January 2024

Chiyoda City, Tokyo

The bottom of Tori Row at Hie Shrine

The top of Tori Row Hie Shrine

All shrines are packed to the gills during New Year’s, and Hie is no different.  The shrine is close to the New Otani Hotel, and because of its 90 Tori gates, I love just stopping by and walking down the stairs.

Asakusa Tokyo

I remember these from my first visit to Tokyo. I am amazed they still reside in the neighborhood.  These are two of the five heroes of Kawatake Mokuami’s Kabuki play “Shiranami Gonin Otoko.”

The Karioki play centers on a band of five thieves, based on real thieves and criminals of the Edo period in Osaka: Karigane Bunshichi, An no Heibei, Gokuin Sen’emon, Kaminari Shōkurō, and Hotei Ichiemon.

On the Hōzōmon of Senso-ji Temple is a pair of ōwaraji, or giant straw sandals. They are 14.5 feet tall and weigh 1,100 pounds.

The sandals are a larger version of a type of sandal made from straw ropes. These waraji were woven by hand in the traditional manner and made by the town council of Tate’oka-aramachi, Murayama in Yamagata Prefecture.

It is said that the sandals represent the powers of Niō, the Herculean guardians of Buddhist temples. Their presence keeps demons at bay by convincing them that the temple is home to an invincible giant. The sandals were first introduced to Sensō-ji in 1941 and since then have been replaced by a new pair almost every ten years. The current pair was put in place in 2018, and reportedly took around 900 workers over a month to make them.

All over Japan, you will find foreigners renting and then dressing in Kimonos and visiting the more touristy areas. This girl, with her incongruous shoes, had me laughing.

I LOVE Onigiri, but I think it would take a football team to devour these onigiri shaped like pandas.

Shibuya

Myth of Tomorrow

In 2008, this mural by Taro Okamoto was recovered and moved to the Shibuya Station. ‘Myth of Tomorrow’ depicts the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as an eruption of vibrant colors, centering around a skeletal figure caught in the blast.

The artist started this work in 1967 when asked to paint a mural for a new hotel in Mexico City. He completed the giant mural in September 1969. The hotel went bankrupt, and the piece was never displayed. The mural then went missing for decades.

In 2003, Toshiko Okamoto found it in a Mexican suburb. Millions of dollars later in restoration, it found a final home.

Hachiko

It is hard to believe that anyone does not know the story of Hachiko, but if you don’t, Hachiko is the name of an Akita dog who was born in 1923 and died in 1935.

Hachiko belonged to a Tokyo University professor in the 1920’s. Born in 1923, he would walk his master Hidesaburo Ueno daily to Shibuya Station and wait for his return there every evening. In May 1925, the professor died of apoplexy at his workplace. Hachiko waited for him faithfully every evening at the station for the next decade until his own death.

This statue was erected in 1934 near Shibuya station.

Toyosu Tokyo

I am not a big fan of immersive art.  Not that I have anything against it. It is just that it has devolved into a money-making Instagram concept.  But one of the hot tickets in Tokyo is Team Lab Planet, so I went.  This was the most intriguing of all of the immersive experiences.  The balls wobbled, and each made a different sound, so if enough people got them moving, they could create an eerie-sounding concert.

Chuo City Tokyo

This giant reflexology unit is truly an only-in-Japan kind of thing.  It is called  Kenko Kimichi (Health Promenade)

The sign reads: This promenade is composed of several kinds of patterns arranged by sizes, shapes, height, and roughness of stones and is properly designed to touch 36 reflection points on the soles of the feet.

It is January 4th, and as I prepare to leave and look around at the coming of winter, it is hard for me to believe that when I arrived in Kyoto, I was greeted with the most amazing fall foliage.  I have loved watching the season change over the last seven weeks.

December 2023

Tamozawa Imperial Villa is one of the largest remaining wooden buildings in Japan. It was the largest mansion of the Meiji Era.  So, this post will be a very long look at this stunning Japanese residence.

There is a mix of both Japanese and European designs, such as carpets and chandeliers, but I will be concentrating on the Japanese aspect of the villa.

