Page 138 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Japan

136  JAP AN REGION B Y REGION

1 Narita
Narita
Chiba prefecture. * 129,000. k
£ n in front of JR stn (0476)
24-3198. _ Setsubun-e (Feb 3).
∑ city.narita.chiba.jp/english
A quiet little town, worlds away
from nearby Narita Airport, Narita’s
main attraction is Narita-san
Shin sho-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 extinguishing
of earthly passions. The streets Yokohama Bay Bridge
are full of traditional shops for the
12 million temple visitors a year. These clay-walled structures 3 Yokohama
Environs: Near Narita are over have double doors, and heavy Yokahama
1,000 ancient burial mounds shutters. About 30 kura remain
(kofun); the best are in the and are a 10-minute walk north Kanagawa prefecture. * 3,690,000.
k £ n 1F Sangyo Boeki Center
open-air museum, Boso no of Hon-Kawagoe station.
Mura. The National Museum The Kura-Zukuri Shiryokan, Bldg. (045) 221-2111. _ Chinese New
Year (Feb), Yokohama Port Festival
of Japanese History offers a formerly a kura tobacconist, is a (May 30–31). ∑ city.yokohama.lg.jp
good survey of Japan. museum. Nearby, Toki-no-kane
wooden bell tower was built in Japan’s second-largest city,
Y Boso no Mura 1624 to tell the time and warn Yokohama has been a center for
15 mins by taxi from Ajiki stn. of fires. East of the kura streets shipping, trade, foreign contact,
Tel (0476) 95-3333. Open Tue–Sun. is Kita-in, a Tendai-sect temple and modern ideas since the
P National Museum of which includes the only extant mid-19th century. Formerly
Japanese History rooms from Edo Castle. a small fishing village on the
15 mins walk from Keiseisakura stn. At one time, Kawagoe Tokaido road, it was made
Tel (043) 486-0123. Open Tue–Sun. & possessed its own castle, a treaty port in 1859; there
which was the dominant followed an influx of foreign
structure in the area. Part of traders, especially Chinese and
that castle remains in the British, making it the biggest
2 Kawagoe shape of Honmaru Goten, port in Asia by the early 1900s.
the former residence of the
Kawagoe The 1923 Kanto Earthquake Shin Yokohoma Station Pacifico
Yokohama
lord, with commodious rooms wiped out 95 percent of the 600m (650 yards) Exhibition Hall
Saitama prefecture. * 335,000. £ and elegant spaces. city, killing 40,000 people, then Ramen Museum, MINATO
n at JR stn (049) 222-5556. _ Ashi- World War II bombing again Kirin Beer Village, MIRAI 21 Convention
TOKYO
KOKUSAI-ODORI
odori (Leg-dancing, Apr 14), Kawagoe  Kura-Zukuri Shiryokan destroy ed half the city. After the Yokohama Hall
Festival (3rd weekend in Oct). Museum of Art Cosmo
Tel (049) 222-5399. Open Tue–Sun. war, Yokohama became a base Minato Clock 21
Mirai
Nicknamed “Little Edo,” Kawagoe Closed 4th Fri of month. i for US soldiers. By the 1970s, it Landmark SAKURA-DORI SHINKO-CHO
Plaza
preserves the atmosphere of P Honmaru Goten was once more Japan’s largest Landmark Tower
19th-century Edo (Tokyo) 2-13-1 Kurawa-machi. Tel (049) 222- port. The heart of the city is Nippon Maru
Yokohama
because of its kura buildings. 5399. Open Tue–Sun. compact and walkable. EXPRESSWAY NYK Maritime International
Museum
Minato Mirai 21, an area of Passenger
METROPOLITAN
Terminal
redeveloped docks, has some
Kanagawa
creative architecture (with Sakuragicho Prefectural Bashamichi
Hodogaya
hi-tech earthquake-proofing) Commonwealth Museum Hikawa Maru
and on weekends comes alive Cemetery HONCHO-DORI
with street performers. Its focal BASHAMICHI KANNAI-ODORI Nippon Odori Yamashita
Park
point is the Landmark Tower, KANNAI Marine
built in 1993 under US architect Tower Yokohama
Bay Bridge
Hugh Stubbins and, at 296 m Kannai MINATO-ODORI OSANBASHI-ODORI CHINATOWN
(971 ft), Japan’s second-tallest METROPOLITAN EXPRESSW AY Motomachi-
METROPOLITAN EXPRESSWAY
Chukagai
building. Reached by the world’s Yokohama Kantei-byo Sankei-en
Garden
fastest elevator, at 750 m (2,500 ft) Stadium Temple MOTOMACHI Foreigners’
Cemetery
per minute, the 69th-floor YAMATE
public lounge has a spectacular Ishikawacho Nakamura River Motomachi
360-degree view. To the north, Park
A row of kura buildings in Kawagoe Kenzo Tange’s Yokohama
For hotels and restaurants see p303 and pp326–9
136-137_EW_Japan.indd 136 08/08/16 3:06 pm
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