(This post is Part 8 of 10 on Japan with Cleo, 28 April - 14 May 2017. Updated and edited on 8 July 2021.)
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| Cleo at the Reiganjima Water Level Observatory, Shinkawa (on IG). This landmark is a recurring scene in Umino Chica's 3-gatsu no Lion. |
The next 2 days following our Enoshima day trip (
Part 7), we stuck around Tokyo, visiting Tsukishima, Tsukuda and Shinkawa as part of my recent obsession with
3-gatsu no Lion (3月のライオン) (post pending, but others like
Crunchyroll have already done so).
All 3 districts are areas along the
Sumida River Terrace, a paved promenade that runs alongside the Sumida River, one of Tokyo's 3 major rivers. In my view, the terrace is quite a
lovely way to explore Tokyo, especially the quieter and lesser known parts. The scenery is a mix of the unique and the mundane, the old and the new. The terrace is part of the daily lives of Tokyo's residents, who walk, stroll, jog, or walk their dogs there. The terrace also links various districts in Tokyo and various parks, and parts of it offers superb views of some of Tokyo's best attractions. For example, we had a superb view of the Tokyo SkyTree and the Asahi Beer Hall, etc (see
Part 1, Asakusa).
Tsukishima (月島)
Tsukishima (月島) is a reclaimed island in Tokyo Bay, across the Sumida River from Tsukiji. It was created in 1892 from the earth that was dredged from Tokyo Bay in the process of constructing a shipping channel. Formerly designated by the Meiji government as an iron-working district, Tsukishima could only be reached by boat until 1940 when the Kachidoki Bridge (勝どき橋) was opened. The Kachidoki Bridge, one of the 27 (or 26?) bridges spanning Tokyo's Sumida River, is
an iconic drawbridge that was built to commemorate the Japanese army's victory at Lushun during the Russo-Japanese War. (Hence it's name, as 勝どき
kachidoki means "victory cry".)
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| Monja-dori, Tsukishima, Tokyo (on IG) |
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| Tsukishima's Monja-dori. Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 4 (00:17:01). |
Tsukushima is now a residential district filled with high-rise apartment buildings, and is synonymous with
monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き), the
ugly, sloppier but also delicious 'cousin' of
okonomiyaki. I've had
monjayaki before, and wouldn't say it's ugly...just...wetter and
much harder to cook without experience. It's a pretty yummy snack food though, and is a lot of fun when having with friends.
A section of Nishinaka-dori that is flanked on both sides by awning is nicknamed
Monja-dori, thanks to the many restaurants there that are dedicated to
monjayaki. Part of the street was closed off for renovation, with quite a number of stores being relocated.
Tsukuda (佃)
Tsukuda (佃), or Tsukudajima (佃島), is a district of Tokyo, northeast of Tsukishima (
above). Both Tsukuda and Tsukishima used to be separate, neighbouring islands but due to expansion over the years, the 2 islands
have since been joined.
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| Tsukuda, Tokyo |
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| Tsukuda, with a view of Tsukuda-kobashi. Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 1 (00:20:23). |
Like Tsukishima, Tsukuda was created on reclaimed land. However, Tsukuda is a much older district, created in 1644 under the behest of
Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川 家康). As mentioned in
Part 4 on Tsukiji market, Ieyasu invited
fisherfolk from Tsukuda, Settsu Province (today around Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka) to settle in Edo in order to supply fish and seafood to the shogun and the capital's population. The fisherfolk were granted special fishing rights and the use of sandbars in Tokyo Bay, and exempted from land tax. They settled on the reclaimed island, forming a fishing community in the area which came to be called Tsukudajima or Tsukuda, after their original village in Settsu. Subsequently, Tsukuda was expanded by the 3rd Tokugawa shogun,
Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川 家光). While Tsukuda continued to be the abode of the fishing community, the north bank
was given to Ishikawa Hachizaemon (石川 八左衛門), a samurai and vassal of the Tokugawa, and the area
came to be known as Ishikawajima (石川嶋). Remnants of this history remains in the area, which is now where Ishikawajima Park is. (More on this below.)
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| The quiet and narrow residential streets of Tsukuda, Tokyo |
Today, Tsukuda is a sleepy residential district that probably bears little resemblance to its fishing village past. Tsukuda is the real life location of the fictional Sangatsu-cho in
3-gatsu no Lion, where the Kawamoto sisters live. (Post pending, but in the meantime, do check out
Crunchyroll's post.)
