[Back Post] Japan with Peko-chan 2017 #5/9 - Tokyo

Peko-chan at Wadakura Fountain Park, Tokyo.

Next stage we drove from Hida-Furukawa (Part 4) to Tokyo where we spent a couple of days doing the usual meeting people, fabric and Akiba/Nakano run. We'd originally planned to stick around the Chuubu region, but I gave into the urge to make a run to Nagasaki, so we drove from Hida-Furukawa to Tokyo, in order to catch a domestic flight to Nagasaki. Not the most logical route, yes. But it did give us a couple of days in Tokyo.

Tokyo

Central Tokyo in autumn is golden with ginkgo trees. Compared to our first autumn trip here, we did not go chasing foliage this time. There were still spots all over central Tokyo that have amazing autumn sights, just from the ginkgo trees flanking the streets alone.

Ginkgo lining Gyoko-dori, the path linking the Kokyo Gaien and the Tokyo Station Marunouchi Station Building, Tokyo.

One of my favourite buildings around Tokyo Station is the building at the south exit, the red bricked Marunouchi Station building丸の内口駅舎 which dates back to the Meiji era. It was completed in 1914 and was designed by Tatsuno Kingo辰野 金吾, a Meiji era Japanese architect who became representative of Japanese colonial architecture, particularly in Manchukuo and Korea. The Neo-Baroque style of the building uses extensive steel framing and red brick, and the north and south wings have large ribbed domed roofs. The building's steel structure survived the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake as well as the WWII Tokyo air raids in 1945, though the building had to be rebuilt (completed in 1947). In 2014, extensive restoration and reconstruction works were undertaken, and the building was restored to its original design.

Autumn-time ginkgo trees in central Tokyo

Ramen: Nakiryu & Kagari

Tokyo is home to many awesome ramen shops.

Tori paitan at Kagari, Otemon branch

As usual we grab a bowl from our favourite Kagari. The Echika fit branch at the Ginza Station has since closed. There is now a branch in Otemachi. (Update: Honten in Ginza reopened in December 2018.)

Nakiryu tantanmen

Queued for Nakiryu tantanmen.

Akihabara

Radio Kaikan, Akihabara

Went to Akihabara. Naturally, Radio Kaikan was the place we first stopped by.

My modest Akihabara loot~!

Nippori Textile Town

naniIRO fabric, Tomato, Nippori Textile Town

Checked out the naniIRO fabric at Tomato in Nippori Textile Town! Bought some from here, as well as some of the older naniIRO prints from the naniIRO atelier in Osaka (Part 7). Nippori Textile Town, especially the shop Tomato, is one of my favourite fabric shopping spots in Tokyo. The others are Odakaya and Yuzuwaya in Shinjuku.

Wadakura Fountain Park & Kokyo Gaien

Wadakura Fountain Park, Tokyo

Went for a stroll at the Wadakura Fountain Park和田倉噴水公園 as well as Kokyo Gaien皇居外苑 (Imperial Palace Outer Gardens), both on the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Imperial Palace. The Wadakura Fountain Park is part of the Kokyo Gaien, and was opened as a public park in 1961 to commemorate the wedding of Emperor Akihito (at the time, Crown Prince) and Empress Michiko. The park was later refurbished in honour of the wedding of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako. It's a bit of a hidden pocket of calm within the hustle and bustle of Central Tokyo.

Kokyo Gaien, Tokyo

We walked from Wadakura Fountain Park to Kokyo Gaien. Kokyo Gaien is a simple park, spacious and filled with over 2,000 black pine trees, as well as other trees which were in various autumn hues.

Kokyo Gaien, Tokyo

I can see why it's popular with joggers...

Peko-chan at Kokyo Gaien, Tokyo

Black pine trees at Kokyo Gaien, Tokyo

Sakuradamon, Tokyo Imperial Palace

In Kokyo Gaien are various Edo period structures that form part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Back in autumn 2016, we toured the Imperial Palace and the East Gardens but were out of time to wander around Kokyo Gaien. One of these is the Sakuradamon桜田門, which is notorious as it was the location of 2 assassination attempts in Japan's history. In 1860, Ii Naosuke井伊 直弼, the then Tairo for the Tokugawa Bakufu徳川 幕府, was assassinated at this gate. (His grave is in Gotokuji in Setagaya, which we visited this trip.) The 2nd incident was the 1932 attempted assassination of then Emperor Showa (Hirohito) by a Korean independence activist.

Peko-chan at the Imperial Palace's Seimon Tetsubashi, Tokyo

Seimon Tetsubashi, Tokyo Imperial Palace

Besides the Sakuradamon are 2 historical bridges that can be seen from the Kokyo Gaien. One is the Seimon Tetsubashi正門鉄橋, the iron bridge which we had walked through during our 2016 Imperial Palace tour.

Seimon Ishibashi, Tokyo Imperial Palace

The other is the Seimon Ishibashi正門石橋. It was nicknamed "Meganebashi"眼鏡橋 ("Spectacles Bridge") because of its appearance when reflected in the moat. This trip, the waters of the moat were ruffled due to the breeze, but during our 2016 Imperial Palace tour, we were able to see the bridge's reflection.

