The Tokyo Traveler

One of the most recognizable forms of Japanese arts are woodblock prints or ukiyo-e. The word ukiyo refers to the world of common people and e means picture. This art form originated in the late sixteenth century in the ancient capital of Kyoto and the first ukiyo-e were not woodblock prints at all but paintings of everyday life.

As ukiyo-e developed into popular art the subjects of the prints broadened. The equivalent of today’s movie poster were Yakusha-e or woodblock prints of kabuki actors in popular roles and Bijin-ga illustrated beautiful women of Edo. Landscapes came later and were used as we use postcards today.

You can see beautiful examples of ukiyo-e in many of Tokyo’s museums and you can purchase modern reproductions of ancient scenes in many stores, including the Oriental Bazaar in the Omotesando area of Tokyo. The scene below is on a plaque at the site of a former Shrine in Kagurazaka and I think it’s just gorgeous!

Making traditional ukiyo-e (woodblock) prints is a complex process that involves the work of at least three artisans:

1. The ukiyo-e artist sketches the design with sumisen (ink lines)
2. The horishi (carver) pastes the sketch on a block made of wild cherry wood and carves out the design. This block, called a sumiita (ink plate), is only for printing the black outline.
3. Other blocks are then carved out, one for each color; these are called iroita (color plates).
4. The surishi (printer) applies color on the blocks under the artist’s supervision. The light colors and largest areas are printed first followed by darker colors and small details.
5. Sheets of paper are then pressed on each woodblock to create the design. Each block has a marking on the same spot relative to the finished picture to ensure that the image remains aligned throughout the process.

As you can imagine this process is painstaking and time consuming but once the blocks themselves have been completed it is much easier to make reproductions of the same design. Kids-web Japan has a gallery of some famous woodblock prints and you can even create your own virtual Ukiyo-e to see if you have mastered the process.

Photo Credit: Personal Collection

The Kagurazaka district is located in the center of Tokyo, in the middle of JR Yamanote Line. The area is famous for its lively main street, Kagurazaka-Dori (Dori means “street.”) and it’s winding cobblestone alleyways. The name Kagurazaka is a combination of kagura (a shrine-dance to music) and saka (hill) and evokes the sites and topography of this beautiful part of Tokyo. The layout of the area is much the same as it was when the town was built in the 17th century despite the fact that most of the area was burned down as the result of an air raid on Tokyo in 1920 during WWII.

Karyukai, or Geisha culture, was born in Kagurazaka and many Ryotei (Geisha houses) still operate in the area. In 1910 there were as many as 600 Geishas entertaining business men, famous writers and politicians in the area. Step off Kagurazaka-Dori and spend some time wandering the alleys and you will get a feel for what it must have been like in old Edo.

In contrast, a stroll up Kagurazaka-Dori will take you past trendy clothing shops, traditional tea merchants, lacquer ware stores and you will find sushi restaurants competing for business with French pastry shops. It’s quite the mix of old and new.

But don’t miss the alleyways! Continue reading to find out how… Continue reading Kagurazaka - Tour the Alleyways of Old Edo

The Rikugien Garden is celebrating it’s annual Azalea or satsuki festival from May 24th through June 8th but it’s not just about these beautiful flowers!

The garden was built in 1702 on the grounds of a private villa and was not open to the public until 1938. It was designated as a special beauty spot of Japan in 1953 and features a large pond and surrounded by sloping hills and walking paths. There isn’t a better time to stroll through this garden than when the Azaleas are in bloom.

Events during the festival include:

• Niko concerts (Chinese two string violin or ehru) on May 31st at 1 & 3PM, weather permitting.
• Edo puppet presentations on June 7, at 1 & 3PM, weather permitting.
• Free garden tour to on Sundays and national holidays during the festival as 11AM and 2PM (1 hour)
• Enjoy some green tea and Japanese sweets at Fukiage-chaya tea house (cost; Y500)

Event Details:

Dates: May 24 (Sat.) - Jun. 8 (Sun.) 9:00 - 17:00 *No entry after 16:30
Location: Rikugien Garden (map)
Admission: Adults Y300, Senior citizens (65 and over) Y150 and free for elementary school students and younger children.
Access: 7 minutes walk from Komagome Station on the JR Yamanote Line and Tokyo-metro Nanboku Line or a 10 minutes walk from Sengoku Station on the Toei Subway Mita Line

Photo Credit: Flickr, azalea carpet & Bunraku puppet in Gion

The Imperial Palace East Garden, or Higashi-gyoen, is rightly considered one of Tokyo’s finest gardens.

