Places to Visit in Tokyo: Edo-Tokyo Museum

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A Peek Inside Japan’s Center of Power: The National Diet Building

The facade of the National Diet Building

            Who would have thought that this Greco-Roman-inspired cream-colored building in Chiyoda City, Tokyo is Japan’s highest organ of state power? The Japanese, despite their faithful adherence to their traditional culture and strong claim to homogeneity, have embraced the influences of the West during the Meiji Period (1968-1912). This piece of architecture, which was designed in 1918 but was finally finished in 1927 is a reflection of this change. The compound occupies 103,001 square meters of land while the building has a total floor area of 53,466 square meters.

The Two Houses

            This building houses the Upper House and the Lower House of the National Diet. The House of Councillors has 242 members, 96 of whom are elected by proportional representation system and 146 from 47 prefectural constituencies, who have a term of office of six and three years. In contrast, the House of Representatives is composed of 480 members, 180 of whom are elected under the proportional representation system and 300 from single-seat constituencies, who have a term of office of four years.

Functions of the National Diet

            The National Diet, according to the Constitution of Japan, which was enacted in 1947, shall be “the sole law-making organ of the State” (Article 41). It can draft and pass laws, decide on the national budget, approve treaties made with other countries, choose a Prime Minister and amend the constitution. It can also conduct investigation regarding matters of significance for the country.     

The National Diet Building

            The materials used to build the Diet building mostly come from Japan like the pearls from Okinawa and the marble from Shizuoka. The only important material are the glass used in the ceilings and the windows which came from abroad. Inside the building are several interesting spots that are worthy of seeing because of their capacity to instigate awe from their spectators. The following information came from the official pamphlet handed to visitors of the building.

            Central Entrance. The Bronze doors of the Central Entrance are opened only for His Majesty the Emperor on the day of the Opening Ceremony, for State Guests on official visits, and for newly-elected members of the Diet on the first day of the Diet session following their election.

            Members’ Entrance and Attendance Board. At the Members’ Entrance stood a board where the members press their name-buttons to indicate they are present.

Central Hall. This lies directly under the central tower. The ceiling and windows are made of stained glass and the marble floor is accented with a beautiful mosaic. Three bronze statues of notable men who contributed to the founding of the parliamentary system in Japan are placed in the three corners of the hall. These three men are Ito Hirobumi, Okuma Shigenobu and Itagaki Taisuke. It can be observed that the fourth pedestal on one corner is vacant. It is left that way to remind the people that Japan will give birth to more notable statesmen in the future. The floor area of the hall is 267.65 square meters and the ceiling is 32.62 meters high.

Chamber of the House of Councillors. This is one of the most important rooms in the whole building because this serves as the venue for the plenary sessions. At the center of room stand the podium and the seat of the president of the House of Coucillors that face the 460 seats of members arranged in a semi-circle. Above this seat is the throne of His Majesty the Emperor, which he uses whenever he attends the Opening Ceremony of the Diet.

There are also two rows on both sides of the president’s seat. The first row is allotted for the Ministers of State, the first seat is for the Prime Minister, and the second row is for the secretariat of the House of Councillors. The ceiling is adorned by Arabesque-patterned stained glass. The chamber is 32 meters long and 23 meters wide, while the ceiling is 13 meters high. There is also a public gallery for citizens and press people to observe the plenary sessions.

Emperor’s Room. One of the most beautiful rooms in the building. This room is made with the best materials – most expensive, most beautiful and with the highest quality. This is the holding room of his Majesty the Emperor whenever he attends the Opening Ceremony. This is also where he receives the President and Vice President of the House of Councillors and the Speaker and Vice-Speaker of the House of Representatives. There is also a grand staircase that leads to the Emperor’s Room in the third floor from the Central Hall. This Central Staircase is only used by His Majesty the Emperor.

There are also other rooms in the building such as the Office and Reception Room of the President of the House of Councillors, and several Committee Rooms for various committee hearings.

            The National Diet is open for visitors from Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. There is also a free guided tour around the building that is worth joining. Visitors can enter the Visitors Gate at the Annex of the House of Councillors. To view the displays at the House of Councillors Vistors' Lobby, please see this post Political Memorabilia at the National Diet.

            There are also interesting souvenirs that you can purchase at the stall at the exit of the Diet. There are keychains, notebooks, folders, calendars, fans, pens, ID laces and a special biscuit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's face.

Places to Visit in Tokyo: The Official Giants Store

          I chanced upon the Official Giants Store when I went to the Tokyo Sky Tree, and oh boy, I totally went crazy upon seeing it! The fangirl in me literally went nuts at the sight of the words, "Official Giants Store." Who would have thought that this fiery orange store is actually a shop selling all kinds of merchandise related to one of Japan's strongest baseball teams, the Yomiuri Giants. At first glance, this shops looks like a toy store to me, or maybe a franchise of some hyaku yen store. Good thing, my senses were good enough to immediately process what it really is.

