The Real Tokyo : detailed guidebook for Tokyo

I grew up in Tokyo, where the Toden Arakawa Line — also known as the "Chin Chin Tram" — ran nearby. I now live in Kamakura, which also has a streetcar, the Enoshima Electric Railway.





The sound of a streetcar running is a special sound to me, and it brings back a certain nostalgia in my heart.

I often rode the streetcar with my mother to Arakawa Amusement Park. The park is still there today and is located on the banks of the Sumida River. The Otonashi River (also known as the Shakujii River) is a tributary of the Sumida River. Both the elementary and junior high schools I attended were located on its banks.

There was also a small hill called Asukayama nearby. Whenever we went to view the cherry blossoms, we always went to Asukayama. This was back when there was still an observation deck that revolved. It was the highest in the area at the time, so I looked forward to climbing up there.





I later learned that Asukayama was a popular tourist destination for the common people of Edo. Indeed, at the foot of the mountain were the clear waters of the Otonashi River, home to sweetfish. Rows of restaurants and tea shops lined the river, creating a landscape befitting a tourist destination. Furthermore, there was an Inari shrine and a famous waterfall, which made it even more appealing.





There were apparently seven of these famous waterfalls at the time. Today, only one remains: Nanushi Falls. I often splashed around in the water here during the summers of my childhood. However, I remember that the waterfall was rather small back then, far from the image of a famous waterfall.





The Inari Shrine is today's Oji Inari Shrine, and I remember seeing many stone statues of foxes there. There was also a fox den in the cliff that I looked at in amazement.

Later, when I came across Utagawa Hiroshige's "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo," I was overjoyed to discover that it included Asukayama, Oji Inari Shrine, and the fox, as well as several paintings of Oji Falls. At the same time, it was an eye-opener to realize how beautiful Tokyo was during the Edo period.





"One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" contains many waterfront scenes, which is no surprise, as Edo was a "city of water."





It made me realize that heaven or paradise is not somewhere far away, but that it was once right under my feet.

At Lab Deep in Kamakura, we have produced a detailed guidebook to Tokyo, looking at present-day Tokyo while also admiring the Edo-Tokyo of the past. We have titled it "The Real Tokyo." Please check it out below.

Lab Deep in Kamakura　Juei Masuda