HIDECO visits JAPAN

Narita International Airport (成田国際空港, Narita Kokusai Kūkō) (IATA: NRT, ICAO: RJAA), also known as Tokyo-Narita International Airport or simply Narita Airport, formerly and originally known as New Tokyo International Airport (新東京国際空港, Shin Tōkyō Kokusai Kūkō), is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Haneda Airport (HND). It is about 60 km (37 mi) east of central Tokyo in Narita, Chiba. The facility, since July 2019, covers 1,137 hectares (2,810 acres) of land and construction to expand to nearly 2,300 ha (5,700 acres) is under way. The conceptualization of Narita was highly controversial and remains so to the present day, especially among local residents in the area. This has led to the Sanrizuka Struggle, stemming from the government's decision to construct the airport without consulting most residents in the area, as well as expropriating their lands in the process. Even after the airport was eventually completed, air traffic movements have been controlled under various noise related operating restrictions due to its direct proximity with residential neighborhoods, including a house with a farm that is located right in between the runways. As a result, the airport must be closed from 00:00 (12:00am) to 06:00 (6:00am) the next day to minimize the noise pollution impact around the airport. Narita is the busiest airport in Japan by international passenger and international cargo traffic. In 2018, Narita had 33.4 million international passengers and 2.2 million tonnes of international cargo. In 2018, Narita was also the second-busiest airport in Japan in terms of aircraft movements (after Haneda Airport in Tokyo) and the tenth-busiest air freight hub in the world. Its 4,000-meter (13,123 ft) main runway shares the record for longest runway in Japan with the second runway at Kansai International Airport in Osaka. Narita serves as the main international hub of Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Nippon Cargo Airlines, United Airlines, and as an operating base for low-cost carriers Air Japan, Jetstar Japan, Peach Aviation, Spring Airlines Japan, and Zipair Tokyo. In 2022, Narita was named the fourth-best airport in the world after Hamad International Airport in Doha, Haneda Airport in Tokyo, and Changi Airport in Singapore, by Skytrax’s World’s Top 100 airports.

Ichiran Ramen (一蘭, Ichiran) is a Japanese ramen food-service business specializing in tonkotsu ramen. The chain restaurant began in Fukuoka in 1960 as a ramen stall named "Futaba Ramen" (屋台双葉ラーメン). It was later renamed "Ichiran"（一蘭 "one orchid"）in 1966. After three decades of serving ramen from a single location, under the leadership of CEO Manabu Yoshitomi it opened its first concept store in 1993, which became the blueprint for all future Ichiran ramen shop locations.

Shibuya Scramble Crossing (渋谷スクランブル交差点, Shibuya sukuranburu kōsaten), commonly known as Shibuya Crossing, is a popular pedestrian scramble crossing in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It is located in front of the Shibuya Station Hachikō exit and stops vehicles in all directions to allow pedestrians to inundate the entire intersection. The statue of Hachikō, between the station and the intersection, is a common meeting place, which is almost always crowded. Three large video screens mounted on nearby buildings overlook the crossing such as the landmark QFRONT, as well as many static advertising signs. Given its heavy traffic and amount of advertising, it is compared to Times Square in New York City. Shibuya Crossing is the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing, with as many as 3,000 people crossing at a time. Tokyo-based architecture professor Shane Flynn has said Shibuya Crossing is "a great example of what Tokyo does best when it's not trying."

Built in commemoration of Emperor Meiji in 1920, Meiji Shrine is Tokyo's grandest shrine. Like all of Japan's major shrines, it is large in scale but simple in structure, entered via a winding path and through a giant torii gate. On summer weekends you have a very good chance of catching a Japanese wedding in progress here; the shrine is also packed on New Year's Eve when people come here to celebrate the new year. An excellent place for those who wish to experience an oasis of tranquility among the hustle and bustle of the rest of the area.

Much less touristy than Golden Gai, this is a nice backstreet for having an intimate yakitori (BBQ skewered chicken, etc) or small bar (izakaya) style meal. Also known as Memory Alley, and more commonly referred to as Piss Alley by the locals, one cannot help but feel having travelled back in time upon entering the narrow streets of this place.

Sensō-ji (金龍山浅草寺 Kinryū-zan Sensō-ji) is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect of Buddhism, it became independent after World War II. Adjacent to the temple is a five-story pagoda, Shinto shrine, the Asakusa Shrine, as well as many shops with traditional goods in the Nakamise-dōri. The Sensoji Kannon temple is dedicated to Kannon Bosatsu, the Bodhisattva of compassion, and is the most widely visited spiritual site in the world with over 30 million visitors annually.

The Nakamise-dōri is a street on the approach to the Sensō-ji temple. It is said to have come about in the early 18th century, when neighbors of Sensō-ji were granted permission to set up shops on the approach to the temple. Plenty of interesting shopping and foods along this street and its less obvious side streets.

Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower. In March 2011, at a height of 634.0 metres (2,080 ft), it became the tallest tower in the world, and the second tallest structure in the world after the Burj Khalifa (829.8 m/2,722 ft). This tower is the primary television and radio broadcast site for the Kantō region; superseding the older Tokyo Tower. Plenty of shopping and food areas in the complex at the base of this tower.

Here is a nice park to visit and enjoy some sunlight around a large fountain. There is a zoo nearby, with plenty of interesting museums and shrines in the surrounding area. Ueno Park was established in 1873 on lands formerly belonging to the temple of Kan'ei-ji. Amongst the country's first public parks, it was founded following the western example as part of the borrowing and assimilation of international practices that characterizes the early Meiji period. The home of a number of major museums, Ueno Park is also celebrated in spring for its cherry blossoms and hanami. In recent times the park and its attractions have drawn over ten million visitors a year, making it Japan's most popular city park.