Prior to 1868, Tokyo was known as Edo. A small castle town in the 16th century, Edo became Japanese political centre in 1603 when ‘Shogun’ Tokugawa Ieyasu established his feudal government there.
With the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the emperor and capital moved from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo (“Eastern Capital”). Large parts of Tokyo were destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and in the air raids of 1945.

Today, Tokyo offers a seemingly unlimited choice of shopping, entertainment, culture and dining to its visitors.

Here are some of Tokyo attractions:

Cherry Blossoms – Around the end of March to beginning of April you can enjoy the most beautiful blooming season in Tokyo. Thousands of cherry trees, Japanese National trees, are blooming and giving out its gentle fragrance on streets, in parks and everywhere. You will see light pink petals falling in your hand and sometimes you can walk through ‘blossom tunnels’.

Traditionally people enjoy having food and drinks under cherry trees and watching the beautiful blossoms to welcome the spring season. Shinjuku-gyoen, Ueno Park, Chidori-ga-fuchi etc. are famous blossom viewing places. You may enjoy Japanese tradition if you go in this season.

Asakusa & Tokyo Skytree – Asakusa is a famous and historic downtown in Tokyo. Traditional and vibrant atmosphere still remains in this town. Asakusa’s main attraction is Senso-ji, a very popular Buddhist temple, built in the 7th century. The Nakamise, a shopping street which leads to the temple, has been providing temple visitors with a variety of traditional, local snacks and souvenirs for centuries.
A new attraction was introduced in Asakusa in 2012 – Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting, restaurant & shopping and observation tower. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 634.0 metres (2,080 ft) in March 2011, making it the tallest tower in the world, displacing the Canton Tower, and the second tallest structure in the world after Burj Khalifa (829.8 m/2,722 ft).
Around Tokyo Skytree there are a number of cafes, restaurants, fancy goods shops where you can find the latest trend in Tokyo.

Akihabara – It is known as famous electronic emporia. TV, Computer, Smart phone, Camera, etc. the latest models and all kinds of electronic appliances and devices are selling with discount prices. People know that they can find any appliances in Akihabara with a good deal. Many buildings decorated with colorful advertisements are packed in the small area, which creates an eccentric atmosphere.

It is also famous among ‘Anime-Otaku’, animation geeks, as many animation games and figures are selling and they come to communicate with other ‘otaku’ in this area. They create a new culture there.

Tsukiji Fish Market – Tsukiji Shijo is one of the largest wholesale food markets in Japan and is best known as the largest fish market in the world handling over 2,000 tons of marine products per day. You can see a great variety of foods from all over world for Japanese top restaurants and its brokers’ and buyers’ voice fly about. The “inner market” is the licensed wholesale market, where the auctions and most of the processing of the fish take place. You can find the restaurants, canteens and shops and try its great quality of food there and people start to queue up from 5am to taste the top quality of food with reasonable price. The “outer market” is a mixture of wholesale and retail shops such as Japanese kitchen tool shops, delicatessens, glossers, fishmongers, etc. Vibrant shop staffs are inviting customers. Enjoy exploring Japanese kitchen.

You will find many more aspects of Tokyo as it’s changing the cultures, trends and sceneries day by day.

For further information about Tokyo, visit this website

Article by Madoka Davidson

International Language Homestays - Impara una lingua straniera nella casa del tuo insegnante, è il miglior modo per imparare una lingua

Cambridge is a university town and the administration centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. There are 109,000 residents in Cambridge, 20% of them are students and 15% of them are studying at the University of Cambridge. There are thirty one independent colleges.

A classical day…

Arrive in the heart of the university town of Cambridge, open your eyes and admire the very special architecture with beautifully decorated buildings. If the weather allows it, I strongly advise you to go to the River Cam for a trip by boat, and listen to the tour guide telling you stories about the colleges, take pictures (the colors are amazing), relax and enjoy.

Among the thirty one colleges of the University of Cambridge, there are six that you can’t miss. These are the Queen’s college (with the famous Mathematical Bridge), King’s college, Trinity College (with the strange story about the statue of the college’s founder Henry VIII in the Great Gate and the great court with the fountain), St John’s College, Magdalene College and Emmanuel College.

For lunch what could be better than a picnic eaten it on the grass? You can find many lovely landscaped gardens and parks easily in Cambridge.

In the afternoon, go to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, which is an art and antiquities museum with free entrance. There are European artworks, Egyptian, Greek and Roman,  Japanese Porcelain and Korean artworks. The Fitzwilliam Museum is for all artistic palates.

Mark Fisher, Britain’s Best Museums and Galleries is quoted as saying: “a museum collection of beauty, quality and rarity”.

