Imperial Palace, East Garden 2009.8.23

When asked the best places for foreign tourists to visit in Tokyo, my answer always include the East Garden of Imperial Palace.

It is full of nature and history. The palace was originally a castle of Tokugawa Shogun in the Edo period. It is surrounded by moats and swans and other birds swim there. Big stone walls remind us of the power of the Tokugawa government.

Skyscrapers stand around the palace. You will find buildings through the lines of pine trees and 400 year old moat or over the beautiful grass garden. It is intersting to see the contrast between old and new aspects or traditional and modern Japan.

I walked through the gardens and arrived at the ruin of main tower (tenshudai). Special exhibition of current emperor and empress -- The Majesties of Emperor and Empress, Memories and Human Ties -- was held.

It takes 30 minutes if you just have a slight look of the palace. But it takes half day if you want to enjoy the nature, history and the atmosphere.

The west part of the palace is the residential area of the Emperor. It is inaccessible.

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Similar blog by the same writer: Grassman's London Walk (in Japanese language)
http://grassman-london.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/

Sumida River Walk (1) 2009.8.16

Sumida River (Sumida gawa) runs through east part of Tokyo.

The lower river region was the busiest commercial area in Edo (Tokyo's former name) in the Edo period (1603-1867) and is still flourished.

The region has been modernized in the last 3 decades. Many tall office buildings and residential apartments stand along the river today. At the same time, many historical places are scattered in the region.

I walked from the mouth of the river up to Asakusa, a busy commercial center in traditional atmosphere.

Famous Tsukiji Fish Market lies in the river mouth area. The flow is slow and the water is salty. I saw people riding water crafts.

Tsukuda-jima, about 2 kilometers from the mouth, is famous for tsukudani, traditional soybean-taste fish food. The area was developed in the Edo period by immigrant fishermen from Osaka. Osaka-origin Sumiyoshi Shrine remains at the center of the district.

The riverside walkways (Sumida Terraces) are well arranged.

There are Ukiyo-e pictures of Hiroshige, one of two greatest Ukiyo-e artists with Hokusai, copied on the metal frames in the walkway at Ryogoku area, about 5 kilometers from the mouth. Kokugikan, Sumo's home ground, stands at the opposite side of Hiroshige's pictures.

There are 12 bridges (excluding railway bridges and highway bridges) in the 7-8 kilometers from the river's mouth to Asakusa. Blue plastic houses stand under the bridges.

I am sure that I will have more walks along Sumida River.

Uptown's Green Walkways 2009.8.8

Small green walkways (Ryoku-do) run through residential areas in Tokyo. I walked along Kitazawa-gawa Walkway and Karasuyama-gawa Walkway in Setagaya and Meguro Wards (ku), Tokyo's uptown.

People take walks (sometimes with their dogs) from early morning till midnight. Joggers and cyclists are also found.

We can also enjoy the sounds of cicadas in chorus (Semi-shigure in Japanese) at this season.

Walkways are usually built on the places where creeks run. They have been covered and turned into small paths. Some parts run through residential houses and some parts are along roads.

These ways have been arranged in last two or three decades reflecting people's voices. They have become more eco-friendly. Currently, they also hope the ways to be free of barriers.

Cherry trees are planted in some parts of the ways. Artificial creeks run in other parts. Real creeks run under the ground.

Yodobashi Camera 2009.8.1

It is widely known that digital electronic equipments are among the most popular souvenirs for foreign tourists to Japan.

Akihabara is most famous as such shopping place, but there are many other well-known places. Yodobashi Camera's Shinjuku shop is on of them.

The PC prices have been rapidly down in last 3 months, partly because of economic depression and partly due to the government's special support programs. It's time to buy?

The announcements are made in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean in the shop. English information in their web site is not enough.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building 2009.8.1

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is especially impressive among many skyscrapers in Shinjuku area probably because of its huge figure and unique design.

The 48 floor building was designed by famous architect Kenzo Tange and was open in 1990.

There are two observatories -- at 46 floors of north and south wings. Tourists, families and couples enjoy the overview of Tokyo every day. There lie countless buildings and houses under the viewers. More than ten millions of people live there.

The observatories are free. We can also enjoy Tokyo's night view.

Shinjuku Central Park 2009.8.1

Shinjuku Central Park may be one of the best placeｓ to see the prosperity and social problems of Tokyo.

The park is 800 meters from Shinjuku railway station and only 100 meters from Shinjuku Metropolitan Government Building.

There are hundreds of tall trees in the park, which create green-rich atmosphere. Between the trees, however, we find skyscrapers.

