| Our Neighbourhood |
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| Shitamachi (literally, "Downtown" in Japanese) originally referred to the land between Ieyasu's castle and the Sumida River where common people lived during the Edo period from the 17th century to the late 19th century. It includes today's Chuo, Taito, Sumida and Koto wards. Many people say Shitamachi is another country because the area is so much different from the rest of Tokyo. People living here are proud to call themselves "edokko" or "children of Edo" - hardworking but lavish of money; hardheaded and fast to anger but also first to laugh about it; loud and grumpy but won't hesitate to help someone in trouble - kind of like Hong Kong people I guess. May be that's why I like this area so much. We live in a 19-storey building in Hakozaki in Chuo-ku - 8 minutes walk from Kayabacho station on Hibiya Line and 6 minutes walk from Suitengumae station on Honzomon Line. Our apartment overlooks Sumida River and Eitaibashi. The Bridge of Eternal Ages, reconstructed in 1925, is now the oldest of the Sumida's bridges. |
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| We call this home for 3 years already. |
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| View from our balcony, with Etaibashi on the right, and memorial garden in foreground. |
| (Below) There is a small memorial garden at the bank of Sumida River right in front of our building. There stood Bank of Japan when it was founded in 1882, until it was moved to Hongokucho in 1896. |
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| Just a 5-minute-walk from our apartment will take us to TCAT (Tokyo City Air Terminal). Along with bus terminals serving Narita and Haneda airports, TCAT also used to offer baggage check-in services for the convenience of international travelers. Unfortunately, the service was recently terminated probably due to tightened security. From TCAT walking towards Ningyocho, we will first pass Royal Park Hotel. Then we will reach the landmark Suitengu Shrine. Suitengu is famous as a patron shrine for safe childbirth. Expectant mothers can often be seen worshipping here. And after their babies are born, parents will bring their kids to thank God for the blessing. There are not many places to do daily shopping around our home. The closest supermarket is Akafudado in Monzen-nakacho about 15 minutes' away on foot. Lately we discovered a small shop called "Ease" in Tsukishima that sells cheap (in Japanese standard) vegetables. |
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| TCAT |
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| We like to bike along the river. |
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| Suitengu Shrine |
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| Chan shopping in Ease store. |
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| (Left) A Sumida River cruise passing in front of our building. A relaxing cruise ride from Asakusa to Hinode Pier near Shimbashi gives a glimpse of old Edo life. The cruise passes through 12 unique bridges, four of which are illuminated at night. The cruise is about 40 minutes and costs 660 yen one-way. |