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| Tsukuda is one of the few districts in Tokyo where pre-war Edo era houses are still standing. |
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| Tenyasu, Tsukuda |
Walking around Tsukuda, parts of it feels untouched by earthquake, war and modernity, especially the part closest to the Sumida River. Pockets of old Edo era houses still remain, sandwiched between modern buildings.
Among the the many Old Tokyo buildings is
Tenyasu (天安), established in 1837 during the Edo era, is Tsukuda's oldest
tsukudani shop. The 2 others are Tsukuda-gen Tanakaya (
established in 1843) and Marukyu (
established in 1859).
Tsukuda is the birthplace of
tsukudani (佃煮), a food product made using dried and salted bits of food and seaweed, simmered in shoyu, sugar, salt and/or
mirin. It was originally created in the Edo era by the Tsukuda fisherfolk (mentioned above) to
preserve their food for rainy weather or so they could take it aboard their fishing craft. Over time, it became a popular food product among Edo residents, and became considered an Edo regional specialty (
meibutsu 名物) that samurai would bring back to their
domains as
omiyage.
Today,
tsukudani is a staple in Japanese food. Apparently, it is no longer as salty as its Edo era predecessor, which used to be able
to keep for 6 months!
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| Mikazukidou, the wagashi-ya of the Kawamoto family. Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 1 (00:20:25). The shopfront slightly resembles Tenyasu. |
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| Tsukuda-kobashi, Tsukuda, Tokyo (on IG) |
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| Tsukuda-kobashi. Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 1 (00:10:24). |
The most distinctive landmark is Tsukuda is the vermilion-coloured
Tsukuda-kobashi (佃小橋), which spans a narrow tidal canal that is fed by the Sumida River. I don't think I need to say that the bridge is a recurring icon in
3-gatsu no Lion. (Post pending, but
Crunchyroll has does one helluva job!)
From one side of the Tsukuda-kobashi, the canal was dammed and dry, when we visited. I'm not entirely sure why, although I read somewhere that the area is undergoing some development in preparation for the 2020 Olympics, like many other parts of Tokyo.
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| Tsukuda, Tokyo. This scene is also faithfully represented in 3-gatsu no Lion. |
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| Tsukuda, Tokyo. Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 1 (00:09:35). |
On the other side of Tsukuda-kobashi, the canal was still filled, with new and old boats placidly floating on the water. There was also some kind of concrete enclosure by the side of the canal. Apparently, it was used to hold buried wooden flagpoles which are removed and used during local festivities, and that this practice dates back to the Edo period.
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| Tsukuda, Tokyo |
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| Tsukuda, Tokyo. Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 5 (00:10:11). |
From the Tsukuda-kobashi, I followed the canal which seems to divide the older part of Tsukuda from Tsukuda Park and the newer parts.
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| Tsukuda Namiyoke Inari Shrine, Tsukuda, Tokyo. |
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| Tsukuda Namiyoke Inari Shrine. Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 1 (00:09:37). |
Near the Tsukuda-kobashi is the
Tsukuda Namiyoke Inari Daimyojin (波除於咲稲荷大明神). Not surprising to find a Namiyoke shrine on Tsukuda, given its fishing village roots. Not to forget...Tsukuda was built on reclaimed land that is just above sea level.... As mentioned in the Tsukiji Market post (
Part 4), there is a connection between Namiyoke Inari shrines and fisherfolk, since such shrines are usually established by fishing communities as protection for fisherfolk and for safe voyages. (Along with Sumiyoshi shrines....) Oh, the large stones around the
torii entrance are apparently
used in strength contests....（￣□￣；）
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| Sumiyoshi Shrine's main torii at Tsukuda. |
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| Main torii of the Sumiyoshi Shrine, Tsukuda. Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 8 (00:05:32). |
On Tsukuda, northwest of the Tsukuda-kobashi, close to the Sumida Riverside, stands a large red
tori (which used to be green until it was repainted around 2015/2016) which has become somewhat synonymous with Tsukuda itself. This
torii is the main
torii of the
Tsukuda Sumiyoshi Shrine (住吉神社) which enshrines the guardian deities of the island, the
Sumiyoshi O-kami (住吉大神), the 3
kami of the sea and sailing; thus, again, the focus on protection of fisherfolk and safe voyages.