The house contains many different styles. The core of the Tamozawa Imperial Villa is the former Edo residence of the Kishu Tokugawa clan. It became imperial property in 1872, being used by both the emperor as well as the crown prince until 1898. The residence was brought from Tokyo to Nikko in 1899, and the villa was erected around that structure as a summer residence for then-crown Prince Taisho. The villa also incorporates the villa of banker Kobayashi Nempo, on whose grounds the residence is built.

Edo Period Architecture

During Japan’s Edo period (1603–1867), the country was already one of the world’s most technologically advanced and urban societies. Urbanization, however, was not accompanied by the creation of monumental architecture, with most Japanese continuing to favor modestly scaled buildings made almost entirely out of wood.

Due to the combining of various structures into one, there are also various architectural styles throughout the villa.  As is true of all of Japanese society, these differences are subtle.  The two prominent styles are shoin-zukuri and sukiya-zukira. Zukira means style.

Shoin Zukuri

In shoin-zukuri, the transom is often elaborately carved, the ceiling is coffered or railed with a hexagonal rail and the wall surfaces are finished and often decorated with murals. The floors are completely covered with tatami. The toko alcove, tana shelves and shoin built-in desk are arranged according to a fixed formula.

These ornamental shelves for books and Buddhist scriptures are a core example of the shoin-zukuri.

Sukiya-Zukuri

Sukiya-Zukuri refers to architectural styles that allows free application of designs and building methods in contrast to the shoin-zukuri style with set rules for the construction of structures. Suki means refined, representing well-cultivated taste and delight in elegant pursuits. It emphasizes the enjoyment of an exquisitely performed tea ceremony.

Sukiya-zukuri often uses unsquared columns, even simple polished tree trunks, or wood with the bark in place for the toko-bashira or central column. The walls are simply finished with natural earthen plaster, and any carving in the ranma transom is kept simple.

Nageshi pillars are squared off in the Shoin Zukuri while toko-bashira pillars use logs in the sukiya zukuri

Pillars retaining the bare surface of the logs at the four corners, in contrast to the squared-off pillars. The ornament in the middle is to hide the nails used in construction.

A window in the observation room on the top floor of the three-story building. The observation room was once the central portion of the Kishu Tokugawa Edo residence built in 1840.

The observation room on the third floor (only open to the public in winter) is designed for privacy, using a style closer to that of the sukiya zukuri.

Washi

Washi is traditional Japanese paper processed by hand using fibers from the inner bark of the gampi tree, or the mitsumata shrub (paper mulberry).

The application of plain white paper to the ceiling was unprecedented at the time. It is maniai-shi paper,a  type of washi.

Karasuyama Washi paper is used in the shoji screens

Torinoko-gami paper is used for the walls of each room.

This photo shows the wood framing for a coat of plaster used during the Meiji Period Sukiya-zukira.

Ranma

Ranma are pierced or open-work transom panels and are a staple of classical Japanese architecture. Placed above shoji or fusuma sliding doors, they are used to let light and air move between rooms when the doors are closed.

A Ranma with fan decorations

Windows

Marumado or yoshinomado, are most often used for ventilation and to provide a beautiful view, usually towards the garden, and are not that common. In some cases, they are covered with paper or glass.

Tatami

Tatami comes from the word fold and is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. They come in standard size and are covered with a weft-faced weave of soft rush.

There are three different parts to an authentic Tatami mat: the reed or rush covering, the straw core, and the decorative cloth edging or brocade. In Japanese, these are called the Tatami Omote, Tatami Goto, and the Tatami Beri.

Fusuma

Fusuma are vertical rectangular panels that can slide from side to side to redefine spaces within a room or act as doors. Historically, they were painted.

Wood

Curved and carved stair railing

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The Bathroom

The Ofuro or Japanese soaking tub

The Exterior

There are 103 rooms in the villa. It is hard to comprehend but somewhat understandable when looking down on the roof.

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The Weeping Cherry Tree is about 400 years old and blooms around mid-April every year.

The day I visited, it was in the 40s.  It was extremely cold inside the house.  I was leaving at closing time, and as you can see from these photographs, the house was slowly being closed up behind me.  Notice the exterior windows slowly become walls.

