Taking advantage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, many travel companies launched virtual tours that allow "tourists" to stay at home but still enjoy the scenery of Japan and experience the services here.
Stroll and shop
Tokyo Localized Company provides touristsAsakusa Old Town Tourfor 2,000 Yen (about 400,000 VND) for one hour.
The tour takes visitors through the narrow alleys of Asuraka geisha district, visiting Sensoji Temple - Tokyo's oldest temple, Asakusa Hanayashiki amusement park and Hoppy Street, home to the famous yakitori grilled meat skewers and namesake wine.
Sensoji Temple - the oldest temple in Tokyo
Visitors can even shop for souvenirs while on the small screen. Tour guide Kazue Kaneko said she once took a tourist from Los Angeles on a virtual tour of Kyoto, buying Godzilla figurines and green tea powder, then sending the items to the US. “He’s now a regular customer,” she said.
Visit Shibuya Crossing
Shibuya Crossing is crowded.
Known as one of the busiest intersections in the world, thousands of people pass through Shibuya Crossing every day. This is also a favorite destination for tourists when coming to Tokyo. Many people feel excited when mingling with this bustling crowd. Crowded but orderly, this place is a typical example of Japanese culture with the motto 4P - “Patience, politeness, punctuality and precision”.
Visitors can experience a 360-degree view of this intersection throughvirtual interactive tourprovided by CNBC. The tour will also display information about the buildings and roads around the intersection to help visitors better understand Tokyo's famous neighborhood.
Learn the art of furoshiki gift wrapping
Furoshiki is a long-standing tradition in Japan, where people wrap precious items in square pieces of cloth, instead of using environmentally unfriendly materials such as paper or plastic.
The art of wrapping gifts with furoshiki fabric
Customers register to participateonline furoshiki workshopNot only can you admire but you can also practice the famous Japanese gift wrapping process with fabric. Before the course begins, the publisher will send the necessary items to your home to practice wrapping by hand.
The one-hour online class, in English, will teach participants how to wrap gifts and make bags with Furoshiki. It costs 10,000 yen (equivalent to 2 million VND) to attend the class, which includes two Furoshiki cloths and a pair of rings.
Learn about Hiroshima
Visitors also have the opportunity to explore Japanese history through famous museum tours. At the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, visitors will learn about the day the atomic bomb fell on the southern Japanese city.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
Tour named “Memories of the Future”takes visitors through a dark corridor, where displays of harrowing images of the aftermath of war - from torn clothes to burned toys, along with countless mementos left by the 140,000 people who died in the bombing.
Tea ceremony class
The tea ceremony has become more widely available thanks to the development of the Internet. Tea masters have integrated the long-standing Japanese tradition into online lectures, helping foreign visitors access Japanese culture.
Japanese cultural experience company Maikoya organizes a45-minute class via Zoomfor 5,000 Yen (equivalent to 1 million VND). Participants can learn how to enjoy Japanese tea, with guidance from tea masters in traditional costumes in Kyoto.
For 10,000 yen (VND2 million), participants will receive a kit including green tea powder, a tea brush, a tea spoon and seasonal snacks sent to their home, before the online tea ceremony lesson begins.
Visit famous museums
Art and antique enthusiasts can visitNational Museum of Modern ArtandNational Museum in TokyoIf interested in contemporary art, visitors can visitFukuoka Asian Art Museum, or admire the traditional Japanese "nihonga" paintings insideYamatane Museum of Art.
Tottori Sand Dunes Sand Museum.
Adachi Museum of Art offersonline experience of the garden on campus, one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan. Visitors can also explore a massive collection of dinosaur fossils through a virtual tour of the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo's Ueno district.