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| Sumiyoshi Shrine, Tsukuda, Tokyo |
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| Sumiyoshi Shrine, Tsukuda. Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 12 (00:01:30). |
Further down the narrow road, flanked by residential houses, is the white
torii that is directly in front of the shrine. This
torii has a distinctive sign that was painted by calligrapher Ippin Shijin Shinno in 1882. Above the
temizu (hand-washing basin) are wooden carvings that depict ships and fishermen hauling in nets. Another clear reference to its fishing village origins.
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| Sumiyoshi Shrine, Tsukuda, Tokyo |
The Tsukuda Sumiyoshi Shrine was founded in 1646, when the first fisherfolk arrived on the island from Tsukuda Village in Osaka. The shrine's
honden is built in the
Sumiyoshi-zukuri style, apparently a distinctive architectural feature of all Sumiyoshi shrines, including the head shrine (
Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka).
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| Tsukuda Park, Tokyo |
Back down to the main
torii at the Sumida Riverfront, I headed towards the
Tsukuda Park (佃公園), through its trees and shrubs, red brick ruins, small fountain and relatively still pond.
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| Ishikawajima Lighthouse, Tsukuda, Tokyo (on IG) |
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| Ishikawajima Lighthouse, Tsukuda. Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 8 (00:05:42). |
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| Sumiyoshi Suimon, Tsukuda |
Walked onto the riverside walkway, past the
Sumiyoshi Suimon (住吉水門), the floodgate that prevents the canal in Tsukuda from flooding.
Up ahead was the
Ishikawajima Lighthouse (石川島灯台). The present lighthouse structure is a replica of the 1866 hexagonal-shaped lighthouse that was formerly an Edo period
ninsoku yoseba (人足寄場跡), i.e. a criminal rehabilitation facility.
The first
yoseba was constructed on Ishikawajima
in 1790, at the recommendation of Hasegawa Heizo (長谷川平蔵), the chief of the arson and theft investigative unit. Hasegawa Heizo is a figure that has been romanticised in Japanese popular culture. For example, in the the popular novel
Onihei Hankacho (鬼平犯科帳) by Ikenami Shotaro, which has been adapted into films, theatrical productions, TV series, manga, and more recently
the anime series Onihei (鬼平), after his nickname. (I really enjoyed the anime, by the way.)
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| Ishikawajima Lighthouse, Tsukuda, Tokyo (on IG) |
The present-day memorial lighthouse houses toilets, and is a picturesque landmark among the greenery and the Sumida River. Its name is an anachronism, left over from the days when the area was
owned by Ichikawa Hachizaemon (explained above). Today, Ishikawajima is no longer referenced on any official maps, save for a few mentions, for e.g. Ishikawajima Lighthouse and Ishikawajima Park (mostly names of places or buildings).
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| Ishikawajima Park, Tsukuda, Tokyo. On the opposite bank is Shinkawa Park. |
The riverside walkway led me to the riverside promenade along
Ishikawajima Park (石川島公園), from which I could see Shinkawa from the opposite bank of the Sumida River. (More below.)
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| View of Shinkawa from Ishikawajima Park, Tsukuda, with a view of the Kamejimagawa Suimon and Reiganjima Water Observatory. |
From the riverside promenade at Tsukuda is a great view of the opposite bank, with the
watergate Kamejimagawa Suimon (floodgate), the Reiganjima Water Level Observatory, and the Sumida River Terrace at Shinkawa. This scene is also faithfully represented in
3-gatsu no Lion!
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| Tsukuda-ohashi, with the Kachidoki Bridge downriver |
In the opposite direction, was a downriver view of Tsukuda-ohashi (佃大橋) and Kachidoki Bridge (mentioned
above). Completed in 1964, the Tsukuda-ohashi links Tsukuda with the mainland.
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| Pari-hiroba at Ishikawajima Park, Tsukuda, Tokyo |
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| Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 2 (00:05:02). |
Walked further along the riverside promenade until I came to the
Pari-hiroba (パリ広場), at the tip of Ishikawajima Park. The area consisted of a wide wooden deck, beside which was a shallow spread of large, flat stones, that gradually disappeared into the Sumida River. To be honest, I'm not entirely certain what was the point of this platforn...but it's a lovely area to just be at, feeling the breeze whip past, and just people-watch. A lot of locals were there, some sitting at the steps enjoying the scenery, other walking their dog, others strolling or brisk-walking or jogging.
And from the riverside promenade at Ishikawajima Park are superb views of the Chuo-ohashi and the Eitai-bashi, another 2 bridges that span the Sumida River.
