- It was made as a guide map, so it differs from the actual measurement, but it gives a good idea of what it looked like at that time. The left side of the image shows a map of the area.
March 3 is the Tokyo Marathon. Why not leave the city center and explore northern Tokyo? Introducing Sugamo, a town where the last shogun also lived.
This is Kimura from the northern part of Tokyo. Recently, the number of visitors to my blog has increased a little.
I know it’s all local stuff, but I’m glad if it’s useful for someone.
March 3 is the Tokyo Marathon!
People from all over the world will be there and it will be a big crowd.
Good luck to all runners!
As I mentioned in my previous blog, the Tokyo Marathon course is mainly in the city center,
If you are planning to go sightseeing that day, please note that the city will look different from usual.
The roads on the marathon course will be closed to traffic, and pedestrians are also prohibited from crossing the streets.
The information was found on the official website and is also available here.
https://www.marathon.tokyo/about/traffic/pdf/tm2024_253_362.pdf
The town where the last shogun lived
In this blog, I will introduce a little bit of the northern part of Tokyo where I also live.
The northern area is outside the marathon course, so there are no traffic restrictions and it is Tokyo as usual.
For those of you who are traveling around Tokyo, why don’t you take a stroll here as well?
So today I will introduce you to Sugamo, where the last shogun also lived!
Speaking of the northern part of Tokyo, Ikebukuro is a big city.
Ikebukuro has a large station and the number of daily passengers is on a par with Shinjuku and Shibuya.
Speaking of Ikebukuro (which I only recently learned about), it seems to have become an anime and otaku town among young people.
I think it was Akihabara when I was a kid, but I have noticed that it has shifted to Ikebukuro.
In particular, the Animate Sohonten in the recently redeveloped area. It seems to be an otaku store of considerable scale,
It has greatly influenced the surrounding environment, and many stores in that line are lined up.
It is a place where the scenery changes at once, even though it is only one street away from a big street.
Also within walking distance from Animate are the Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo and the Capcom café for video games. For those who love Japanese characters, this place may not be enough time or money for you.
However, many people who travel to Tokyo know about this area.
Only 2 stops from Ikebukuro
Today, I would like to introduce Sugamo, two stops from Ikebukuro.
The last shogun was Tokugawa Yoshinobu, a general of the Edo period, who is said to have lived in Sugamo at that time. The site still has stone pillars and a copy of a map from the Edo period.
On the left side of the image,
Grandma’s Harajuku？？
Thus, Sugamo has a long history, but in modern times it is famous for its large shopping street.
This is the Sugamo Jizo-dori Shopping Street.
It has been frequently introduced on TV programs since long ago, but it has its own unique character.
It is “Harajuku for grandmothers.
おばあちゃんの = Grandma’s
原宿 = Harajuku
Harajuku is the area next to Shibuya station, and there is a shopping street called Takeshita-dori in Harajuku.
It is a place where teenagers always long to go at least once. It is the center of kawaii, crepes, pancakes, and the like.
It is the kind of place where grandmothers go to hang out with their friends.
Unlike Harajuku, the streets here are wider, but still crowded with people on weekends.
One of the sweets that has been famous for a long time is shio daifuku. I think the most famous one is Mizuno, the original Shio Daifuku.
If you continue to walk down the shopping street, you will somehow come across a store specializing in “red pants.
It seems that red pants are “genbari-gi” (lucky item). I was surprised when I first saw it.
I was surprised when I first saw it, but I didn’t expect there to be a third store on the same street. Is it that popular?
Further on from the red pants store, there is a temple called Togenuki Jizo.
It seems to be a temple where people pray for the prolongation of life and the improvement of illness by bathing in smoke and washing the statue of Kannon (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy).
They seem to pray by bathing in smoke and washing the statue of Kannon (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy). (I have never done this).
If you read this far, you may imagine an old shopping street with only elderly people,
In fact, there are cafes, game centers, etc., and recently we have seen news of an increase in the number of young people.
In addition, I think that there are many things that foreign visitors would find uniquely Japanese if they were to take a stroll during their trip.
Finally, my personal recommendation is a restaurant called Tokiwa Shokudo.
It is a restaurant with many delicious dishes to eat with rice.
It is not a high-class restaurant, but a restaurant with a menu of grilled fish, boiled fish, fried shrimp, and other dishes that are similar to Japanese home cooking. The restaurant is lined with small chairs and tables, but I think that is also good because it has an old-fashioned atmosphere.
Of course, there are many more good things about Sugamo. I think the places I have introduced are very famous. I would be happy if this blog can convey to someone that there is an area called Sugamo.
Why not visit Sugamo, where the last shogun also visited and is now known as grandma’s Harajuku?
Ganbare the marathon runners, too!
Kimura
