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After lunch at Tsukiji Sushi Dai Honkan, it was time to crack on with
the afternoon plan. We walked to Tsukiji Shijô station and hopped back
on the Ôedo Line (大江戸線)
for our next stop – Meiji Jingû (明治神宮, Meiji Imperial Shrine).
This run is eight stops; we got off at Yoyogi (代々木),
JP¥220. Most of today's travel relied on the Ôedo Line – in a way, this
line gets you to loads of Tokyo's major sights. |
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Decorative mural at Tsukiji Shijô station |
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Toei Subway Ôedo Line route map |
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Plans for a ring line outside the Yamanote Line (山手線)
were floated as early as the 1950s, but the scheme wasn't fixed until
the 1980s, with construction starting in 1986. The first section between
Hikarigaoka (光が丘) and
Nerima (練馬) opened in
1991 as 'Toei Line 12', and by December 2000 the whole line was running
except Shiodome (汐留).
Although the station structure at Shiodome was finished, the surrounding
area wasn't yet developed, so it opened later in 2002. |
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Just before full opening, a public consultation picked 'Tokyo Circle
Line' (東京環状線) as the
name. But because the operating pattern isn't a classic loop – it's more
like the character '6' with a tail – trains start at the 'tail' at
Hikarigaoka, reach Tochômae (都庁前)
and then run anticlockwise round the loop back to Tochômae, before
heading off clockwise again. Governor ISHIHARA Shintarô (石原
慎太郎) felt 'Circle Line' didn't fit; as the route passes many old
Edo downtown districts, it was finally named the 'Ôedo Line' (literally
'Greater Edo Line'). |
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Ôedo Line train: Toei Transportation Class
12-600 fleet |
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At 40.7 km with 38 stations, the Ôedo Line is Japan's longest single
underground line. It's also Tokyo's first (and Japan's second) – and
still the only – line to use linear-motor trains. Because it cuts under
dense, built-up parts of central Tokyo, tunnels had to go very deep (Roppongi
station is 42 metres down). To cut tunnelling costs, trains were made smaller
to reduce the tunnel cross-section, which is why a linear motor system
was chosen. |
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On a conventional train, the motor windings sit inside the train, which
makes the body larger. With linear motors, the windings run along the
track between the rails, so the train can be slimmer. Even so, the line
still dives very deep and includes three river crossings; combined with
the cost of the linear motor infrastructure, construction was pricier
than other lines – and fares are a bit higher too. |
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Toei Subway Yoyogi station |
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After about 20 minutes we arrived at Yoyogi. From Exit A2 of Toei Subway
Yoyogi station, it's around 10 minutes on foot to the North Approach
torii (北参道鳥居) of Meiji
Jingû. Being a Saturday, and with Coming-of-Age Day (Seijin no Hi,
成人の日) holiday on Monday,
the crowds were heavy – worshippers and tourists alike. You don't really
need a map; just go with the flow and it leads you straight in. Even
with so many people, everything felt orderly – everyone keeps to the
right, so the two-way flow doesn't clash. |
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Lanterns along the approach |
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Meiji Jingû's layout is unusual: unlike most shrines with a single
straight front approach, its paths form a right-angle serif 'J' shape (丁).
You enter from the North Approach from Yoyogi or the South Approach (南参道)
from Harajuku (原宿), each
with its own torii. There isn't much official material about the North
Approach torii, but according to the
Hida-no-Takumi Gakkai (飛騨の匠学会)
website, it dates from 1920 with the shrine's founding: height 8.73
metres, span between pillars 7.12 metres, pillar diameter 0.91 metres,
kasagi (top lintel) length 14.51 metres. |
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Where the North and South Approaches meet, the route turns 90° west into
the
Main Approach (正参道).