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It was winter, but the garden at dusk was still lovely.

Just one of many bunkers on the property that served as a hide-out for Emperor Hirohito during World War II.

Tamozawa Imperial Garden is a Japanese architectural lover’s dream come true.

Walking back to catch the train, I passed by the Shinkyo Bridge.
The Shinkyo Bridge’s current design dates back to 1636, but there was a bridge in the same location for a long time previous to that. In 1902, the bridge was washed away by floods, but it was rebuilt in 1904 according to the 1636 design.

The name “Shinkyo” means “sacred bridge”. The bridge is considered to be one of Japan’s three most beautiful bridges. It is both a nationally designated Important Cultural Property and a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site.

The history of the bridge is unknown.

December 2023

Kabuki is thought to have originated in the early Edo period, when the art’s founder, Izumo no Okuni, formed a female dance troupe that performed dances and light sketches in Kyoto. The art form later developed into its present all-male theatrical form after women were banned from performing in kabuki theatre in 1629. Kabuki developed throughout the late 17th century and reached its zenith in the mid-18th century.

You can buy one-act tickets for the Kabukiza Theater in Tokyo.  It was fascinating. I saw Shojo, the Mythical Sake Loving Spirit. The shôjô is a mythical sake-loving spirit that lives in the sea. In this dance, a sake seller has a mysterious customer who appears daily and drinks enormous amounts with great satisfaction. The sake seller has a dream with instructions to go by the beach with a large tub of sake. As it turns out, the customer has actually been the shôjô in disguise. The dance shows two shôjô as they drink and dance. – No photos are allowed.

Sumo

I love Sumo, but the season does not start until January 14th.  So, I had to make do with watching a practice through a window. I was too late to get tickets to sit inside up close and personal.  Despite the glare of the window and an amazingly rude woman with a selfie stick, I got some fun shots.

If you aren’t familiar, Sumo is a Japanese style of wrestling and Japan’s national sport. It originated in ancient times as a performance to entertain the Shinto deities. The sport contains many rituals with religious backgrounds, such as the symbolic purification of the ring with salt. And speaking of tradition, only men practice the sport professionally in Japan.

The rules are simple: the wrestler who first exits the ring or touches the ground with any part of his body besides the soles of his feet loses.

Matches take place on an elevated ring (dohyo), which is made of clay and covered in a layer of sand.  A contest usually lasts only a few seconds but, in rare cases, can take a minute or more.  There are no weight restrictions or classes in sumo, meaning that wrestlers can easily find themselves matched off against someone many times their size. As a result, weight gain is an essential part of sumo training.

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December 2023

I love the off-beat you find in our world, and Japan specializes in it.  Here are just a few random things that made me smile.

I have touched on the manhole covers of Japan in many posts.  This is for Taito City, which is a ward within Tokyo proper.  These are characters from Sarazanmai, a Japanese anime television series set in Taito Ward.

A Rhinoceros Beetle in the Kappabashi neighborhood of Asakusa

Kappabashi is Japan’s restaurant supply store mecca, including the plastic food you see in restaurants to show you what they serve. The beetle belongs to the “food sample” company Iwasaki Be-I (pronounced “bee-eye”), which, according to a Japan Times, has about a 40% share of the sample food market in Japan. As making sample food seems quite similar to making sample anything, a museum ordered a large rhinoceros beetle from Iwasaki Be-I for a display. Iwasaki-Be-I made two, kept one, and put it outside the building.

Presently, I am staying in the Asakusa neighborhood just a block from Kappabashi, which is really more of a street than a neighborhood.

Kappabashi Dougu Gai means “Kappa Bridge Tool Town,” which is a long version of the neighborhood name.  The odd thing is that there is no bridge in Kappabashi, but there was one in 1912.

There is a long and involved myth regarding the Kappa and Kappabashi, but it is just that, a myth.  Kappa, the mythological Japanese creature, has nothing to do with Kappabashi.  The locals adopted it as a mascot when they could no longer ignore the phonetic connection.  So now, when you walk the Kappabashi, you will spot these little guys from time to time.

There is even a shrine to the Kappa.

