Take a Time Slip Taxi and enjoy sightseeing with old maps of the Edo period!

Experience the history and culture of Edo by traveling in a Time Slip Taxi

Hinomaru Limousine Co., Ltd., which operates vehicle-for-hire and taxi services, starts a new service named Time Slip Taxi. With this service, you can enjoy townscapes and scenes of the Edo period while taking a taxi. The Time Slip Taxi takes you through famous historic sites in the Edo period, including the castle, feudal lords' residences, temples, streets where craftsmen and merchants lived, and magistrates’ offices. For example, when you look at a view through a tablet near the Imperial Palace, you can see the image of the Edo castle tower at about 60 meters high on the tablet. At some sites, you can also see Ukiyo-e (woodblock print) paintings, depicting the atmosphere or landscape of each site in the Edo period, on the tablet.

A variety of culture and customs emerged in the Edo period

There were more than one million people living in the Edo period that lasted 265 years since 1603. It is said that this population was the highest in the world at that time. A variety of culture and customs were established during this long period before the advent of modernization, including Kabuki (classical dance-drama) and Ukiyo-e. Kabuki was the most sophisticated entertainment among people in the Edo period. Ukiyo-e has been a great influence on many artists and continues to do so even today. Cuisine, lifestyle, and other concepts from the Edo period have been passed down over the years. We responded to many requests from our customers saying that they wanted to experience such important Japanese history and culture. Therefore, we created this Time Slip Taxi service. We succeeded in establishing an in-taxi entertainment service by using the latest technologies such as VR and GPS.

Experience a time slip to the towns in the Edo period

Two guided courses are currently available: 1) The Edo castle course: learning about the Edo castle tower restoration and the Edo town culture This course will take you around the Imperial Palace, Sakurada gate, Hibiya area, Kabuki-za, and Nihonbashi. (Duration: Approximately 1 hour / Special offer: 5,000 yen for two passengers until August 31, 2017) 2) Chushingura (Forty-seven Ronin) course: following in Akaho Ronin’s footsteps This course takes you around Marunouchi area, Shinbashi area, Hibiya area, and Sengaku-ji temple. (Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes / Special offer: 16,000 yen for two passengers until August 31, 2017) Our automated historical guide at each sightseeing site is available in multiple languages including Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. It provides easy-to-understand historical information.

[Tesla Model S (electric car) and foreign tourists in Ninja costume]

Select a new-style trip that you haven’t experienced before

Our Time Slip Taxi service offers a totally different approach than those in museums and art galleries, because you can be transported back in time and experience Japanese history in your hands. We can guarantee to offer you unique experiences that will be different from trips just visiting sightseeing spots. We will continue to create new courses. Why don't you add a Time Slip Taxi to your travel itinerary?

For more information and bookings: http://timesliptaxi.jp/english/