At the entrance stands the second torii, known as the
Ôtorii – the largest wooden Myôjin-style torii in Japan. The
original was made from a sacred cypress from Mount Ali (阿里山) in Taiwan,
over 1,500 years old, donated by the Government-General of Taiwan
(台灣總督府) during Japanese rule. It was struck by lightning and destroyed
in 1966. Suitable timber couldn't be found in Japan, so another
1,500-year-plus sacred tree from Mount Danda (丹大山), Taiwan was used
for the replacement. The gate is 12 metres tall, 9.1 metres between
pillars, pillar diameter 1.2 metres, kasagi 17 metres. |
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Passing under the North Approach torii and into the grounds, you're
immediately wrapped in tall, dense woodland. You can't hear the city at
all – a rare oasis right in central Tokyo. Besides the North and
South Approaches, there's also a West Approach near Odakyû's Sangûbashi
(参宮橋) station, but that
one doesn't join the Main Approach – it leads straight to Nishi Shinmon (西神門,
the west gate of the main shrine). It's mostly used when leaving; for
visitors it skips the Great Torii and Main Approach, so it's not ideal
for sightseeing. |
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Second torii (the Ôtorii) – Japan's largest
wooden Myôjin-style torii gate |
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Ice sculpture on the Main Approach – Lateo Labrax
('the Sea Bass') |
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By chance, today was the Meiji Jingû Dedication National Ice Sculpture
Exhibition (明治神宮奉納全国氷彫刻展),
run by the All Japan Creative Ice Carving Association (全日本氷彫刻創美会).
It's been held every January since 1977 – this was the 49th. For three
days from today, over 30 works are displayed along the Main Approach,
making it one of Japan's largest ice sculpture shows. They're judged for
technique and artistry, and the pieces are dedicated to the shrine in
thanks to the deities – blending art with worship. |
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Meiji Jingû was established in 1920 to enshrine Emperor Meiji –
widely seen as modern Japan's greatest emperor – and his consort,
Empress Shôken (昭憲皇太后).
It sits in Shibuya, ringed by the busy districts of Yoyogi, Harajuku and
Omotesandô (表参道, takes
its name from the shrine, as the southern approach's extension). The
shrine's grounds cover about 70 hectares, most of it forest; the main
shrine complex itself occupies only about 1 hectare. It's the largest
shrine precinct in Tokyo and a defining symbol of modern Japan. |
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The woodland isn't natural: around 100,000 volunteers donated and
planted roughly 100,000 trees from across Japan – and from then-colonies
including Taiwan and Korea. Over a century on, it's become a living,
self-sustaining forest – the 'Forest of Meiji Jingû' (明治神宮の森).
On the south side of the main shrine is the Meiji Jingû Garden (明治神宮御苑),
originally the lower residence garden of warlord KATÔ Kiyomasa (加藤
清正) in the Sengoku period (戦国時代),
later owned by the Ii family (井伊家),
a daimyô clan in the Edo period. It was gifted to the Imperial
Household in the Meiji era as an imperial garden. A JP¥500 admission
(maintenance contribution) is required. |
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Ice sculpture work: Maizuru (means 'the Dancing Cranes') |
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Chôzuya (purification pavilion) |
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As a clueless Hong Kong kid, 'Meiji' meant chocolate to me. A bit older,
I knew it was the name of a Japanese emperor. Only in high school
history did I learn how 'Meiji' marks a turning point for Japan. In
1867, Emperor Kômei (孝明天皇)
died and the 14-year-old Crown Prince Mutsuhito (the future Emperor
Meiji) took the throne – and the Meiji Restoration upended Japan. |
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Today Japanese people often
see the Perry Expedition (黒船来航)
as the trigger for modernisation. For samurai and elites at the
time, it was a national humiliation. The shogunate's weakness fuelled the
anti-shogunate movement, which rallied around 'sonnô jôi' (revere the
Emperor, expel the barbarians). But Emperor Kômei himself was pro-shogunate,
so the slogan rang hollow. With Kômei's death (officially smallpox; some
say assassinated by Reformers), the young, as-yet-uncommitted
Mutsuhito's accession gave the Restoration faction its opening. |
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With the shogunate weakened and divided, the Restoration forces grew.
The 15th shogun, TOKUGAWA Yoshinobu (徳川
慶喜), finally agreed to a bloodless surrender on 3rd May 1868 and
left Edo Castle. He was reassigned to Shizuoka to live quietly. When he
returned to Tokyo (Edo) 29 years later, it was to visit his former
'residence', now the Imperial Palace, and be received by Emperor Meiji.
He was later made a duke and a member of the House of Peers. With the
Tokugawa regime gone, the Restoration faction led the country. 'Revere
the Emperor' had succeeded – but what about 'expel the barbarians'? |
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Minami Shinmon (南神門,
the south gate of the main shrine) |
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After a quarter-century of isolation, Japan had fallen behind. Regime
change alone wouldn't turn a weak state into a powerhouse overnight.
Even before the fall, the two core Restoration domains – Chôshû (長州)
and Satsuma (薩摩) – tried
'expelling the barbarians' and got a rude awakening. In late 1862, four
British merchants at Namamugi (生麦,
now Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama) were attacked and one killed by Satsuma
samurai for failing to show respect to their lord – the 'Namamugi
Incident' (生麦事件).