 

     

          At the entrance of the store is this large board with information and news about some of the members of the team. The board is even designed with these cute hearts as Valentine's Day lurks around the corner. 

          Also on display are some of the trophies won by the Giants in the recent years. A few autographed baseball bats are also on sale but I did not bother to check how much they cost because they might cause me my whole fortune!

          There are a lot of different merchandise in the store ranging from the more popular ones like the Giants uniform and gym bag to the smallest ones like key chains. There are also uchiwas, stuffed toys, pencils, bookmarks, post-its, name it, they have it. I honestly cannot remember all of them. There are so many cute stuff I honestly don't know what to buy! I just decided to bring home a plastic folder for souvenir, which cost me only Y315 yen. Of course, it features my favorite Giant, Sakamoto Hayato # 6!

Tokyo Sky Stree

High and Mighty

      Walking to a friend's house in Kinshicho provided me with an opportunity to say hello to the Tokyo Sky Tree.

An Afternoon at Cafe VG

    The company of my favorite notebooks, colorful pens and a cup of coffee never fails to zap me into another world especially when I am in a cafe as nice as this. I was on my way home from Waseda University when I chanced upon this coffee shop, Cafe VG. I do not usually take this route to the station, but since I went to the Takata Library, I had to take this street.

     I found this random cafe while walking from Waseda University to Takadanobaba Station. It is a hidden gem, in a literal sense, because the cafe is along the road, but cannot be easily spotted. Would you believe it, this beautiful cafe is hidden behind a tall wooden fence! The only evidence of its existence is a small signboard on the side of the road that bears its name and its operating hours. On the side of the road is a large vacant lot (I can't remember if it's a parking space or just an empty spot waiting to be useful). On the side is a very narrow pathway that leads to the cafe behind the fence. As soon as you set foot on the stone path, you can sense how much the owner loves pets because it is designed with these little paw prints(the stones are so cute you wouldn't want to step on them).

     At the door of the cafe, a cute orange dog statue welcomes you with this "open" sign. From the window you can take a peek at the cute counter lined with bottles of wine (i think?). As I open the door, a loud bark greeted me from a very adorable, curly haired black and white dog (I don't know what breed it is though, sorry!). It has a bright yellow collar and a stylish dog shirt on.

     
Outside the cafe are some tables, which would have been a nice place to hangout at during summer, but maybe not in a cold winter day like this.

     The interior of the cafe is very lovely! The cafe looks like an old log cottage. All the furniture are made of wood. I am so much into wooden furniture, so I totally dig this place. The photos in this post fall short in showing how lovely it is (please see this link for a more video of the place). I also like the fact that each table is partnered with mismatched chairs.I found beauty in that variation.

     I also love the displays in the cafe. They put these intricate details that create such a vintage-like feel. I love those old postcards and vintage telephone. I was tempted to play with them the whole time I was there!

 

     The menu is also designed with some cute paw prints and dog photos. I ordered the VG Blend, which costs around Y500. It seems like an ordinary black coffee at first look, but it tastes different. There is a distinct flavor that stings your taste buds, which I honestly didn't like. For me, it tastes sour (or something close to that effect). I was only able to finish half of the cup. I would love to try the other kinds of coffee next time I visit, maybe I would love them better.  

     This is indeed an unexpected find as I walked along a route I don't usually take. I enjoyed hanging around the cafe for several hours especially when English dance hits (from J.Lo and Miley Cyrus) are playing in the background.  The owners of the shop (a couple, I think) are also very hospitable in attending to my needs. I guess, I will keep on coming back to this cafe, especially, when I have tons of books to read or papers to finish.

On the Other side of Nishi-Waseda

     Today i tried walking on the other side of Nishi-Waseda. It is less crowded and a lot more peaceful than the road I usually take to the station, which is always filled with students walking and biking, trying to move past one another in a hurry. This other side is less commercial, not totally residential but there are mostly mansions and less stores. And today, for the first time in four months, i finally saw the Toden Arakawa Line, one of the few remaining streetcars in Japan.

Ken's 30th Anniversary Postcard

Happy anniversary Ken!

          Found this old postcard in a vintage shop in Koenji. It was printed to commemorate Ken's 30th Anniversary, but it appears like Barbie can't help stealing the spotlight!

Places to Visit in Tokyo: Ikebukuro West Gate Park

 

          I have been wanting to visit Ikebukuro West Gate Park for a long time because of a Japanese drama with the same title I had watched some years ago. I unexpectedly came across it when I went to Ikebukuro to meet some writers who decide to just write their novels in a random cafe in this side of town. The face of the 14-year old innocent boy in the drama, who was killed and hidden in a locker, flashed on my mind and the image won't go away.