Takenotsuka 2009.10.10

It is not honorable, but Takenotsuka has become famous as a symbol of Japan’s new poverty problem. Many Japanese magazines printed special reports focusing on Takenotsuka.

The town is in Adachi Ward, northeast part of Tokyo. It is quite to Saitama Prefecture.

I left the train of Tobu Isezaki Line at Takenotsuka station. I didn’t find neither homeless people nor drunk men. The town was safe. It looked like other towns in Tokyo.


Then, I felt something different. It was the view of the buildings. There are many old low public apartment houses in front of the station. (Usually, We find commercial buildings in fromt of the stations). Most buildings are 5 to 10 stories and look more than 50 years old.

There are shops in the ground floor of the apartment houses. They are, however, old. Later, I found newly developed shopping streets behind the apartment houses.

There are many (more than usual) jewel shops. Shops for foreigners (thy sell international telephone cards, tickets etc.) are also notable.

The magazines report that the average income of Adachi Ward is lower than other wards. The proportion of families supported by public (public livelihood support) is higher at Adachi than other wards. They also report that many poor people live in the public houses.

I thought many things in Takenotsuka.

Ikebukuro 2009.10.4

Ikebukuro is the biggest shopping area of North Tokyo. Trains from the northern part of Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture arrive here.

There are messy streets and modern facilities. Sunshine City, one of the biggest commercial complexes in Tokyo, represents modern Ikebukuro. It includes 60 floor tall main building, hotel building and other facilities. In addition to stores and restaurants, it has exhibition halls, an in-house amusement park, an aquarium, theaters etc.

Mola mola (fish) and small anteaters as well as penguins are popular at the aquarium.

I walked from Ikebukuro to Shinjuku through Zoshigaya, where one of the famous public cemeteries lies. Soseki Natsume, Japan’ｓ most important figure in modern literature, and Patrick Lafcadio Hearn, Famous for Kaidan Stories, sleep here. The cemetery is green rich.

Baji Koen Park (Equestrian Park) 2009.10.3

Baji-Koen Park or the Equestrian Park is the only public park where we can see many horses along with hippodrome and horse training fields.

It was originally developed as a training center of equestrians in 1940 targeting the planned Tokyo Olympic Games. (The 1940 Olympic Games were canceled because of the 2nd World War. Tokyo hosted the Games in 1964) It is now run by Japan Racing Association.

They hold various horse shows and competitions throughout the year.

However, ordinary residents around the park enjoy the nature in the park. The cherry blossom in the early spring is especially famous.

There is a Food and Agriculture Museum just in front of the park entrance. It is run by the Tokyo University of Agriculture. The exhibition includes: the collection of Japanese sake (rice wine) brands, materials related to breeding, and samples of vegetables. It’s free.

Tokyo Marathon Walk (2) 2009.9.27

I write the second half of the course in this post.

The half point is near Ginza, one of the busiest and sophisticated commercial area in Tokyo. The Cross of Ginza 4 Cho-me is used in many cinemas, TV programs and photos. The main street is vehicle free in the weekend. Couples and families enjoy walking and drinking.

I moved northeastwards through Kayaba-cho (where securities houses have their offices), Nihonbashi area (where old craft shops and merchants open their offices), Kuramae (Sumida River area) to Asakusa. These areas remain the Edo-period atmosphere. I made a turn at Asakusa and moved back to Ginza.

I walked through Kabuki-za theater, Tsukiji-Honganji Temple, a Hindu style Buddhist Temple, to the Tokyo Bay area. Many islands in this area were artificially built in the past 300 years. The town names in the srea include Tsukishima, Harumi, Toyosu, and Ariake.

Yurikamome monorail train runs in this area. There are nationwide famous tennis court, (Ariake Coliseum) national cancer hospital and other modern institutes. The goal is Tokyo Big Sight, a huge exhibition center.

Tokyo Marathon Walk (1) 2009.9.27

Many cities including Tokyo have marathon races. If you walk the marathon course, you will surely know the city better. So, I walked the Tokyo marathon course. (I didn’t do it in one day. I used several days.)

The course is found in the map (English version available).
http://www.tokyo42195.org/2009/map_en.html

The course starts just in front of a huge Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building at western Shinjuku. There were few people in the street (as it was weekend). I took a kilometer walk and came to Shinjuku station area, one of the most busy and messy area in Tokyo. There are many Korean and Chinese shops along the road as many non-Japanese Asians lives here.

About 4 kilometer walk took me to Yotsuya and I met with the outer moat of Edo Castle (now the Imperial Palace). The JR (railway)’s Chuo Line runs along the moat. There is a artificial fishing pond in the moat at Iidabashi.

I turned to the south direction and reached to the inner mort of the Imperial Palace. I walked forward watching the palace in the right side and tall office buildings in the left side. Swans swam in the mort. It was about 10 kilometers from the starting point when I passed the famous Nijubashi gate of the palace.

