tries to answer the question “What is possible with Today`s Technology?”
• This is point where one should make best use of the Digital innovation both in Software and Hardware to our disposal. This is the right way to become digital (if required)

・Answer to this question will result in

① Key Partners

② Key Activities

③ Key Resources

C)    The meeting points and the Core innovation

As indicated in the figure below,

1.    The area where Desirability and Viability meet results in EMOTIONAL INNOVATION and helps in branding, marketing and Relationships.

2.    The area where Viability and Feasibility meet results in PROCESS INNOVATION

3.    The area where Desirability and Feasibility meets result in FUNCTIONAL INNOVATION

4.    And as a whole, this activity results in “Most Valuable Design and Innovation” at its core.

D)   5 Main steps in Design Thinking

Main Five steps in design thinking are broadly divided into

1.    Problem

• Empathize with the user situation and problem
• Define the problem

2. Solution

• Ideate based on the inputs
• Prototype as early as possible
• Test the prototype with use
• If it meet and solves the problem, implement is vision in full scale.

There are whole set of tools (will explore in other post) on how to go about actually engaging with a client who intend to solve their problems and want to bring the Customer-Centricity, User Experience and Engagement to the core of the their business. By using Design Thinking, an enterprise can get started on their journey towards Innovation, rather Predictive Innovation.

You might have your own views/experiences around Design Thinking, it would be great to hear those and to take this discussion beyond this forum too.

Peace Park Gotemba - A Hidden Gem of a place

Introduction:
Just around 120 Kms from the heart of Tokyo, is a Peace Park nestled in a beautiful location from where you have a spectacular view of Mount Fuji and see the small lego like city on its foothill. You can enjoy this view from a small platform which is created near the temple. Location wise, it is in Gotemba, (Shizuoka Prefecture, near Hakone) and is a A Buddha`s Stupa.

You can easily make a day trip with this location.

Where is this place ?
(Direct Google Link: 静岡県御殿場市東田中 平和公園),
〒412-0026 静岡県御殿場市東田中


Famous For ?
The most remarkable view of the temple is luminous bright white chalky-colored Stupa which basically means a round shaped hemispherical structure where the relics are stored in a special metal container. This place is a private property but open to public.

Lots of foreign visitors visit this place every year due to its historic importance, vicinity to Hakone, Gotemba Premium Outlet Mall and most important mount Fuji.

Brief History and Background:

This Stupa has relics of Buddha presented by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964. Even before this, the ancient story of relics of Buddha is really interesting for the students of History. 

When Buddha left his body and when he was cremated, the relics were to go to only his clan. But there was a demand from other six clans and a king. Hence to avoid the conflicts it was equally divided between them. After many decades when King Ashoka was also greatly influenced by Teaching of Buddha, he re-dug these relics and re-divided into 84,000 parts and equal number of Stupas were created across the land under his rule. A portion from one of these ruins of Stupas were recovered and also found their way in different countries of the world. Japan was also one of them in those time. However, relics particularly for this stupa traveled in modern history after India got its independence from British Colonization.

This Stupa has messages conveying world peace. And it makes complete sense coming from this country which has seen the worst face of weapon of mass destruction and always appeal to the world not to use that again and leave the path of war. There is an apt message written here even in hindi saying "Vishwa Shaanti Mein Hee Sansaar Ka Kalyaan Hai" i.e Betterment/Happiness of the world resides in World Peace.

Kids Friendly:

For kids, there is a small play area where they will enjoy staying in this place. Also there are hundreds of Sakura trees planted in this area which must be giving this place a different charm in spring season. Kids even enjoy the big bell 

Nearby Location:

You can combine this trip with a visit to nearby Gotemba Premium Outlet Mall where there are all the famous brands available and offer a wide variety of products with a very attractive prices. To name few are Adidas, Nike, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Patagonia, Coach, Crocs, , It also offers great options for eating and can be a treat for connoisseurs. 

Whole List Here

Off course apart from this place, you can always visit Hakone which can extended one or two day visit depending on the time you have.

