Page 48 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Tokyo

46  T OK Y O AREA B Y AREA

are fun, including colon izers of China and
virtual bike rides Korea are also enshrined
and electricity here, including wartime
demonstrations prime minister, Hideki Tojo,
(all explanations and 13 other Class-A war
are in Japanese). criminals. Visits by cabinet
Five minutes ministers are controversial.
beyond, over a Beside the shrine is the
main road, and left Yushukan, a museum dedi-
down the hill, is the cated to the war dead. Many
National Museum exhibits put a human face to
of Modern Art. The Japan at war; under a photo-
permanent collec- graph of a smiling young officer
tion comprises is a copy of his last letter home,
Japanese works and there are mementos of a
from the 1868 Meiji nurse who died from over work.
Restoration to the Romanti cized paintings of
present day; visiting Japanese soldiers in Manchuria
exhibits are often and displays of guns, planes,
excellent. Nearby and even a locomotive from
is the National the Thai-Burma Railroad may
Museum of Modern be disturbing to some.
Art’s Crafts Gallery.
Visitors boating in Kitanomaru Park, one of the best Inside this 1910 r Jimbocho
spots in Tokyo to see cherry blossoms Neo-Gothic brick Booksellers’ District
building is an
w Kitanomaru Park exquisite collection of modern Jinbocho Booksellers© District
workings of traditional Japanese
Kitanomaru Park Map 3 B4–5.  Jimbocho stn, Toei
crafts – pottery, lacquerware, Mita, Hanzomon & Toei Shinjuku lines.
Map 3 A5.  Kudanshita stn, and damascene (inlaid metal
Hanzo mon, Toei Shinjuku & Tozai lines; arti facts). Some pieces are Three of Japan’s prestigious uni-
Takebashi stn, Tozai line. National for sale. versities, Meiji, Chuo, and Nihon,
Museum of Modern Art: Tel (03) 5777- started out in this area in the
8600. Open 10am–5pm Tue–Sun.
& ∑ momat.go.jp/english e Yasukuni Shrine 1870s and 1880s, and soon
Crafts Gallery: Tel (03) 3211-7781. booksellers sprang up selling
both new and used books. At
Open 10am–5pm Tue–Sun. & Yasukuni Shrine
Science Museum: Tel (03) 3212-8544. Map 2 F1. Tel (03) 3261-8326. one time 50 per cent of Japan’s
Open 9:30am–4:50pm daily. &  Kudanshita stn, Hanzomon, Tozai publishers were based here.
∑ jsf.or.jp/eng & Toei Shinjuku lines. Open 6am–6pm Although only Meiji University
daily. ∑ yasukuni.or.jp/english and Nihon University are still
Lying to the north of the Yushukan: Open 9am–4:30pm daily. & here, dozens of bookshops,
Imperial Palace, Kitano maru several selling ukiyo-e prints,
Park is reached through the The 2.5 million remain, all clustered
massive Tayasumon gate. A Japanese, soldiers and around the junction
former ground for the Imperial civilians who have of Yasukuni-dori and
Palace Guard, the area became died in war since the Hakusan-dori. For
a park in 1969. Before entering, Meiji Restoration are books in English on
keep Tayasumon on your enshrined at Yasukuni Oriental subjects try
left and walk past it to reach Jinja (Shrine of Peace Kitazawa Books or
Chidorigafuchi (the west for the Nation), which Issei-do; for ukiyo-e
moat), one of Tokyo’s most was dedicated in prints, visit Oya
beautiful cherry blossom- 1879. Its history Shobo – all are on
viewing spots. Row boats makes it a sobering the south side of
can be rented here. place to visit. Yasukuni-dori, walk-
Within Kitanomaru’s pleasant Until the end of ing away from
grounds are a number of build- World War II, Shinto Hakusan-dori.
ings. Near Tayasumon is the was the official state The change in the
Nippon Budokan (see p148). religion, and the ashes Browsing in one of economic status (and
Built for the 1964 Olympics of all who died in war Jimbocho’s bookshops priorities) of students
martial arts compe tition, it is were brought here re - is evident here. Shops
now used mostly for rock gardless of the families’ wishes. selling surf- or snowboards
concerts. A short walk farther Unsettling for some of Japan’s are everywhere. Music shops
on is the Science Museum. neighbors, the planners and selling electric guitars seem as
Some of the interactive exhibits leaders of World War II and the numerous as the bookshops.

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