Page 92 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Tokyo

90  BEY OND T OK Y O

1 Narita
Narita
Chiba prefecture. * 129,000.
k £ n in front of JR stn (0476)
24-3198. ∑ city.narita.chiba.jp/
english _ Setsubun-e (Feb 3).
A quiet little town, Narita’s main
attraction is Narita-san Shinsho-
ji, an Esoteric-Shingon-sect
temple founded in 940 and
dedicated to Fudo Myo-o, Deity
of Immovable Wisdom. Several
times daily, the priests burn
wooden sticks to symbol ize Yokohama Bay Bridge
extinguishing of earthly
passions. The streets are full of of 19th-century Edo (Tokyo) in 3 Yokohama
traditional shops for the 12 its kura buildings. The traditional Yokahama
million temple visitors a year. kura structure, with thick clay
walls, double doors, and heavy Kanagawa prefecture. * 3,690,000.
Environs shutters, was used for k £ n 1F Sangyo Boeki Center
Near Narita are over 1,000 ancient warehouses and shops. Bldg (045) 221-2111. ∑ city.yoko
burial mounds (kofun); the best About 30 kura remain, all hama.jp _ Chinese New Year (Feb),
are in the open-air museum within a 10-minute walk north Yokohama Port Festival (May 30–31).
Boso no Mura. The National of Hon-Kawagoe Station. The
Museum of Japanese History Kura-Zukuri Shiryokan, formerly Japan’s second-largest city,
offers a good survey of Japan. a kura tobacconist, is now a Yokohama has been a center for
museum. Nearby, Toki-no-kane shipping, trade, foreign contact,
Y Boso no Mura
15 mins by taxi from Narita stn. wooden bell tower was built in and modern ideas since the
Tel (0476) 95-3333. Open Tue–Sun. 1624 to tell the time and warn mid-19th century. Formerly
of fires. East of the kura streets a small fishing village on the
P National Museum of Japanese is Kita-in, a Tendai-sect temple Tokaido road, it was made
History which includes the only extant a treaty port in 1859; there
15 mins walk from Sakura stn. Tel rooms from Edo Castle. followed an influx of foreign
(043) 486-0123. Open Tue–Sun. & At one time, Kawagoe traders, especially Chinese and
possessed its own castle, British, making it the biggest
2 Kawagoe which was the dominant port in Asia by the early 20th
structure in the town. Part of
century. The 1923 Kanto
Kawagoe Earthquake wiped out 95 Pacifico
that castle remains in the shape
Yokohama
Shin Yokohoma Station
600m (650 yards)
Saitama prefecture. * 322,000. £ of Honmaru Goten, the former per cent of the city, killing Ramen Museum, Exhibition Hall
n at JR stn (049) 222-5556. ∑ city. residence of the feudal lord, 40,000 people, then World Kirin Beer Village, MINATO
kawagoe.saitama.jp _ Ashi-odori which features majestic rooms War II bombing again destroyed TOKYO MIRAI 21 Convention
KOKUSAI-ODORI
Hall
Yokohama
(Leg-dancing, Apr 14), Kawagoe and elegant reception halls. half the city. After the war, Museum of Art Cosmo
Festival (3rd weekend in Oct). Yokohama became a base for Minato Clock 21
Mirai
Kura-Zukuri Shiryokan US soldiers. By the 1970s, it was Landmark SAKURA-DORI SHINKO-CHO
Plaza
Nicknamed “Little Edo,” Tel (049) 222-5399. Open Tue–Sun. once again Japan’s largest port. Landmark Tower
Kawagoe preserves the Closed 4th Fri of month. & The heart of the city is compact METROPOLITAN Nippon Maru Yokohama
atmosphere Honmaru Goten and walkable. EXPRESSWAY NYK Maritime International
Museum
2-13-1 Kurawa-machi. Tel (049) 224- Minato Mirai 21, an area of Passenger
Terminal
6015. Open 9am–5pm redeveloped docks, has some Sakuragicho Kanagawa
Tue–Sun. creative architecture (with high- Prefectural Bashamichi
Hodogaya
tech earthquake-proofing) and Commonwealth Museum Hikawa Maru
on weekends comes alive with Cemetery BASHAMICHI HONCHO-DORI
street performers. Its focal point KANNAI-ODORI Nippon Odori Yamashita
Park
is the Landmark Tower, built in KANNAI Marine
1993 under US archi tect Hugh Tower Yokohama
Bay Bridge
Stubbins and, at 971 ft (296 m), Kannai MINATO-ODORI OSANBASHI-ODORI CHINATOWN Motomachi-
Japan’s second-tallest building. METROPOLITAN EXPRESSW AY Chukagai
METROPOLITAN EXPRESSWAY
Reached by the world’s fastest Yokohama Kantei-byo Sankei-en
Garden
elevator (at 2,500 ft (750 m) per Stadium Temple MOTOMACHI Foreigners’
minute), the 69th-floor public YAMATE Cemetery
lounge has a spectacular Ishikawacho Nakamura River Motomachi
A row of kura buildings in Kawagoe 360-degree view. To the north, Park
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