There are many homeless people living in blue plastic houses. I upload the picture taken in April as leaves block the view of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building from this angle today.

Big Country City Nagoya (off Tokyo) 2009.7.28

Nagoya is not so famous outside Japan although the city is the core of the third largest metropolitan area in Japan (after Tokyo and Osaka area) and has the headquarters of Toyota Motor Corp. in the region (Toyota City, near Nagoya).

Inside Japan, the city has been called a "big country city". It is because of people's behavior and business practices in the region. They have been seen conservative and exclusive (compared with Tokyo and Osaka).

Parts of them have changed in the last 20 years. The city has been modernized.

The old Nagoya station was rebuilt in 1999 and the new station compose a huge business and commercial complex today. (JR Central Tower)

Louis Vuitton, Chanel and other famous brand shops are in the Midland Square Building, which stands just in front of the station. (It reflects the change of consumer's behavior in Nagoya).

This region produced great historical heroes -- Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hedeyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu (see Wikipedia) -- around 400-500 years ago. After the late 19th century, Nagoya has developed as an industrial city (rather than a cultural city).

Today, foreigners' popular sightseeing programs include tours to factories and industry-related museums.

Kabuki-za Theater 2009.7.27

Kabuki is one of the most important traditional performance arts in Japan (Others include Nihon-Buyo (Japanese dance), Noh, Kyogen and Bunraku）.

The name of Kabuki-za Theater, off Ginza's central spot, stresses that it is the Mecca of Kabuki. The theater is run by an entertainment company Shochiku and current building was built in 1951, after the World War 2.

The theater is planned to be rebuilt. They will preserve current theater as part of a large modern complex.

The countdown board, just in front of the entrance, tells the number of days before temporal closure.

Ginza's Char Grill Fish Restaurant 2009.7.27

Selecting today's lunch is a big task (psychologically) for many Japanese salary men (and women).

Many people make a queue in front of Echigo-ya restaurant, where they serve char grill fish plates.

Fish tastes better when it is cooked with charcoal then utility gas. What is impressive is that the restaurant is in central Ginza, one of the busiest and most sophisticated (snobbish?) shopping areas in Tokyo.

I took a dish (of horse mackerel), and it was of course good.

Tamagawa River Walk (2) 2009.7.25

It is about 13 kilometers from Shin-Maruko (Tokyu Line) to the river mouth (Tokyo Bay). I walked down the river in the strong sunshine of the summer.

The river's flow is slow. I saw people enjoying canoeing and water skiing.

There are many football and baseball fields and golf courses in the riverside. Mothers were screaming watching their kids playing games.

Blue plastic houses also scattered.

Crabs, birds, dragonflies, butterflies and many other species are observed in the estuary area (natural preservation!). The sounds of waves are heard all around.

Planes come in and take off from the Tokyo International Airport (Haneda), which lies at the opposite side of the river mouth.

Tamagawa River Walk (1) 2009.7.20

You will find various aspects of Metropolitan Tokyo -- beautiful nature, people’s life, social problems etc. -- if you have a walk along Tamagawa River, which runs Tokyo-Kanagawa border.
Today's walk was about 10 kilometers from Noborito (Odakyu line) to Shin-Maruko (Tokyu line). Both lines run through high-quality residential areas.

The river was terribly dirty decades ago because of pollution, but it is relatively clean today. Fish and other aquatic animals can live safely in the water. I saw many people enjoying catching fish -- not only with fishing poles, but also with throwing nets. Butterflies and dragonflies were in the riverside.

Many cyclists, joggers and walkers were on the riverside roads. Families were enjoying barbeque parties.

You cannot walk along the river without finding many blue plastic houses in the riverside. They are, of course, illegal. No water and electricity is provided to the houses. The residents seem to make their living by collecting can bottles and other garbage. It is also a reality of Tokyo, one of the most prosperous cities in the world.

10 kilometers is only 7% of the river's total length (138 kilometers). I am sure that I will write part 2, 3, and ….

Kyodo Festival 2009.7.18-19

Traditional Awa-odori (Tokushima Prefecture origin), samba, and other dances and songs were played at Kyodo, an Odakyu-line station in Tokyo. (map)

More and more such festivals have been held in urban Japan after the 1980s. They should be understood as modernized version of traditional Japanese bon-matsuri (mid summer festival to console the spirits of their ancestors, to confirm the unity of traditional community, and to have temporal relaxation from hard works in hot summer).

Kids, young men and women and middle-age people joined Kyodo Festival. Audiences were dressed in traditional Japanese yukata.

No "Natsu-matsuri" (summer festival) information is found on Wikipedia in English. It is surprising.