Odaiba & the Gundam Unicorn

We made a special trip to Odaiba just to see the new Gundam, the RX-0 Unicorn Gundamユニコーン ガンダム at DiverCity, installed in September 2017 (just a couple of months before this trip).

Metropolitan Shiokaze Park, Odaiba

Odaiba Kaihin Koen

Gundam Unicorn, Odaiba

Gundam Unicorn, Odaiba DiverCity

Gundam Unicorn, Odaiba DiverCity

Gundam Unicorn, DiverCity, Odaiba

Daytime view...

Night-time view and transformation, Gundam Unicorn, DiverCity, Odaiba

Night-time light up. It transforms too, and thanks to the laser-lights, it can display both the red and green Pysho-Frame modes.

DiverCity, Odaiba

We went into DiverCity in search of dinner and found that every floor had a Gundam model.

DiverCity, Odaiba

Metal Build Gundams on display, DiverCity, Odaiba

There was also a display of Metal Builds.

DiverCity, Odaiba

DiverCity, Odaiba

National Art Centre

National Art Centre Tokyo

We also went to the "Exhibition of Shinkai Makoto新海誠展: From Hoshi no Koe to Kimi no Na ha「星の声」から「君の名は」まで" at National Art Centre Tokyo. Hubby and I have been enjoying Shinkai Makoto's anime since he made Hoshi no Koe, so going to this exhibition was a must.

Brasserie Paul Bocuse Le Musée, NACT.

Scene from Kimi no Na wa.

Of course the location is also a deliberate choice, being one of the locations used in Kimi no Na wa. NACT was where Taki and Okudera-senpai went on their date together. They had lunch at the Brasserie Paul Bocuse Le Musée.

Exhibition of Shinkai Makoto at NACT.

Scene from Kimi no Na wa.: Taki at the Nostalgia exhibition at NACT.

The Shinkai Makoto exhibition itself was held at the same exhibition hall as the Nostalgia exhibition which Taki and Okudera-senpai visited. If not the same, then one that looks the same.

Exhibition of Shinkai Makoto at NACT.

Scene from Kimi no Na wa.: the Nostalgia exhibition at NACT.

The final installation at the Shinkai Makoto exhibition was a deliberate recreation of that scene in the Nostalgia exhibition in the anime. This was also the only place visitors were allowed to take photographs of the exhibition.

Nezu Museum

Nezu Museum, Tokyo

We also visited the Nezu Museum (Nezu Bijutsukan根津　美術館). Besides the museum's permanent collection, which includes various National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties of Japan, we also checked out the special exhibition "Pinnacle of Elegance: Sword Fittings of the Mitsumura Collection". Essentially, it was an exhibition of metal fittings for Japanese swords (nihonto) from the private collection of Meiji era businessman Mitsumura Toshimo光村 利藻 (1877-1955), founder of present-day Mitsumura Printing Co., Ltd. Mitsumura had been fascinated by the skill and beauty of sword fittings, especially those from the Edo period, and had over 3,000 such items in his private collection. About 1,200 pieces from Mitsumura's collection now belong to the Nezu Museum and is Japan's largest collection of sword fittings. Some of these fittings were commissioned by Mitsumura from living craftsmen in order to protect and preserve the art, which had declined since the end of the samurai era. Following the 1876 Haitorei Edict廃刀令, which banned the carrying of swords by civilians in public, the demand for swords and its fittings fell, and had a corresponding effect on the craft. Many craftsmen prominent in the mid-19th century became elderly and had no successors. Mitsumura was concerned that the skills and knowledge of the craft would be lost, and supported the craft by commissioning master craftsmen to reproduce classical works (utsushi-mono写し物), etc. He also published Ken no Kazari剣の飾り (Sword Furnishings) in 1902, and later Tagane no Hana鏨廼花 (Flowers of the Chisel). The latter became a seminal reference point for all sword fittings research.

Japan with Peko-chan, Chubu-Kansai-Kyushu, Nov & Dec 2017 🚗 Suwa, Nagano • Lake Suwa • Suwa Glass Museum • Seiko Shiojiri 🚗 Hida Mountains • Shirakawa-go • Takayama • Hida Furukawa 🚗 Tokyo • Nakiryu & Kagari • Akihabara • Nippori Textile Town • Wadakura Fountain Park & Kokyo Gaien • Gundam Unicorn, Odaiba • National Art Centre (Kimi no Na wa. exhibition) • Nezu Museum • Kimi no Na wa. ✈️ Nagasaki Part I & Part II • Glover Garden • Old Chinese Quarter • Chinatown • Dejima • Sakamoto International Cemetery • Oura Cathedral • 26 Martyrs Memorial & Museum • Atomic Bomb Museum • Hypocentre Park • Nyokodo • Sanno Shrine ✈️ Osaka • Atelier to naniIRO • Junie Moon Osaka 🚗 Awajishima • Yumesenkei Besso Amahara • Senzan Senkoji • Izanagi Jingu • Onokorojima Shrine • Sumoto Castle • Eshima • Hokudan Earthquake Memorial Park (Nojima Fault) • O-naruto Bridge & Naruto Whirlpools • Akashi Kaikyo Bridge • Awaji beef & Awaji Burger 🚗 Kobe • Kobe Luminarie 2017 • Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial • Kitano Ijinkan