
What does Umayabashi mean?
Umayabashi is not the most famous bridge in TÅkyÅ by a long shot, but it does have an interesting story and etymology. Continue reading What does Umayabashi mean?
Umayabashi is not the most famous bridge in TÅkyÅ by a long shot, but it does have an interesting story and etymology. Continue reading What does Umayabashi mean?
Honjo began as one of Edo’s elite areas but soon developed a rich commoner culture. By the ShÅwa Period it was a polluted flophouse on a filthy river. Continue reading What does Honjo mean?
Recently, we’ve been exploring the Sumida River area. Today I decided to write about an obscure shrine with a fascinating history. Continue reading What does Ushima mean?
Ever felt like drowning yourself in the ocean to appease a magic sky daddy? Me neither.
Let’s learn about Oshiage – home of Tokyo Skytree! Continue reading What does Oshiage mean?
Today we’re looking at one of TÅkyÅ’s best kept secrets. It seems like Asakusa’s boring cousin, but the town is steeped in the history of Edo-TÅkyÅ. Continue reading What does MukÅjima mean?
I had a little free time so I added one more article to my series on bridges named after shrines and temples!
Continue reading What does Eitaibashi mean?
Suijin is a reference to the god of the Sumida River. This bridge replaced a famous ferry crossing immortalized in ukiyo-e by Hiroshige. Continue reading What does Suijin Åhashi mean?
Azumabashi is one of the biggest tourist spots in Tokyo. The bridge is named after a little known shrine. Continue reading What does Azumabashi mean?
A staple of modern Japan cuisine began in the heart of Edo on an island most TÅkyÅites have never heard of! Continue reading What does Tsukuda mean?
Rivers, dead prostitutes, executions, class discrimination, drainage ditches, and naming conventions. This article’s got it all! Continue reading The Arakawa River
é ç°å·Sumidagawa (literally, âcorner river,â but actually no known meaning) First a quick note.WordPress isn’t handling footnotes correctly anymore.Not sure why.You’ll have to manually scroll to the end of the article to read them. Sorry about that. Iâve been told by Japanese people that âJapan is a country of water.â The idea being that thereâs literally water everywhere and given the abundance of æž©æ³ onsen hot springs and rivers and⊠well, itâs a freaking island surrounded by water, I canât argue with them. But herein lays the problem with this series[i]. When you have lots of water and people are living … Continue reading The Sumida River
More rivers than you can shake a stick at!
You know, if you’re into that sort of thing… Continue reading The Rivers of Edo-Tokyo
Recently, we’ve looked at a few places in Sumida and Katsushika. Today let’s learn about the river that linked these two places together and what happened to that river. Continue reading What does Hikifune mean?
Today, the area called Ohanajaya refers to three blocks in Katsushika Ward, but in the Edo Period, this was the countryside and was used for falconry by the Tokugawaw shÅguns. Continue reading What does Ohanajaya mean?
Kappabashi DÅgugai is a shopping street between Ueno & Asakusa famous for stores selling everything needed by restaurateurs incly Continue reading What does Kappabashi mean?
Asakusa – one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Japan. Continue reading What does Asakusa mean?