This odd Kappa is at the front entry gate of the shrine.

Two Kappa at the foot of the stairs of the shrine

The kappa are known for their webbed hands and feet. It has a beak for a mouth and a saucer on its head that must always be filled with water, and apparently, they love cucumbers.

They are notoriously mischievous and are known to play tricks on people and animals. At worst, they steal horses, impregnate women, and drown children in the river. Some tales, however, depict these river imps as friendly and helpful.

December 2023

I have a passion for Edo Era architecture and gardens.  Hama-rikyu Gardens has three beautifully restored Edo-period buildings.

Hama-rikyu Garden was once the property of the Tokugawa family and then the Imperial family. It was almost completely destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake and in the bombings of World War II. After the Imperial Family restored and relinquished the garden to the city of Tokyo in 1946, Hama-rikyu was opened to the public and is now considered one of the most beautiful Edo-style gardens in Tokyo.

Ochaya

Though the term ochaya literally means “tea house,” the term follows the naming conventions of buildings or rooms used for Japanese tea ceremonies, known as chashitsu (“tea room”). Although tea is served at an ochaya, it is not, unlike teahouses and tearooms, its sole purpose.

Nakajima-no-ochaya

Nakajima-no-chaya pavilion, now serving as a tea room, was built in 1704 on the Nakajima islet in Shiori-no-ike pond; the pond is the only remaining seawater tidal pond from the Edo era within Tokyo.

The building was first built as a ochaya to be used by the Tokugawa shoguns and the nobles of the imperial court to relax. The building has been historically recreated over the years with the most recent being in 1983.

There are three other ochaya on the property. Tako-no-ochaya, Matsu-no-ochaya and Tsubame-no-ochaya. Succeeding shoguns used these buildings to engage in ikebana (Japanese flower arrangements) and waka (Japanese poetry) and to eat meals with their guests. Matsu-no-ochaya was rebuilt in 2010, and Tsubame-no-ochaya in 2015.

Matsu-no-ochaya

A stunning window design in matsu-no-ochaya

Traditional houses were built to deal with summer heat more than winter cold under the understanding that residents could put on layers of clothing in the winter. They were built of light materials — wood, bamboo, straw, and paper — which provide terrible insulation but allow breezes to enter, air to circulate, and heat to escape.

Exterior detailing of Matsu-no-Ochaya

Taka-no-Ochaya

“Taka-no-Ochaya” (falcon teahouse) is a single-story wooden structure that is just over 900 square feet in size. Unlike other ochaya in the park, Taka-no-Ochaya has a thatched roof and wide earth floor, making it resemble an old farmhouse. It is constructed of fine Japanese Cedar.  The building was used as a resting place for shoguns, and there is also a “falcon room” in the teahouse where falcons could be kept.

Taka-no-ochaya

Interior flooring of Taka-no-ochaya

The thatched (kaya-buki) roof of taka-no-ochaya

The wood cap is called a mune-kazare (cresting). The small wooden pendant is a gegyo, which acts as a talisman.

detailing of the thatched roof

The underside of the thatched roof on the exterior

The back of the ochaya where the falcons were kept. The door would have been solid, and there is a perch inside the small room. A rush mat (Hakodate) is draped over the perch for a better grip. The small door to the right is to give food to the falcon. At the bottom right inside the room, you can see a birdbath.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government started the restoration of Taka-no-Ochaya in November 2016, spending 230 million yen in the process.  It is a treat to see these completely restored in a way that shows the original form they would have taken, but there is steel in much of it and other modern construction advantages to ensure they survive any future earthquake.

December 22, 2023

I had the privilege of visiting the original inner Tsukiji fish market fifteen years ago when you could walk the floors with the chefs and the buyers.  That era is gone.

Where the market once stood is a prime piece of Tokyo Real Estate yet to be developed.

Tokyo’s Tsukiji wholesale fish market, one of the city’s most popular destinations for international visitors, closed in October 2018.  It had been an important part of Tokyo since the mid-1930s and was considered the world’s largest fish and seafood market.

The market sat on land reclaimed from Tokyo Bay. It was created in the Edo period by the Tokugawa shogunate after the Great Fire of Meireki in 1657.

