Parks & Museum @ Komaba: March 5, 2011

I visited the Museum of Modern Japanese Literature in Komaba.

The museum is in Komaba Park, which has been developed on former Marda family’s house. Maeda family was the ruler of Kaga region (today's Ishikawa Prefecture) in the Edo era.

A special exhibition on Japanese literature in the Meiji period was held at the museum. The works of Japan’s great novelists including Natsume Soseki and Mori Ogai were displayed.

Their works are not so famous outside Japan. (The most well known Japanese literature works may include “The tale of Genji”, waka (tanka) and haiku and Kawabata Yasunari’s novels). However, their influence has been strong inside Japan on the nation’s culture and people's life.





I walked about 500 meters from Kobama park and arrived in another nature-rich park. It is called Komabano Park. The country’s first agricultural school was open here in the Meiji period. The school later developed into the agricultural department of the University of Tokyo. The place was later used by the Tokyo University of Education. It became a public park after the 1980s.

Natural forest remains here. Many birds were flying.

The members of a local community group were making charcoal today. A member explained --

They made instant furnaces using drum cans in the ground this morning. Then they put wood peaces in the furnaces and heat them up at about 300 degrees C. It woul take about eight hours to complete.

The group is trying to grow fireflies in the park. The insect grows only where the nature is clean. So, if they successfully grow fireflies, it means the park keeps clean environment.

The charcoals will be put into the creeks in the park to clean the water. It is an interesting story.

Map: The Museum of Modern Japanese literature

Map: Komabano Park