The Imperial Palace East Garden is located on the former site of Edo Castle. None of the original buildings remain but the moats, walls, entrance gates and several guardhouses that protected the former castle still stand within the confines of the garden. The castle, once the largest in Japan standing 58 meters (190 feet) high, was destroyed by fire in 1657 but the base remains and can be used as a vantage point to oversee portions of this vast garden.

The Tide view, or Shiomi-zaka, slope once commanded a view of the ocean but now leads you downs to the Ninomaru Garden which is beautifully laid out around a central pond that features many stunning bridges and stone lanterns on the surrounding path. Also on the grounds is the Suwano-chaya Tea House, originally built in 1912 and the Sannomaru Shozokan (The Museum of the Imperial Collections) that holds a collection of approximately 9,500 art pieces owned and inherited by the Imperial family.

The Imperial Palace East Garden can be accessed through one of three gates (map) within close proximity to either the Takebashi or Otemachi Stations on Tokyo Metro. Use the garden map to identify points of interest in the garden and their locations.

After spending a few hours at the Imperial Palace East Garden, why not pop across the street to the Imperial Hotel and and rest your feet while enjoying a cocktail at the Old Imperial Bar? It’s a perfect way to end the day.

Photo Credit: Flickr, In the Tokyo Imperial Palace East Garden

Efforts began in 2004 to renovate and preserve the Tokyo Station for the first time since the end of WWII.  The renovations will be completed by 2013 and will include the reconstruction of the domes atop the station, restoration of the red brick facade and repairs to the third floor of the facility.

Architect Kingo Tatsuno designed the original building which was built in 1914.  The building has three above ground floors and a basement level and is one of the busiest stations in the Tokyo metropolitan area.  Tokyo Station survived the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 but the building did not fare so well in 1945 when fire raids damaged the third floor and destroyed the domes that originally graced the building.  In 1947 the domes were reconstructed in the octagonal style that you see in the top photo but the third floor was never repaired.

Tokyo Station is located across from the Imperial Palace and the main station has 10 different train platforms on 20 separate tracks and more than 4000 trains arrive at the station each day.  In addition to the main building there is an extensive array of underground passageways in the station that provide access to additional train lines and Tokyo Metro.  The station is also where most of the Shinkansen, or bullet train, lines begin and end.

The Japan Times article titled Tokyo Station face-lift adds old, new looks is worth a read if you would like to learn more about the renovation plans.

Photo Credit:  Wikimedia, Tokyo Station & Tokyo station marunouchi old

The Oriental Bazaar claims to be the biggest art & antiques store in Tokyo. It’s definitely a one stop shop for all of your souvenir needs so, if you are strapped for time and need a memento from your trip then this is the place for you!

In the basement you will find Kinomo, Yukata, Geta, laquerware, decorative panels and toys. The main floor has a wide selection of Japanese china, postcards and stationery and the upper floor offers a selection of antiques, screens, art prints and books. The store definitely caters to the tourist crowd but it’s enjoyable to browse through and you would be hard pressed to find the array of goods that they offer at any other store in Tokyo.

The main branch of the Oriental Bazaar is located in the Harajuku area of Tokyo, approximately halfway between Omotesando and Harajuku/Meiji-Jingumae Stations (map -look for the salmon colored push pin). Hours of operation are 10AM - 7PM daily, except Thursdays (closed).

There is also a small branch in Terminal 1 at Narita International Airport in case you forgot someone on your list!

Photos: Personal Collection

Bring your own chopsticks three times and you could win a new pair!  Just the latest eco-conscious promotion in Japan.  But the best eco-conscious product has to be the solar powered bra that you can use to charge your I-pod.

The Japanese have brought native Noma horses back from the brink of extinction and you can now see one of these adorable miniature horses at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo.

As incomes rise, more Asians turn to cosmetics that promise a lighter skin color.

Neon orange paint balls are the newest crime-fighting innovation in Japan. I’m not sure how effective they will be as the robbery victim needs to have a good arm in order to hit the perpetrator with the orb so that the authorities can track the suspect down!

Video footage of the rush hour on a Tokyo train platform.  Anderson Coopers’ commentary is cute and, for you trivia lovers, the ‘pushers’ are called oshiya in Japanese.

Photo Credit:  FLickr, white beauty

Yutaka Shinohara is one of the few people in Japan who continues on the ancient tradition of making hand-blown glass wind chimes or Edo Furin.   After the hand-blown glass balls are created they are then painted on the inside to create one of a kind pieces of art. Shinohara-san has been blowing glass furin for 45 years and  you can visit his studio, Shinohara Furin Hompo, to see the process in action and even make one of your own! 

