Kuramae 蔵前: Downtown Tokyo

I thought it was prime time to get off my self-indulgent corporate head-butting now that I've let off a bit of steam and come to understand these things are little more than storms in teacups in the grand scheme of things. ;)

Anyway, the other day I was in the Kuramae (蔵前) district of downtown Tokyo, conveniently packing my camera, and took some happy-snaps of what is quite an inspiring older area of this city.

It's located on the west bank of the Sumida River, near Asakusa, and apparently used to be the site of the government rice granaries in the Edo period; it's still to this day a warehouse/wholesale area and there're some amazing old buildings to be found.

The area offers up a great view of the almost-finished Tokyo Sky Tree, and it turns out that, up until 1984, this was also the home of post-war sumo - namely the Kuramae Kokugikan (蔵前国技館), a building erected by the Japan Sumo Association in 1950 since the previous, bomb-damaged Kokugikan had been taken over by occupying Allied forces after World War 2.


Tournaments were held in Kuramae until September 1984, and in January 1985 the new Ryōgoku Kokugikan was opened nearby.

Kuramae still has a few interesting toy shops, smaller shrines and temples, some signposted in English, and a number of smaller shops that look unchanged since the Edo era (1603-1867) selling everything from cleaning materials to sumo-related goods.

And then there are the exceptionally old school toy shops and the book shop pictured here (see top of page).

Kuramae Station (蔵前駅) is a subway station on the Toei Asakusa Line and the Toei Ōedo Line, in case you feel like checking it out when/if you come here.


I happen to teach at a kindergarten in Kuramae on Mondays, so on this occasion wandered around a bit post-lessons.

Ace. I loved the snakes-in-a-box (right), and the area is an absolute treat.

Nihonbashi 日本橋: Japan Bridge

It's funny how you can live in a place for a decade and miss a lot of what's right there nearby.

It's spring, the weather's been glorious here in Tokyo, and the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom.

A couple of days ago I was on tight writing deadlines, but it was superb weather again so I decided to skip out and finally go explore the area in central Tokyo around the Nihonbashi (日本橋), literally Japan Bridge - which was built a century ago this year, but rests on what has been a vital conduit spot for this city since the 17th century.

And I'd never even seen it before now.

Apparently it's also the point from which the Japanese measure distances: highway signs that report the distance to Tokyo actually state the number of kilometres to Nihonbashi.

Just before the 1964 Olympics, an expressway was built over the top of Nihonbashi, obscuring the classic view of Mount Fuji (and just about everything else) from the bridge.

To mark its centenary this month Nihonbashi recently underwent a bit of window-dressing - the removal of decades of soot and grime to showcase the granite sidewalls - and it does look rather spiffy.


There are also some jazzy lion and dragon sculptures perched on its walls.

Incidentally, Japan's first department store, Mitsukoshi, is on one side of the bridge, and there's a monument to the Edo-era fish market which was formerly in Nihonbashi - the predecessor of Tsukiji fish market.

Edo-Tokyo Museum 江戸東京博物館

Founded 15 years ago, right next door to Ryogoku Kokugikan (the Tokyo sumo stadium) in Ryogoku, is this fittingly over-the-top home to the 400-year history of Tokyo.

The Edo-Tokyo Museum (江戸東京博物館, Edo Tokyo Hakubutsukan) towers at over 62 meters, ostensibly in homage to the former Edo Castle which was the same height.

Inside you’ll find original artifacts, representations and installations that capture the developing culture. There are also displays that recount the four-century growth of this metropolis, from a humble fishing village, through its establishment (as Edo) as the capital of Japan by Ieyasu Tokugawa in 1603, and on to a city of 12 million people now.


Think scale models of towns and buildings from the Edo, Meiji and Showa periods, along with a large-scale recreation here of the iconic Nihonbashi bridge – the eastern terminus of the Nasendo and Tokaido roads, which linked Edo and Kyoto.

A great way to lose yourself in Tokyo’s past, before all the redevelopment - even if most of this isn't really... well... real.