Britain demanded compensation from both the shogunate and Satsuma; the
shogunate agreed, Satsuma refused. |
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The next year, Chôshû blocked the Kanmon Straits (関門海峡)
and fired on American, French and Dutch vessels. The three powers
returned fire and destroyed Chôshû's batteries. Meanwhile, Britain
shelled Kagoshima to force Satsuma to pay up and hand over the culprits.
The Anglo-Satsuma War broke out; over 500 homes and samurai residences
were burned over two days and nights. In 1864, a joint
Anglo-Franco-American-Dutch fleet bombarded and landed at Shimonoseki (下関)
in retaliation against Chôchû. Both domains paid heavy reparations and
realised that to repel foreigners you first had to strengthen yourself –
which meant learning Western technology to 'use the barbarians against
the barbarians'. |
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The Restoration bears Meiji's name, but in practice it was driven by the
Restoration leaders. Was the emperor just a figurehead? Not quite. The
'Restoration faction' was no monolith – it included Chôshû, Satsuma,
Tosa (土佐), Hizen (肥前)
and court nobles, and later suffered internal splits. Balancing and
coordinating their agendas – and their interests – required the
emperor's tact and authority. Policies were proposed by the leaders, but
still needed imperial sanction and edicts. |
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Entering the main shrine |
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Gehaiden (外拝殿, the outermost part of the
main hall) |
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The Restoration modernised Japan across the board – industry, education,
transport, and more, as every textbook says. But the key to success, I
think, lies in something textbooks only skim: the hanseki hôkan (版籍奉還,
the return of lands and registers). On paper it's just local
administrative reform – why call it the 'key'? |
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'Hanseki' refers to a daimyô's territory and the household registry
within it. 'Han' (藩) as
the name for a daimyô's domain came into common use in the Edo period,
but is was only a colloquial label. In 1869, the daimyô returned land
and people to the emperor (i.e., the state). The state then formally
created 'han' as administrative units and reappointed those lords as
chihanji (知藩事, governor
of the han), salaried prefect-style governors. They ceased to rule as
hereditary lords; population (tax and conscription) reverted to the
state. |
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Hanseki hôkan wasn't a top-down trick. The key Restoration lords –
Chôshû, Satsuma, Tosa, Hizen – led by example and volunteered to return
hanseki, and other daimyô followed. As vested interests, they understood
reform needed centralised power. They gave up their own privileges and
bet everything on the Restoration. If it failed, they'd go down with it
– and that resolve powered change. Had the Ching Empire shown the same
will during the Self-Strengthening Movement (自強運動), perhaps it wouldn't
have faltered. |
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Higashi Tamagaki Torii (東玉垣鳥居) |
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When Emperor Meiji died in 1912, popular calls grew to build a shrine
for the emperor they revered. In 1915, the Home Ministry announced a
state-sponsored grand shrine and bought the land from the Ii family
(former lords of Hikone in Ômi, later made counts). The name was first
proposed as 'Tokyo Jingû' (東京神宮),
like Kashihara Jingû (橿原神宮)
for Emperor Jimmu (神武天皇)
and Heian Jingû (平安神宮)
for Emperor Kanmu (桓武天皇)
– named after their capitals – but was changed to Meiji Jingû' to
emphasise his posthumous title and the era name. |
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In recent times, some have suggested prime minister and officials visit
Meiji Jingû instead of
Yasukuni Jinja to avoid upsetting neighbours. Personally, I agree
Meiji Jingû is more appropriate than Yasukuni – but would it stop the
outrage? Almost certainly not. If your neighbour like picking fights,
they'll always find something. They'd say Emperor Meiji launched the
First Sino-Japanese War, promoted State Shintô, laid the ground for
Militarism, and so on. |
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Yes, without the Restoration there'd have been no First Sino-Japanese
War – but would that have made life better in China? When your neighbour
improves, do you feel envy or motivation? Japan's Restoration and
China's Self-Strengthening were roughly contemporaneous, but the latter
actually started slightly earlier. Japan initially hoped the Ching
reforms would succeed. Only later, as it became clear they weren't, did
attitudes turn scornful – and the First Sino-Japanese War followed. |
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From the First Sino-Japanese War to the Second World War – from empire
to republic – regimes changed, but why did the country struggle to move
forward? Warlords. Factions. Exactly the opposite of those Japanese
lords who chose to give up their interests for the nation. If the
Restoration had failed, would Asian history be even grimmer today? |
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Before leaving Meiji Jingû, we bought omamori. Big crowds to worship
meant big queues for charms too. The shrine moved omamori sales from the
Nagadono (長殿) between
Higashi Shimon (東神門) and
the Higashi Tamagaki Torii to the car park in front of the Sanshûden (参集殿).
