Tokyo high lights, Ukiyo-e, Japanese Sword Museums, Stroll Japanese Garden

The tour starts with walking along Sumo Stadium and Sumo museum while seeing the Sumo stable where sumo wrestlers practice. The guide will talk about historic background of Sumo and Sumo wrestling. Sumo museum displays every sumo related things such as sumo wrestler's attire, Dohyo sumo wrestling's ring. The museum is closed on Saturday, Sunday and national holidays.

Kyu-Yasuda Tei-en literally means the garden formerly owned by Yasuda Zenjiro. He is the great-grandfather of Ono Yoko, widow of John Lennon. The garden is not large but a typical Daimyo garden having a central pond, a small island, a circular path, a small shrine and tea house. You can relax in the garden or at Rhogoku terrace cafe facing the garden.

Next visit the four-story Sumida Hokusai Ukiyo-e museum designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Sejima Kazuya. The museum keeps 1800 collection of wood block prints by Hokusai and his apprentices. You will learn Hokusai's energetic and enthusiastic life for Ukiyo-e.

Visits Japanese Sword Museum where preserves and displays wide variety of Japanese swords, sword mountings, armors and many other related objects and documents. A Japanese sword is regarded as a cultural asset and art. With 1000 years of history the sword has played a significant role in Japanese history and culture.

Lastly take metro to visit Kiyosumi garden. Designated as the Place of scenic Beauty by Tokyo Government, Kiyosumi garden is scenic Japanese garden where was created by the the founder of Mitsubishi, Yataro Iwasaki for his employees’ recreation and to invite the guests. The stepping stones arranged near the pond edge and stone bridges lead us to the next islets viewing the changing scenery. The large pond called Dai-Sensui used to take advantage of drawn water from Sumida river. Many ducks, fish and turtles live in the pond. The garden also features innumerable stones used as bridges, stepping stones over the pond, and stones for a dried waterfall. They were collected from nationwide by steamships owned by Iwasaki family’s company.