Before I left for the trip, I contacted Mr. Oka. Mr. Oka is a tour guide in Tokyo and was highly recommended by several of the books and magazines I read. I knew that we had limited time in Tokyo, and I wanted to see areas that I would not otherwise see. So, I arranged for a tour. I let other JFMFers know about it and took the first 14 that signed up (in fact, I had to say no to several people).

Mr. Oka took us to the grounds of Tokyo University, the most prestigious university in Japan. We then went to the Yanaka area of Tokyo.

The Yanaka area is a historical part of Tokyo, developed as a temple town in the Edo period (1603-1867). Prominent temples like the Tenouji and the Kaneiji were founded and still exist in the area. In the past people living all over the Edo (the former name of Tokyo) used to visit Yanaka for worship and for sightseeing.

The neighbourhoods of Yanaka still retain the charm and warmth of the past with many historical, in traditional style, buildings, some of which are very small. There are a number of very beautiful small temples.

It survived the fire bombings of Tokyo during World War II.

Toward the end of the tour, Mr. Oka took us to Ginza for a look around. We ended the evening in a beer hall that was built in the 1920s. It was very Art Deco on the inside. I had Japanese beer, sausage, and sauerkraut.

It was a great tour and I and other teachers really enjoyed it.