Tokyo Sights and Insights

In Senju a number of wooden houses from those days remain, and the width of the street still reflects that of the original plan. Unfortunately, the way things are going in Tokyo, it seems doubtful that many of these historical houses will be standing five years from now.

As you leave Mercedes-littered Meguro-dori at Himon-ya toward the Church of St. Mary the Virgin of Edo, the mood of the city gives way to a more sober, suburban self-possession. Continue on for about half a mile and you will come to a shady bosk, in the middle of which you will find a temple named En-yuji.

Setagaya you can still see how a typical office of a daikan looked. At Kamimachi, about ten mintues from Sangenjaya or Shimo-Takaido on the Setagaya Line, you will find the gate and the main building, which date back to 1737.

Muromachi-period (1336-1573) structure, right in the middle of crowded Asakusa at that. Go through the souvenir-packed arcade from Kaminarimon gate, past the shiny pagoda and the pilgrims and tourists ritually brushing the incense smoke on various body parts for curing and preventing diseases. When you reach Sensoji, walk around the left corner of the main hall, then take a left toward a patch of trees and an old pond with an ancient-looking stone bridge. On the lane leading to the clothes market, you will notice wooden structures on both sides. On the right stands a small hexagonal temple, where local pious people stop to say a prayer or two. Originally conceived as a protective shed for a well, the temple is dedicated to Jizo, the savior of those who have difficulty solving problems by themselves. But this Jizo is special.