Here is the Google Map For Gotemba Premium Outlet Mall.

Hope you enjoy the place.

Climbing Mount Fuji, Japan

Steve Jobs - The lord of Innovation !

In the world of technology innovation, one name will always remain in the hearts of millions - Steve Jobs.
His legs are always on the accelerator of innovation and he drive his competitors nuts with the launch of "WOW" products one after the other.Steve Jobs becomes very restless if he doesn`t ship out some fantastic product at least every year.Call his insecurity to be at the top of his product line, call his brilliance and passion towards designing such products, each and every product Apple comes out which shows a kind of taste of excellence and design wizardry.

After steve stongly covered the PMP market right from 1GB to 160GB , with such an elegant technology, every competitor must be doing something as follows !


iPhone is still just 2 months before story when the world went "Ga-Ga" over its beautiful touch screen technology. People started waiting for the same kind of technology update in iPods too. Jobs acknowledge that demand and released today the best PMP experience in the world ! iPods competitors hardly reached to a situation where they were able to replicate some of the functions of iPod in their products, with the launch of iPod Touch, they will be again left behind in dirt to figure out how to do that in their products again. Steve Jobs is such a person who stretches its company`s limits internally to that maximum for innovation and in turn compels the competitors to accelerate thier process of developing new products. With iPod Touch Apple again goes miles ahead of the other products of same category.

See it in motion to believe this marvel once again


People apart from USA were not able to use the iPhone since it was locked with providers and they had to wait till it comes through thier local providers. There were people in such countries who wished "Forget the phone, I want to use the rest of the iPhone". I was among them too :) And guess what, it really turned true.Now iPhone minus mobile phone function = iPod Touch is available to rest of the world for holiday season. The timing is so right. the people who really want the functionality apart from mobile phone functionality , they will buy it certainly.
It comes with spectacular specs as below:

• Thinner than the iPhone - only 8mm
• Same multitouch pinch & spread zooming controls for photos as the iPhone
• Same coverflow as the iPhone
• 3.5" diagonal screen
• Wi-Fi 802.11b & 802.11g - it can save your home network setup
• Home button
• Slide to unlock - same as the iPhone
• Sensor for auto-landscape viewing
• Safari - connect to the internet via WiFi
• YouTube via WiFi
• 22 hours audio, 5 hours video playback
• Shipping worldwide this month - already localized into many languages
• 8GB - $299
• 16GB - $399

Apart from iPod touch - iPod Shuffle (red) and fatty nano with video and iPod Classic (Video) were also refreshed from the ground up all set for the holiday season.

One more thing..the iTunes Wi-Fi Music store and the partnership with starbucks is again a trend setting ventures in the digital age where people will buy songs on the go!

"Man thinketh, Jobs Giveth"

Google`s "Street View" is actually a "Human View"of the world we see !

It was May 29, 2007 when google launched its new street search called "Street View" in selected cities of USA.
Why is it that whatever new feature google launches become an instant hit. Everybody says "Oh my Gosh, I really wanted this ?" These all are simple and superb ideas which help us to navigate through life more conveniently.

Street View is such a simple concept where user is able to see the images of the street from a view equal to driving a car or bike or better walking.

Look at the video below to find out what it can do ?
This is the demo from Google to explain what wonder can this thing can do when stitched together on Google Map Service.



When I saw it I got very curious about "How do they do it ?".First of all how can they take such snaps ? I could understand the satellite view maps are taken by satellite but Street Views ? How ? I soon discovered the trick.Those snaps are actully taken by a automatic 11 lens camera mounted on a top of a car running through the streets and clicking the roads.The camera is called Dodeca 360 which takes the snap and also records GPS co-ordinates for that place. I heard that the camera is 100 mega pixel camera which takes 30 frames per second. Google don`t do it themselves.A company named Immersive Media gets thsi job done for Google.Ths camera is capable of giving 360 degree view + Top view(i.e if you are on your vehicle then using this View you can see all the sides except just below you.) Excellent views, what else we can demand for ? Yes for Google map to have all the maps of the world they have to run the car throughout the world streets to ge it included in the map. Well its a hard way to do, but there is no shortcut for such tasks. The images are so crisp that you can read the Car Parking timings, hoardings and all which we can`t even see through naked eyes. Simply great. See the images of the car and the camera below, the real hero behind the "Street View"

