Sticky post
Discover the fascinating history of Kamata, from an ancient samurai clan’s influence to its transformation into a modern, safe urban suburb. Uncover the secrets of cattails, plum blossoms, and the yakuza’s impact in this intriguing journey through Tokyo’s lesser-known past. Continue reading What does Kamata mean?
What does Ōkubo mean? Samurai and guns – woo hoo! Continue reading What does Ōkubo mean?
Hachiōji is a suburb in West Tōkyō and home to a haunted mountain. Continue reading What does Hachiōji mean?
Today we’ll look at the biographies of a few people who called Tōkyō’s Honjo area home. Continue reading 10 Famous People From Honjo
Continuing with our 17th installment of exploring Edo-Tōkyō via the Ōedo Line. Continue reading Ōedo Line: Shiodome
Today I’m going to talk about how Edo Period cities protected themselves and then we’re going to burn some Christians. In the early Edo Period, these were almost synonymous terms. Continue reading What does Fuda no Tsuji mean?
My final word on Setagaya for now. But what a long strange trip it’s been!!
Continue reading What does Taishido mean?
Today let’s look at Kitami, a place name closely related to Edo. Continue reading What does Kitami mean?
There are a cluster of places names related to horses in Setagaya and I want to get to the bottom of it! Continue reading Setagaya and its Freaky Horse Fetish
The Tama RIver is another river associated with the Edo Period, but in reality, it's history goes back much further…
Continue reading The Tama River
The story of the Kanda River is a story as old as Edo itself. It is part and parcel of the evolution of the city. Continue reading The Kanda River
浜松町 Hamamatsu-chō (seaside pine town, more at Hamamatsu town) . There’s not a lot to go on with this place name. A lot of it adds up, but a lot of it doesn’t. As such, we’ll probably have to do a little more filling in the gaps than I like to do. But anyways, let’s see where this takes us. . On the record, here’s what we’ve got. . At the beginning of the Edo Period, the 増上寺代官 Zōjō-ji daikan magistrate of Zōjō-ji[i] 奥住久右衛門 Ozumi Kyūemon[ii] lived here. Because of that, the area was called affectionately called 久右衛門町 Kyūemon-chō Kyūemon Town. However, … Continue reading What does Hamamatsu-cho mean?
Today we’re talking about Kameari in Katsushika Ward. It’s an interesting place name that’’s easy to speculate about because of the kanji. Continue reading What does Kameari mean?
Bakuroyokoyamacho! Bakuroyokoyamacho! Bakuroyokoyamacho! Say it three times and the ghost of Tokugawa Ienari will appear. Continue reading What does Bakuro-Yokoyama-cho mean?
A rich guy, a castle and a nature preserve walk into a bar… Continue reading What does Shirokane mean?
Let’s explore the old Tōkaidō road on the outskirts of Edo. Continue reading What does Shimbamba mean?
There’s a new service specializing in tourism for Japanese History. It may include beer! Help me spread the word, guys! Continue reading I Have a Huge Announcement!
I thought today’s place name would be boring, but it actually turns out to be an area with quite a rich history… possibly. Continue reading What does Yotsugi mean?
Japanese ghost hunters claim this is Tokyo’s most haunted spot. It’s the site of multiple murders Continue reading Dōryō-dō – the Haunted Temple of Hachiōji
Samezu was a fishing/seaweed village, but today, it’s just a shitamachi neighborhood in Shinagawa. Continue reading What does Samezu mean?
Nobody ever thinks about the etymology airport names. Be one of the few chosen ones! Continue reading What does Haneda mean?
Asakusa – one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Japan. Continue reading What does Asakusa mean?
Kasai seems like a place name, and the term is used, but in Tokyo, there actually isn’t any real area named Kasai. Yet, the name is very ancient. So, say hello to my little friend, Kasai. Continue reading What does Kasai mean?
牛込 Ushigome (Crowd of Cows) 。 。 牛 ushi cow 込 komi[i] swarming, huddling, amassed, crowded, “in bulk” 。 According to Japanese Wikipedia[ii], in 701, in accordance to the Taihō Code, a livestock ranch was established in this area. In fact, two were established which were sometimes referred to as 牛牧 gyūmaki a cow ranch and 馬牧 umamaki a horse ranch. These two locations came to be referred to as 牛込 Ushigome and 駒込 Komagome. The fact that there was a cattle/dairy ranch here in the Asuka Period is a known fact (it’s documented). The horse ranch is a different … Continue reading What does Ushigome mean?
Went a little long on this on… sorry about that. But I love Tokyo. I wanted to explore the forgotten side… Continue reading What does Edo mean?
One of the official place names near Shimo-Kitazawa is Daita. It seems to have a mythological origin and a possible tie in to the original creation myths of Japan. Continue reading What does Daita mean?
年号Nengō (This page was originally published in 5/2013,due to the ever-evolving nature of JapanThis!,it was updated in 7/2015) And I quote… “If your Blog is for begginers as it claims to be.Why do you keep using Emperor years instead of Real … Continue reading Japanese Eras