Tsukiji means “constructed land” or “reclaimed land” and has its roots in the word tsukuru, the verb for “to make”.

Before Tsukiji, there was Nihonbashi.

The now-gone Tsukiji market was built following the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. Architects and engineers from the Architectural Section of the Tokyo Municipal Government were sent to Europe and America to do research for the new market. However, because of the sheer size of the market and the number of items traded, they were forced to come up with their own design.  The relocation of the market from Nihonbashi was one of the biggest reconstruction projects in Tokyo after the earthquake, taking over six years and involving 419,500 workers. Tsukiji was officially opened on February 11, 1935.

What still remains of the market is what is called the Outer Market. The Outer Market existed side by side with the Inner Market and is still known for its high-quality seafood restaurants and a large variety of other shops that sprang up as a result of the Inner Market.

Standing in Line for Sushi at the Outer Market

The crowds at the Outer Market

Needless to say, this area is now as big a tourist draw as it ever was. Lines for good sushi are long.

Kyoshi Kimura in front of one of his restaurants in the Outer Market

Kiyoshi Kimura, the self-proclaimed “sushi king,”  set a record when he spent $1.8 million for a bluefin tuna at the Toyosu market in 2020.

The Shinto Shrine that serves the Tuskiji Market

Namiyoke inari-jinja was built on the water’s edge when this part of Tokyo was Edo. The name of the shrine literally means “protection from waves.”

After the Tsukiji fish market was built, the Namiyoke Inari Shrine became an unofficial guardian shrine for the marketplace and its traders.

Toyosu Fish Market

Everything was moved to the new Toyosu Market in 2018. This immense market is made up of three main buildings: two buildings for seafood and one for fruits and vegetables. All the buildings are connected to each other and to the Shijo-mae train station. There is also a large area with nothing but restaurants.

The new market takes tourists into consideration, but it is as stale and unimpressive as it gets.  Yes, everyone now can see the tuna selling, but you are high above and behind glass.

On average, 200 fresh tunas and 1,000 frozen tunas are placed on the auction block each day, which runs from 5:00 to 6:30 am. The tuna auction floor is green because the best way to determine quality is by assessing how red the meat is. Having a green floor makes tuna’s meat stand out even more.

There are primarily four types of tuna being sold on this floor. Bigeye tuna, which is a lean tuna with a bright red color. It is found all around the world. Then there’s the south bluefin tuna, which lives in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Then Yellow Fin tuna, and finally, the very best, which is Bluefin.

The fish are frozen on the ship as the ships are often at sea for a year. The tails-ends are half severed to expose flesh for scrutiny by the potential bidders. You will see them shine flashlights on the meat, tear pieces off and rub them between their fingers, and take small pick axes to the carcasses in order to gauge the level of fat and the quality of meat.

Once the auction is over, you can move to the retail building from an observation area.  There isn’t much to see, and it is pretty unexciting, considering other fish markets in the world.

Real Wasabi

There is a retail vegetable and fruit area which the general public is allowed to visit and buy.  Above is what real wasabi looks like.  It is milder and tastier than the mix of horseradish, mustard powder, and green food coloring, most often found in American sushi restaurants.

Some interesting facts about real wasabi. It loses flavor about 15 minutes after grating, and it costs between $80 and $150 per pound.  Here is an excellent video on why wasabi is so expensive and why you most likely have never had it.

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I love Uni. This was heaven.

Three-leaf arrowhead Apparently is excellent when roasted. The taste is somewhat like potatoes.

Peeled Ginko

The fish market is worth getting up before the sun, and yes, it is far more sanitary and safe, but I miss the energy of the old market.

November 19, 2023

This is not my first trip to Japan. It is one of my favorite countries to explore.  However, this time, I am staying for seven weeks and concentrating on getting to know the country in a more relaxed and deeper way.

That being said, there are always the typical things one must do, so the first few days I have spent doing just that.  I visited sites I have fond memories of, the first being the Tokyo Tower.

Tokyo Tower

The tower’s real name is “Nippon Denpatō” (“Japan Radio Tower”), but no one calls it that.