The car carrying that Super-Camera:


The 11 lens camera at the top of vehicle:



We can guess where the future is going. First there were Paper Maps with rough maps. Since that was not enough more detailed street name maps came up. Then the digital form of it with Google Maps. While that was not enough there came satellite images and now street views. Still these are static images of the world we see.I guess with this pace people will wish that they could see the real 3D world that too in real time. Ya you guessed right for that you will require Video Camera shots from every nook and corner of the world instead of static images short and like we stitched images we will stitch videos to see everything come to life, real. Well just an imagination :)

We sometimes think that everything in technology is rocket science which is in reality based on such a simple aspect or idea on which Street view is based on. This street View concept is still new in the US, not even avilable in Japan, Europe yet, and Google is trying to cover US streets as far as possible.

Will such views will come to India too ? Not sure, since the present google earth or Microsoft`s Virtual Earth poses a danger to National Security. If this is done, then it may add to the trouble if we view it from sercurity aspects. What do you think ? Do we not deserve such detailed navigation in India too or should we found out some other way ? What can be that way ? If you have some inputs please share it here. Japanese people too feel a bit insecure with such detailed maps.

While the world politics and security related people are defending their stance, Google is buying companies like one goes for grocerry shopping. History proves that google has always bought the best of the lot like Youtube, Blogger, Writely, Panaromic and what not.And also finding it new ways to make the search as easy as posssible. Street View is just one more example to it.

P.S
Earthmine way of collecting data.


Updated; I came to know about few such street video technologies like

http://www.immersivemedia.com
http://www.yellowbirdsdonthavewingsbuttheyflytomakeyouexperiencea3dreality.com/

When I wrote the above article was not aware of such services.

Have some fun with your snaps !

If you have Internet Connection, Browser and a webcam then you can generate following results and can use these snaps in any of your "Web presence Sites" or can take the hard copy of it from your nearest photo developer store or you can just take it for fun to share with your family/friends.

You can have following fun with your snaps.

Clear :


Filter:
(You can select any one of it by clicking on one option amongst them.)


Distorted:
(You can select any one of it by clicking on one option amongst them.)


Scenes:
(You can select any one of it by clicking on one option amongst them.)


Frames:
(You can select any one of it by clicking on one option amongst them.)


So how do you do this ? The answer is pretty simple and straightforward ! MAC users must be quite aware of a built-in software called Photo Booth. This is its brother on internet which works both on MAC and Windows. So the process is as follows.
1. Fire Up your Browser
2. Go to this link.
3. It may ask you "Can I use Camera" Allow or Deny...? Choose `Allow`(at least it asked on MAC,)
4. Then you will see your snap on your screen. Then experiment with the right vertical strip on the right side.Try Different
options and select your options like Clear, Filter, Distort, Scenes and Frames. Select your fav among it and then press "Camera" mark to take snaps.

When you are through taking the snap, you have three options to do,
1. You can save it to pulic Gallery
2. You want to download the taken snap
3. Print it to full page
4. Delete it

We will most of the time like to download, so download it and see the result. Use the snap then where ever you want, print it and have fun.So take some snap and share with me too if you like.

Technology like this one can really bring some fun in our lives.

Japanese KBC or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? [The TV Series]

This TV series was first aired in the United Kingdom, where it was hosted by Chris Tarrant.The first time it was aired was on Sept 4th 1998. So not so much old. The peculiar thing about this show is that, the emphasis is not on speed but its on the suspence the question create. Apart from that the concept of "Lifelines" and using real "cheques"is also unique.It was such a hit that after UK, many other countries like US, Australia, finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Japan and ofcourse our India and more countries also followed the same suit.