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| Chuo-ohashi, with the Eitai-bashi, upriver view from Ishikawajima Park, Tsukuda |
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| Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 2 (00:16:28). |
From the riverside terrace at Tsukuda, the
Chuo-ohashi (中央大橋) can be seen from both upriver and downriver, since the terrace passes beneath the bridge. The Chuo-ohashi is a white suspension bridge that connects Tsukuda with Shinkawa. The bridge was
completed on 26 August 1993. When the bridge was completed, Jacques Chirac (then Mayor of Paris) presented the
Messenger statue to Tokyo; the said statue was installed on the Chuo-ohashi and faces the river.
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| Chuo-ohashi at sunset, downriver view from Ishikawajima Park, Tsukuda, Tokyo (on IG) |
I would be remiss if I neglected to mention that the bridge is another prominent recurring feature in
3-gatsu no Lion (post pending, but do see
Crunchyroll's great post).
From this area is also a wonderful view of the
Eitai-bashi (永代橋), with the Tokyo SkyTree in the background. The current Eitai-bashi is the 3rd version. It was built in 1926 and is Japan's first earthquake-proof bridge in Tokyo. The bridge is rather picturesque at twilight or night, when it's lit up, with the ferries crossing the river in the foreground. That said, the history of the bridge is actually fairly tragic.
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| View of the present-day Eitai-bashi (built in 1926) from Ishikawajima Park, Tsukuda, Tokyo (on IG) |
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| Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 8 (00:12:28). The Tokyo SkyTree is not in it because this manga chapter predates the SkyTree's construction in mid-2008. |
The first Eitai-bashi was
built in 1698 at the request of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the 5th Tokugawa shogun, to celebrate his 50th birthday (or so one theory goes). The first bridge was originally built of wood, and was located about 100m further upstream from its present-day location. At the time of its first construction, it was the 4th bridge to span the Sumida River, connecting Edo (now Tokyo) with a river crossing called Fukagawa-no-watashi (深川の渡し). It has been depicted in several
ukiyoe, like the one by
Utagawa Hiroshige below (more
here).
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| Utagawa Hiroshige, Edo Meisho: Eitaibashi, Tsukudajima. |
And here's a screengrab of the first Eitai-bashi from the anime
Onihei!
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| Scene from Onihei, episode 3 (00:20:31) depicting the first Eitai-bashi during the Edo era. |
By 1719, the first Eitai-bashi was worn out and needed repairs. However, the bridge remained unrepaired as the local townsfolk were unable to decide on repair payments, and the shogunate was unprepared. Things soon came to a tragic head on 20 September 1807, during a grand festival at the Fukagawa Tomioka Hachimangu. As the crowds crossed the Eitai-bashi to get to the festival, the
bridge collapsed. According to records, 1,400 people died or went missing. The Eitai-bashi was later rebuilt in 1897 by the shogunate, and the rebuilt structure was hailed as
Japan's first iron bridge. This iron structure was then destroyed during the
1923 Great Kanto Earthquake (ironically, also in September). As mentioned, it was rebuilt in 1926. The present-day Eitai-bashi only kind of looks like its predecessors, but only in terms of appearance of the arch and pillars, the actual bridge where cars and pedestrians cross is now the flat portion below the arch. I suppose it's place in Japanese history is such that it was designated a National Treasure in 2007.
Shinkawa (新川)
As mentioned above, Shinkawa (新川) is a district of Tokyo, another residential area that is also built on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay.
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| Wandering around Shinkawa, Tokyo (on IG) |
Honestly, the domestic and dull Shinkawa is hardly a tourist attraction. The main -
only - reason I was there is because Shinkawa is the real life location of the fictional Rokugatsu-cho in
3-gatsu no Lion, where the protagonist Kiriyama Rei lives. (Post pending.) Nonetheless, it's one of the districts that is along the Sumida River Terrace. And from the terrace is a panoramic view of Tsukuda, on the opposite bank of the Sumida River.
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| View of Tsukuda on the opposite bank of the Sumida River, from Shinkawa, Tokyo |
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| Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 12 (00:04:11). |
Shinkawa is bounded by the Sumida River to the southeast, Kamejimagawa (亀島川) to the southwest, and Nihonbashigawa (日本橋川) to the north. The district was also called Reiganjima (霊岸島) at some point in its history. During the Edo period, the area of Shinkawa was originally
known as Edo Nakajima (江戸中島). Under the orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the area was reclaimed, giving rise to Reiganjima (霊岸島) to the south, and Hakozakijima (箱崎島) (today, Nihonbashi Hakozaki-cho) to the north.