I don’t know if it is the color that reminds me of the Golden Gate Bridge. They are both International Orange.  Or my passion for steel structures that brings me back to admire this wonderful piece of architecture over and over.

The views help but don’t completely convey the size and complexity of Tokyo.

A view of Tokyo Bay from Tokyo Tower

You can not help but notice it looks a heck of a lot like the Eiffel Tower.  Tokyo Tower was based on the Eiffel Tower, and yet it is 29 1/2 feet taller than the Eiffel Tower. Thus, Tokyo Tower was the tallest freestanding tower in the world when it was built. The tower weighs 4000 tons, and the Eiffel Tower weighs 7700 tons. The amount of iron used in building the Tokyo Tower is half the amount used in making the Eiffel Tower.

A view from the Lower Observation Deck

Hisakichi Maeda, founder and president of Nippon Denpatō, wanted the tower to be higher than the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, the funds and the materials were not enough to accomplish that.

A view from Tokyo Tower

The designer was Tachū Naitō, who was already a renowned designer of tall buildings in Japan.

I was so lucky that it was a clear enough day that I was able to see Mt Fuji from Tokyo Tower.

The tower was built in 1958 to serve the expanding demand for transmission towers from television stations in Tokyo. Rather than build multiple television towers all over the city, it was decided to build one tower at such a height that TV signals could be transmitted across a city as large as Tokyo from a single location, a distance of about 93 miles.

The Skytree in the distance

The Skytree knocked the Tokyo Tower off the pedestal of highest building in Tokyo. The Skytree is a broadcasting and observation tower. It is the tallest structure in Japan, the tallest tower in the world, and the third tallest structure in the world after the Merdeka and the Burj Khalifa.

Tokyo Skytree

A few more views of Tokyo Tower. I really do love this building.

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November 2023

For my first week in Tokyo, I am staying in the Ueno district in Taito Ward.  The biggest attraction is Ueno Park.  Ueno is a working-class area that is beginning to become popular and is adjusting to a tourist clientele.

There are two central portions of Ueno, the Park, and the Ameyoko area.

The origins of Ameyoko started in post-war black-market commerce, where stalls would sell a range of products from sweets and snacks to used American military wear. An edgy aspect still remains to this commercial area.

Ueno Park is the home to Japan’s largest zoo and the original home of the first pandas brought to Japan from China.  Therefore, Pandamonium is what you get throughout Ueno.

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Ameyoko is a vibrant and busy street for all types of commerce.

Ameyoko

Ameyoko is also known for its street food and bar food.

A quick tempura meal in Ameyoko

The owner and chef at BiBiBi – a great 3-table restaurant in the Ueno Area

Various meatballs make for great classic bar food

Street food in Ueno

Wandering the Streets

The Asakusa and Ueno neighborhoods mesh together, so walking the streets, you find many odd and curious things.  These cups and chef are part of the cookware area of Asakusa.

This giant chef was installed in March 1982 when Niimi renovated its building. He is 36 feet tall. This unforgettable guy has since spawned numerous urban legends, and according to the most popular rumor, it is actually a giant robot in disguise, the rest of its body hidden in the building, and will be activated when Tokyo faces a Godzilla-class danger.

Wandering Japan can throw you for a loop, as the juxtaposition between an important graveyard or temple and the local body shop means that if you make assumptions, you can miss a lot of things.

Hanashi Zuka (Grave of Censored Stories)

At the onset of World War II, the Japanese Imperial government created the censorship committee. They banned any works of art that disrespected the emperor, criticized the military, or were “against public policy.”

Rakugo, the Japanese art of comic storytelling, was not spared, as some tales dealt with sexuality and alcohol. In 1941, Rakugo performers gathered at Honpō-ji Temple to hold a funeral for the censored stories. They ceremoniously buried the scripts of  53 tales. After the war, in September of 1946, The Revival Festival of Abolished Plays was held in front of the Mound. Today, scripts of comic stories played in wartime are stored in the mound.

This altar, surrounded by dogs, can be found on the same temple grounds as the Hanashi Zuka.

This is a very quick look at the streets of Ueno.  The massive Ueno Park will be next.