Yesterday i was seeing the Japan version of it.
Everybody has seen KBC, but just thought about how Japan plays that game and discovered this following video which is a episode with legendary sumo wrestler "Konishiki".The sets are almost same but because of his size, the show had a special seat made for him. Also note the Japanese Version of "Phone a friend" which is actually in this version have people related to contestant (Friends, Associates and Teacher) called "Study" to help the contestents. That was kind of intrestign to me. Also see how they use 50-50 and the use of "Final Answer" in the end. Also see how everybody prays when the contests is waiting for the host(Minorikawa Norio also known as Mino Monta) to answer. That also reveals the emotions of this part of the world. A word about the host. "Minorikawa Norio" also known as "Mino Monta" is the host of this series in Japan.On November 28, 2006, he set the Guinness World Record for the television host who had appeared live for the most time (21 hours, 42 minutes) during a week.Also note how they introduce theie celebrity guest and see how the answer is explained in the end.

The clip below is a cam recording of TV itself, hence the poor quality but I guess above description whould help us to understand the clip.


KBC, is really a "food for thought" kind of game and really our TV Technlogy is helping us to improve on this aspect of our lives in each county in its own unique way.
Do tell me what thoughts came to your minds when you were seeing it.

The Speeds of the trains !

Was just wondering about the high speed trains(Long distance)in the world. In the process discovered some amazing facts about the high speeds train in the world ranging in the speeds.

First of all I started with the search on our Indian trains.
Bhopal Shatabdi Express from Bhopal-New Delhi is the fastest train in India with the Commercial Speed (i.e., total distance covered divided by total time taken, including scheduled stoppages) of around 89.49 kms/h. The same train has recorded a top speed of 150kms/h recently. Mumbai Rajdhani is second highest in India with the commercial
speed of 86.76 kms/h.

Feel the speed of Bhopal Shatabdi Express crossing a station.


Get a glimpse of Mumbai Rajdhani passing by on the tracks.


Then moved towards the international scene and discovered as follows.
"MagLev" (MAGnetic LEVitation) of Japan is the fastest train under the sun which set the highest record speed of 581 Kms/h (Commercial Speed : 501 kms/h).

See this video to meet MAGLEV in person :


A normal Airbus A380 has a speed of aroung 900Kms/h.

Not all trains in Japan run with that speed. The average speed of long distance journey with Shinkansen (a.k.a Bullet Trains) is from 130 to 300 Km/h. Like for explample the distance between Tokyo and Osaka (like Mumbai to Delhi) is baout 550 km and with shinkansen it takes around 2.5 hours for the journey.

Who are the competitor to Japan`s Maglev then in the whole world. The Maglev is number one in the world using the unconventional track (magnetic-levitation), but in the uncocnvetional (non-magnetic) tracks its French TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) recorded a test speed of 574.8 Kms/h.

There are few more intresting trains in Italy(Direttissima: 254 kms/h), Germany(Transrapid 08 : 501 km/h), Taiwan (THSR: 335.50 kms/h) and South Korea (KTX : 300 kms/h).

So lot of latest technology is helping human being to reach to their destinations as fast as possible.

Man simply started with the invention of a wheel, then bullock/horse cart, bicyle (Speed : 15 km/h), then automated mopeds, then Cars, then Trains, then Planes, then Rockets and going towards making of time machine. May be soon in the near future the dream of human being "With the press of a button I am in India, With the press of button I am in Japan or anywhere else in the world " may come true. I don`t know that will we be able to witness that era. But whats wrong in hoping of such time since we have evidence of human progress in that direction.

Video games making sense in life.

(above is the video for the games introduced last year for sports in your drawing room)

The earlier games made you very lazy and couch potato as it just involved pressing of few botton or some joysticks. But the companies are now thinking wisely and trying to make video game players more healthy, smart and intelligent. For knowing "How ?", read on..
Nintendo "Wii Fit" as it is aptly called, is again a new concept which is brought by the japanese company Nintendo. Nintendo is very famous in local market from quite some time with its very intuitive learning games on a portable device "Nintendo DS", is now out in the world with innovative stuffs with what they call "Wii" console.With "Wii" we can actaully enter into the game and play games like tennis, boxing and other games with really moving our hands as we would really do in the real world.