I walked southward through the Hibiya Park, Zojoji Temple of Shiba, the Tokyo Tower, and arrived at Shinagawa, south Tokyo’s business center. Then, I made a turn to the north and walked the same roads to the opposite directions to Hibiya. (About 20km from the start point)

Both modern offices and historic monuments stand around this area. The historic monuments include: the meeting place of Saigo takamori and Katsu Kaishi, which agreed the peaceful surrender of Tokugawa Government to the Emperor’s force at the end of the Edo Period: Sengakuji Temple which is famous for a self sacrifice revenge story of 47 soldiers in the Edo period, Old defense gate of the Edo city etc.

Tamagawa River Walk (3) 2009.9.23

 

I took the 3rd part of Tamagawa River walk. It was from Noborito to (about 22 kilometers from the sea) to Fuchu/Inagi border (about 32 km from the sea).

It was a beautiful autumn day. The fields were covered with Japanese pampas grass and other autumn grasses. The read flowers of Japanese cluster-amaryllis were often found. The flower is used in the Buddhism ceremony in the autumn equinoctial week.

There are many houses, factories and other institutes along the river in this area. But more nature remains than the lower area. Birds stayed in a row on the electric power cable over the river.

Meiji Shrine 2009.9.13

Most Japanese people are influenced by Shintoism even though it is not clearly recognized by themselves. Nature worship lies at the center of Shintoism. Ancient Japanese saw the spirits of their ancestors in the mountains and deep forests and this worship developed into Shitoism.

The best place to share this feeling in central Tokyo is Meiji Shrine. It is relatively new (built in 1920), but is the largest and is the only shrine with deep woods in central Tokyo.

The paved road turns to a gravel path when you walk in the shrine through a big entrance gate (torii). Then, you may feel that you are in the different world. Twenty meter-high cedar trees block the sunshine. Only the footsteps and birdsongs are heard.

Around ten-minutes walk lead me to the main building. There were many small tablets hung on the walls near the building. Some visitors write their wishes in various languages in the tablets. The wishes include: the happiness of their families, promotions in their businesses, big money (without any efforts), and the world peace.

The shrine was build to commemorate the Meiji Emperor and Empress. There are more than 80 thousand shrines in Japan and some of them have more than 1000 years history.

There is a open place in front of the shrine. Famous cosplay girls attracted tourists. Foreign tourists were busy in taking pictures of them (and with them).

Omotesando 2009.9.13

It’s too much to say that it’s like Champs-Elysees, but Omotesando is one of the most fashionable streets in Tokyo.

Famous fashion brand companies open their shops there. Young people enjoy window shopping (and sometimes real shopping). The street was so crowded in the weekend it’s hard to walk fast. We hear English, Chinese, Korean and other foreign languages here.

Omotesando Hills is a new landmark in the area. The building is a bit queer. The floors are sloping and visitors walk upward or downward.

The street was originally developed as a pass to the Meiji Shrine, one of the country’s most famous shrines build in the Taisho era (1912-26). It has turned into the shopping district in the post war era.

About 30 minutes slow walk from the subway Omote sando (space included in this case) station took me to the entrance of Meiji Shrine (see other blog post).

Yoyogi Park 2009.9.6

Every time I visit Yoyogi Park, I find something new around people’s life and culture of Tokyo.


Some parts of the park are covered with pine and other trees. The air is fresh. I saw families enjoy cycling through the trees.

At the open space, people were spending their own times in the Sunday afternoon. The activities included: sleeping on the grass, reading books, rope jumping, badminton, the hoop, sword battles etc. The ratio of non-Japanese was extremely high here.

Not only young people but also middle-aged men and women were playing music and dancing. A middle-aged group in black costumes (off-mainstream style of the 1980s) attracted people.

The park always is messy and interesting.

Odaiba & Tokyo Bay area 2009.9.5

There are many artifucially-built islands in the Tokyo Bay. The most popular spot for visiters is Odaiba. I walked Odaiba and surrounding areas.

Odaiba was diveloped after the 1980s and the district is seen as one of the most fashinable places in Tokyo. Many shops, hotels and amusement spots are there.

The Odaiba Seashore Park has a beautiful sandshore. People enjoy suimming and suntan in the summer season. Over the sea from the park, we find the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the mainland and Odaiba, and the skyscrapers of central Tokyo.Families and couples enjyed their times in the evening.

The copy of the Statue of Liberty stands at a corner of the park. 18 meter high Gundam, a famous robot in Japanese comics, also stands in the park and defends the earth from the invasion of the aliens.

There is another park called Mizu-no-Hiroba Park near Tokyo Big Sight, one of the biggest international exhibition centers in the metoropolis. The sea was so blue and beautiful.