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| Kamejimagawa, and the blue Kamejimabashi in the distance, Shinkawa, Tokyo |
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| Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 1 (00:03:48). |
During this era, shipping was the life blood of Edo, as all kinds of goods (rice, timber, textiles,
sake, condiments, etc) arrived in Edo via shipping. The goods would be transferred to small barges that would deliver the goods to warehouses and distribution centres through a network of inner city canals. At the time, the Nihonbashigawa was the city's main artery in this canal system.
Due to its location at the mouth of the Nihonbashigawa, the Shinkawa area was convenient for the
unloading, warehousing and distribution of goods, and became a base for dealers in the business of fermented liquids (e.g. shoyu and vinegar). With its many modern high-rises, Shinkawa today barely resembles its historic past.
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| Distant view of Takabashi, Shinkawa, Tokyo |
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| Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 13. |
While wandering around Shinkawa, indulging in my
3-gatsu no Lion obsession, I first passed
Takabashi (高橋), a bridge spanning the Kamejimagawa. Quite non-descript as a whole, but this bridge is another recurring one in
3-gatsu no Lion (post pending, but check out
Crunchyroll's exhaustive comparison).
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| Minami Takabashi, Shinkawa, Tokyo |
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| Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 2 (00:05:21). |
Further along the Kamejimagawa is the
Minami Takabashi (南高橋), a pre-war iron bridge. Construction bridge was
completed in March 1932, during the Showa era. The Minami Takabashi is located furthest downriver, and is just before the Kamejimagawa Suimon (below).
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| The Kamejimagawa Suimon, view from Hatchobori, Tokyo |
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| Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 12 (00:04:27). |
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| A small shrine in Hatchobori, Tokyo |
The
Kamejimagawa Suimon (亀島川水門) is a floodgate that prevents the Kamejimagawa from flooding. As the confluence point of Kamejimagawa and the Sumida River is close to the ocean, water could flow backwards into the Kamejimagawa during storm surges and cause flooding.
To protect the area from flooding, the Kamejimagawa can be closed at 2 points, downstream at the Kamejimagawa Suimon, and upstream at the Nihonbashi Suimon (日本橋水) at the confluence of Kamejimagawa and Nihonbashigawa.
While searching for a riverside point from which to view the Kamejimagawa Suimon on the Hatchobori side, I came across a very small neighbourhood shrine. I'm not entirely sure if it was part of the Teppozu Inari Shrine (鉄砲洲稲荷神社). This one only consisted of a small red
torii gate just before a small shelter over a small closed, shrine that was placed on top of a red stand and stone pedestal.
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| Reiganjima Water Level Observatory, Shinkawa, Tokyo |
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| Scene from 3-gatsu no Lion, season 1, episode 7 (00:00:42). |
Along the Sumida Riverside Terrace in Shinkawa is the Reiganjima Water Level Observatory (霊岸島水位観測所), another recurring feature in
3-gatsu no Lion. (See
Crunchyroll.) The observatory is located at the confluence point of Kamejimagawa and the Sumida River. No longer in use, the observatory was formerly used to measure the water levels of Tokyo Bay.
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| View from the Chuo-ohashi at blue hour, Tokyo (on IG) |
Spent a fair amount of time on Chuo-ohashi itself. At one point in the evening, we had a lovely downriver view from Chuo-ohashi, with part of Shinkawa on the left, a faraway view of the Minato/Irifune area, and the lit-up Kachidoki Bridge. All during blue hour.
Took a few more pictures of the area after sundown, but we soon made our move back to central Tokyo to grab dinner. The original plan was to have ramen at Rokurinsha (六厘舎) at the Ramen Street at Tokyo Station Ichibangai, but the queue was pretty long and we didn't really have the patience. So we hopped into the one next door.
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| Tonkotsu DX ramen at Oreshiki Jun, Tokyo Ramen Street |
As luck would have it, we had stepped into
Oreshiki Jun (俺式 純), which was newly opened when we were there. Apparently, it's part of the ramen chain Setagaya Ramen Group, and is considered to be a rising star in the
tonkotsu ramen world. DT and I got the Tonkotsu DX ramen. The soup was very creamy, and the blob of spicy
mentaiko added depth to the soup's flavour. Really good quality eggs (bright orange yolks!), crisp bean sprouts, crunchy wood ear fungus, fresh
negi, and grilled charsiu. Yum!
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