(the latest one that which keeps you fit)

The above video "Nintendo Wii Fit", is one more step in that concept which helps you to play funny on a thing they call "Balance Board". They exploit the concept called "Body Mass Index"(BMI) and help us to train in pushups, soccer headings, Yoga and other exercises. You can have a look at the video what change these games can bring in your life. So now with Video Games, we have a digital personal trainer in our lives which helpts us to be fit and remain healthy.

Pranayama - A Conscious breathing.

Just came across a lovely video which talks about how we should do Pranayama in much great details. It would be worth watching it again and again till you get it right. There are simple 3 basic steps to follow. Just have a look at it and tell me if it helps.

The omnipresent videos era are helping a lot to make us understand the life in more better ways. The video above is a link in the whole chain for such kind of experience. Earlier we need to go to some expert to know whats being explained in the clip.But things like youtube helps us a lot.

Japanese Dance On Indian Tunes !

Sunday April 1, 2007

Yes, you read it right.The place is Indian Embessy, Kudanshita, Tokyo.Occassion is Cherry Blossom in Japan.Indian embessy organized this program where the Japanese people were made to dance on feet tapping songs like "Kajraare".."Nach Balliye"..some South Indian Songs and Marathisongs too (I do not know the lyrics though but the tunes were the same foot tapping)..They were really performming like professionals in India :) given theirfirst performance.The things got more exciting when spectators took over the stage withthe their wildest dance steps...And yes our UniKaihatsutians also showedtheir "Jalwa"..Here is the link to some snaps...http://new.photos.yahoo.com/straighttoprem/album/576460762395965854

Watch out Shailendra, Jimit, Bhavesh and more...and here is just a 11 sec clip uploaded by on youtube to give just a glimpse (end of the song "Kajraare") of a Japanese girl and a boy dancing on the stage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18F28RZ9yiY

The First Sun Rise of year 2007

Date : January 1 ` 2007Time : Morning 6:51 amPlace : Myoden, Chiba Ken, Japan....River SideImportance: First sunrise of Year 2007.May this year be full of happiness for everyone.

Sakura Bazaar - Year 2006

April 01, 2006
April 1 was the day when Indian Embassy, here in Tokyo organizaed a function called SAKURA BAZAAR. I think their idea was to bring together all Indians in Tokyo together and make them to see the wonderful national flower of Japan - SAKURA- to its fullest bloom. The place where this was organized is called "Kudanshita". I and swapna reached that station 1 pm and the crowd was incredible. Majority was of japanese people who have come to see the the cherry blossom at a park just outside the station and others were mostly indians who were supposed to reach to embassy Sakura bazaar held at indian embassy.
As soon as we came out of the station, there was a small lake, fully surrounded by Sakura Flowers...and this scene was phenomenal. The road fully crowded...and all the sides of lake fully occupied by people from all over the places. The embassy was actually just 5 mins away from that station, but it took us around 30 mins to reach there b`coz of the crowd.
At last seeing the flowers on the road, we managed to reach at Embassy, where all the indian citizens in japan have gathered. The embassy was fully packed and the atmosphere was exactly similar to a "Shaadi" (marriage) thing in our India.The volunteer groups from south india, west india and ll over the indian places have organized the different stalls for Dosa/Idli,Chaat,Chhole-Batture, Wada, Sabudan Khichadi, Chai and what not. Apart from indians, the japanese friends also acoompanied them. The place was jam packed man, you could feel that you are in india. There were clothes stalls too, where indian women were helping out japanese counterpart for trying them indian dresses like Sari...
To summarize it was very much like an indian party and this function helped us to see the beautiful Sakura, the lovely food and lot of friends where you could meet at one single place.Looking forward to such more programs and also thinking of volunteering with a food stall with some intersting stuff.
If interseting in seeing some more flowers and a glimpse of indians here, have a look at the adjoining photo album named same as "Sakura Bazaar"