The whole car park was lined with temporary stalls – and still
jam-packed. |
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Yamanote Line train: JR East fleet Series E235
Subseries 0 |
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We'd planned to head to Shibuya (渋谷)
after Meiji Jingû, but we were shattered, so we jumped on the Yamanote
Line back to Shinjuku. Leaving via the North Approach, we again followed
the crowd along the path beside the Yamanote tracks – genuinely a touch
quicker than Google Maps' suggested route. If you like Tokyo, you'll
know the JR Yamanote Line. As a 'not-very-qualified rail fan' who'd
never set foot in Tokyo before, my knowledge came from words and media –
finally I got to ride it... for one stop! |
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Back in Shinjuku, we rested at the hotel, then headed out for dinner.
Before we set off, Todd said he fancied an izakaya (居酒屋,
traditional Japnese pub) and sent a link for somewhere called 'Nihon
Sengyo Kakkakurui Dôkôkai' (日本鮮魚甲殻類同好会).
I wondered what on earth that was – turns out it's an izakaya near the
hotel. We decided to give it a go; if it was rammed, we'd pick something
else. As it happened, we got a table straight away. |
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Nihon Sengyo Kakkakurui Dôkôkai |
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Sapporo beer (JP¥659) and Coke (JP¥549) |
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Starter: salt-grilled prawns (JP¥439 × 2 =
JP¥878) |
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Sake-steamed clams (JP¥879) |
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Nagasaki Unzen Ham Cutlet (JP¥879) |
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Grilled beef tongue skewers (JP¥439 × 2 =
JP¥1,756) |
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10 of Hakata-style chicken skin skewers
(JP¥2,089) |
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Assorted Tuna Sashimi (JP¥1,759) |
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Osyter Ajillo (garlic oil tapas, JP¥1,209) |
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Todd wanted an izakaya... then ordered a cola and didn't drink! I've
never been big on alcohol either (to be fair, still not). Back at uni,
mates drank beer while I ordered Coke or iced tea – and it cost more
than booze! I slowly learned to drink in bars and drink tea in
cafés – a student can't keep fighting their wallet. Here, at least Coke
isn't dearer than beer; alcohol itself is cheaper than in the UK or Hong
Kong (see prices above – tax included). |
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Drinks first, then the menu. After the beer and Coke arrived, the server
brought two salt-grilled prawns – which we hadn't ordered. This is the
otôshi (お通し): a
compulsory little starter the izakaya chooses – and it
ISN'T FREE
(usually JP¥300-¥500 per person). It's basically a cover charge in food
form – like the 'tea charge' at Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong. |
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Bone-in Nakatsu Karaage (fried chicken, JP¥769) |
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For me, sake-steamed clams (アサリの酒蒸し),
beef tongue and chicken skins skewers are izakaya must-orders – hard to
go wrong. The 'naughty' thing that caught my eye was the Nagasaki Unzen
Ham Cutlet (長崎雲仙ハムカツ),
marked '産直' (direct from
source). 'Nagasaki Unzen Ham' is a brand – flavour and texture somewhere
between thick-cut sandwich ham and luncheon meat. If you like punchy,
it's pretty good. |
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The tuna sashimi was fine – obviously it won't match Toyosu or Tsukiji
Outer Market. Todd loves oysters, and zeroed in on Oyster Ajillo (牡蠣アヒージョ).
Ajillo is a Spanish tapas dish – seafood (often prawns) simmered in
garlicky olive oil. The only let-down was the bone-in Nakatsu Karaage
(fried chicken) – a Kyushu style, but fried a bit dry with not much
juice. |
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Shinjuku MOA 4th Street |
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Takoyaki to go from Tsukiji Gindako downstairs
(teriyaki & egg) |
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After dinner we had a little wander. No need to buy breakfast for
tomorrow – we're short on time in the morning and will try the hotel
breakfast (paying), then check out for the airport. Before heading up,
we still felt a bit peckish, so we grabbed takoyaki to take away from
Tsukiji Gindako downstairs. |
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