Edo Furin were made as far back as 1600 and are thought to have been brought to Japan from China.  Furin were originally hung in bamboo forests to ward off evil spirits who were thought to dwell there.  Over time the Edo Furin has become a summer fixture in Japan and the Japanese have a fondness for the unique and peaceful sounds that the glass wind chimes emit as they sway in the breeze. 

Making your own Edo Furin will take a little bit of effort to arrange but you will have a one of a kind souvenir to take home with you!  Every time it chimes you will be reminded of this one of a kind experience and your time spent in Tokyo. 

Details:

Location:  A 10 minute walk from the Mizue Station which is approximately 35 minutes by train from Tokyo Station. (map)
Hours:  9-5, closed Sundays and Holidays
Cost:  Free to observe; Y1,000 to paint your own Edo Furin; or Y1,500 to blow your own glass bell and paint it with the assistance of the artisans at the factory.  A reservation is recommended for the latter two options and you should allow at least an hour for either.
Website:  www.edofurin.com (Japanese only) or as translated with Babel Fish.
Contact:  03-3670-2512 (Japanese only)  I would recommend having a Japanese speaking friend or your hotel concierge reserve your space and confirm the hours before making the trip as the studio can be quite busy at times.

Photo Credit:  Flickr, Suspended Glass

Across from the grand Imperial Hotel you will find the Imperial Palace, home to Their Majesties, the Emperor and Empress of Japan. The palace has housed the Imperial Household of Japan since 1868, when the imperial family relocated from Kyoto which had been the imperial capital for more than a thousand years.

Japan’s monarchy is the longest hereditary monarchy in the world and there have been 125 reigning monarchs since 660BC. Prior to 1889, Japan had eight female tennō or reigning empresses, but since that time Japanese law limits the succession to the throne to direct male descendants of the current emperor. This posed a problem until September 2006 when Prince Hisahito was born. Until that point the Imperial Household has 22 members and no male heir had been born into the imperial family since Prince Akishino, the Emperor’s second son and Prince Hisahito’s father, in 1965. This resulted in a potential succession crisis in Japan and there were some serious discussions about whether or not the law would need to be changed to allow a female to take the throne once again. Most everyday Japanese people did not support such a change.

His Imperial Majesty, The Emperor Akihito, ascended to the throne upon his father’s death in 1989. His father, Emperor Showa (Hirohito), led Japan through WWI and WWII and at the end of WWII was forced to publicly admit that he was not, as traditionally believed, a decendant of the Gods. The implementation of the post war constitution in 1947 limited the Emperor’s role to one that it is purely ceremonial.

The Imperial Palace is located in the heart of Tokyo and is closed to the public on all but two days of the year, January 2nd and December 23rd (The Emperor’s birthday) but it is definitely worth a visit.

Approaching on foot you will cross the Babasaki Moat to arrive at the vast Imperial Palace Plaza. Wander through the plaza to view the outer fortifications of the palace and the various and gates and bridges that cross the string of moats that surround the palace proper. Don’t forget your camera as there are many great photo opportunities at the Imperial Palace. One of the most photographed views from the Imperial Palace Plaza is that of the Niju-bashi bridge (pictured above).

To get to the Imperial Palace take the subway to either Tokyo or Nujibashi-mae Stations and walk towards the Sakashita-mon gate or the Niju-bashi bridge (map).

Historical Information Source: Wikipedia, Imperial House of Japan
Photo Credits: Wikipedia, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan & Flickr, Tokyo Imperial Palace 2

If you can’t make the fire boat demonstration at the Tokyo Port Festival this Saturday then why not head over to the Asakusa Yayoi Matsuri (festival) on Sunday, May 25th. Or you could do both!

The Edo Shobo Kinen-kai (Edo Civilian Fire Fighters’ Association) will be hosting a demonstration of acrobatics on fire-ladders at 12 Noon at the Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa.

To get to the Senso-ji Temple (Asakusa Kannon Temple) take Tokyo Metro to Asakusa Station and follow the signs to the Kaminarimon Gate.

While you are there why not make a day of it and check out some of the other things to do and see in Asakusa?  Here are just a few of your options:

• Five Story Pagoda in Asakusa
• Kappabashi - Kitchenware Town
• Asakusa - Nakamise

Photo Credit: Flickr, FIREMAN’S ACROBATICS DURING NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES IN YOKOHAMA — Plain Salted Paper Prints of Beautiful Old Meiji-era Japan (#23) (Permission via T-Enami.org)