If you did not eat at lunch, why not take a tea in a tearoom with a sweet dessert? There are plenty of lovely, quiet places that can be found in the city of Cambridge. Sit down and read a book about the history of Cambridge…

Article by Charlotte Plard, Student

International Language Homestays - Impara una lingua straniera nella casa del tuo insegnante, è il miglior modo per imparare una lingua

The lake district contains not only the highest mountain in England – Scafell Pike – but also the deepest and longest lakes in England – impressive! Some of the rarest wildlife and plant species can be found in this National Park.

There is so much to do around the Lake District, if you are in the mood for adventure, you can rent a boat or canoe and paddle around the lakes, explore the beautiful scenery, fells and hills by foot or bicycle, or mountain climb the steep rock faces for a challenge. If you fancy trying something different why not explore the fells on horseback? There is always something exciting around the next corner!

The Lake District will deliver an experience of a lifetime!

For those who are less sporty, or want a change of scenery, why not visit some of Cumbria’s castles or stately homes? There is a wide selection to choose from, including Muncaster Castle – a beautiful historic haunted castle with landscaped gardens showing stunning mountain vistas, Carlisle Castle – a massive medieval fortress with a famous prison, Sizergh Castle – a medieval house with Tudor additions or Lowther Castle – open to visitors for the first time in over 400 years, these castle ruins and lost gardens have been restored. Cumbria also has strong Roman connections with Hadrian’s Wall and Birdoswald Roman fort in the north of the county.

The Lake District has a certain romance about the countryside, from calm lakes mirror-like reflecting blue sky to the eerie calmness of the rock fells with a backdrop of mountains reaching for the sky – it’s no wonder that many people consider this area to be the land of English Arthurian legends. The area is well known for many poems and literary works and famous names connected to the area include William Wordsworth, John Keats, Lord Tennyson, Sir Walter Scott, Beatrix Potter and Arthur Ransome amongst others.

Whether you want a quiet stay with historical stories or an adventure holiday packed with things to do, the Lake District will deliver an experience of a lifetime!

Want to read more about the Lake District National Park… click here

International Language Homestays - Impara una lingua straniera nella casa del tuo insegnante, è il miglior modo per imparare una lingua

The city boasts landmark buildings, among them are the buildings known as the Three Graces – The Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool building at the pier head which form part of the UNESCO world heritage site along with The Albert Dock , which has the largest group of grade 1 listed buildings in the UK, it was transformed in the early 1980’s into a world class venue for culture and heritage including Tate Liverpool and the Merseyside Maritime Museum. Many other museums are located around the Albert Dock, such as the Merseyside Maritime Museum, where you can find out all about the companies, people and ships connected to this great port the International Slavery Museum and the newly opened Museum of Liverpool.

The area is a short walk from a retail development right in the heart of Liverpool called Liverpool ONE. The development opened in 2008, is the largest city centre regeneration project in Europe and has given Liverpool shopping a whole new wonderful dimension. It is a stunningly designed centre that is home to more than 160 famous high street  names and, should you tire of shopping in Liverpool, then you can put your feet up and  take a break at one of Liverpool ONE’s 19 restaurants. The city is home to 2 cathedrals,  one of which is the largest Cathedral in the UK.

For music fans Liverpool=The Beatles. Enough said really. It is hard to think of any other band so strongly associated with a particular city The Beatles Story is in Albert Dock, a fantastic museum-cum-visitor attraction full of Beatles paraphernalia that is dedicated to The Fab Four. Anyone coming to Liverpool for The Beatles should stop off at The Cavern Club on Mathew Street in the city centre. The Cavern was where The Beatles first started out, and although the original Club hasn’t survived, the current Cavern occupies about three-quarters of the original space and houses the original brickwork (the reconstructed archway) to take you back to the Mersey Beat era.

Mathew Street also has plenty of other references in honour of The Beatles, from a John Lennon statue to the Cavern Pub and even the themed four star luxury hotel, The Hard Day’s Night, just round the corner. For sports fans the city is, of course, home to two of the Premiership’s biggest football teams, Liverpool Football Club at Anfield and Everton Football Club at Goodison Park. Horse-racing is also big in Liverpool. The city hosts the world-famous John Smith’s Grand National each year at its Aintree Racecourse, with top racing at Haydock Park in St Helens too.

Public transport is co-ordinated across the whole of the Merseyside region by merseytravel, and links to the Wirral and Chester by road and rail are efficient and effective.

Chester also has a rich history having been altered and extended during both the Saxon and Medieval eras and has many landmarks and attractions. Founded by the Romans in AD79, Chester still bears signs of its past with its Roman Amphitheatre, historic City Walls and Chester Castle all remaining intact. The main sporting focus in Chester is its Racecourse which holds race meetings from May until September. Chester is famous for its timbered buildings and shopping on the ‘rows’ within the ancient city walls.

Want to read more about Liverpool? Click Here

International Language Homestays - Impara una lingua straniera nella casa del tuo insegnante, è il miglior modo per imparare una lingua