Home > TOKYO 東京都 > Shinagawa-ku 品川区 > Tokaido Shinagawa-juku 東海道 品川宿

sh318-P1010269p.jpg
JR Shinagawa Station, Takanawa Entrance on the west side. 品川駅 高輪口
sh319-P1010273.jpg
JR Shinagawa Station, Takanawa Entrance on the west side. 品川駅 高輪口
sh320-IMG_2856.jpg
JR Shinagawa Station, Takanawa Entrance on the west side. 品川駅 高輪口
sh321-IMG_2854.jpg
High-rise modern hotels have long replaced the old inns at Shinagawa-juku, the Tokaido Road's first post town during the Edo Period.
sh322-IMG_2858.jpg
Near Shinagawa Station is this poor little shrine called, Takayama Inari Shrine, encroached on all sides by urban development. 高山稲荷神社
sh323-IMG_2863.jpg
Way to the old Tokaido Road at Shinagawa. It was around here where Godzilla first set foot on Japan, in the first Godzilla movie.
sh324-IMG_2864.jpg
Entrance to the Tokaido Road at Shinagawa. Short walk from Shinagawa Station.
sh325-IMG_2865.jpg
Near the entrance to the Tokaido Road is this tourist info booth. Free pamphlets (English included) and maps of Shinagawa-juku.
sh326-IMG_2869.jpg
Shinagawa-juku along the old Tokaido Road looks like this today. In the old days, it looked like this.
sh327-IMG_2872.jpg
A convenience store and condominium now at the location of Dozo Sagami, a secret meeting place of Ito Hirobumi and other Imperial loyalists seeking to oust the Tokugawa government during the Bakumatsu period. 土蔵相模跡
sh328-IMG_2871.jpg
I went on a Sunday when most of the shops were closed. Blessing in disguise because I got to see the ukiyoe art on their shutter doors.
sh328a-02_Shinagawa.jpg
Hiroshige's woodblock print of Shinagawa-juku (2nd post town on the Tokaido) from his "Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road" series.
sh329-IMG_2870.jpg
sh330-IMG_2874.jpg
The ukiyoe art are all related to Shinagawa.
sh331-IMG_2878.jpg
sh332-IMG_2880.jpg
sh333-IMG_2881.jpg
sh334-IMG_2876.jpg
It is unfortunate that no one thought about preserving this historic stage town on the Tokaido Road. Tokyo may be too urban to have a long road of traditional buildings.
sh335-IMG_2877.jpg
Shinagawa beer
sh336-IMG_2882.jpg
Rest stop
sh337-IMG_2887.jpg
Message in English
sh338-IMG_2884.jpg
Hinkai Park
sh339-IMG_2888.jpg
sh340-IMG_2889.jpg
Shinagawa-juku road marker
sh341-IMG_2892.jpg
Shinagawa-juku famous spot marker. It reads "Kyu-Tokaido no Nigiwai" meaning "Full of People on the Tokaido."
sh342-IMG_2893.jpg
Sign explaining about Shinagawa-juku. There were 1,600 buildings and a population of 7,000. The town was right on the waterfront which used to exist before the land reclamation.
sh343-IMG_2899.jpg
"Kita-Shinagawa Koko Kara"
sh344-IMG_2901.jpg
Still just modern buildings in Shinagawa-juku, looking like any ordinary street in Japan.
sh345-IMG_2904.jpg
Isshinji Temple, associated with the god of longevity, Jurojin.
sh346-IMG_2909.jpg
Isshinji Temple gate sign
sh347-IMG_2905.jpg
Isshinji Temple is a branch of Narita-san.
sh348-IMG_2910.jpg
Painting shutter art. Looks like a pine tree.
sh349-IMG_2911.jpg
More shutter art.
sh350-IMG_2921.jpg
Site of Shinagawa-juku's Honjin. 品川宿 本陣
sh351-IMG_2913.jpg
Site of Shinagawa-juku's Honjin. 品川宿 本陣
sh352-IMG_2920.jpg
Pine tree at Shinagawa-juku's Honjin. The pine tree came from Tsuchiyama-juku in Koka, Shiga Prefecture.
sh353-IMG_2917.jpg
Sign explaining about the pine tree. Tsuchiyama in Shiga Prefecture was the 49th post town on the Tokaido Road.
sh354-IMG_2916.jpg
Shinagawa-juku Honjin marker.
sh355-IMG_2924.jpg
Site of Shinagawa-juku's Honjin. Seems to be used for parking bicycles... 品川宿 本陣
sh356-IMG_2926.jpg
Road to Shinagawa Shrine.
sh420-IMG_2927.jpg
Shinagawa Shrine faces Daiichi Keihin, a major highway.
sh421-IMG_2929.jpg
Shinagawa Shrine 品川神社
sh422-IMG_2936.jpg
Shinagawa Shrine torii at street level.
sh423-IMG_2948.jpg
Daikokuten, God of Wealth, Farmers, Agriculture, and Rice. He stands on bales of rice.
sh424-IMG_2946.jpg
Sightseeing marker
sh425-IMG_2937.jpg
Torii
sh426-IMG_2940.jpg
Marker for "New 100 Views of Tokyo."
sh427-IMG_2951.jpg
sh428-IMG_2954.jpg
Second torii
sh429-IMG_2955.jpg
Third torii
sh430-IMG_2960.jpg
Honden main hall of Shinagawa Shrine, one of Shinagawa Ward's major shrines. Dedicated to Amenohirinome-no-Mikoto, Susano-o-no-Mikoto, and Uganome-no-Mikoto. Near Shin-Bamba Station North Exit on the Keihin Kyuko Line from Shinagawa Station.
sh431-IMG_2968.jpg
Honden main hall, Shinagawa Shrine
sh432-IMG_2975.jpg
Honden main hall, Shinagawa Shrine
sh433-IMG_2964.jpg
Honden main hall, Shinagawa Shrine
sh434-IMG_2972.jpg
sh435-IMG_2961.jpg
Kaguraden for sacred dances.
sh436-IMG_2962.jpg
sh437-IMG_2963.jpg
Kappa
sh438-IMG_2976.jpg
Cherry blossoms
sh439-IMG_2978.jpg
Monument says that the practice of visiting all the seven shrines for the Seven Gods of Good Fortune started here.
sh440-IMG_2979.jpg
Memorial for knives.
sh441-IMG_2985.jpg
Sight from the shrine's hill. Keihin Kyuko train runs parallel to the old Tokaido Road in Shinagawa.
sh442-IMG_2989.jpg
Daiichi Keihin highway in front of the shrine and Shin-Bamba Station on the Keihin Kyuko Line.
sh557-IMG_2990.jpg
Traffic sign for Tokaido Road.
sh558-IMG_3000.jpg
Shinagawa Bridge, with a small park on the bridge. 品川橋
sh559-IMG_3001.jpg
Shinagawa Bridge over the Meguro River. After Nihonbashi Bridge in Edo, this was the next major bridge to cross on the Tokaido. 品川橋
sh560-IMG_2994.jpg
Map of the walking route along Shinagawa-juku.
sh561-IMG_3009.jpg
Shinagawa Bridge and Meguro River.
sh562-IMG_2995.jpg
Meguro River as seen from Shinagawa Bridge. The river served as the boundary between Kita-Shinagawa (northern Shinagawa) and Minami-Shinagawa (southern Shinagawa).
sh563-IMG_3004.jpg
Bridge to Ebara Shrine.
sh564-IMG_3010.jpg
Bridge to Ebara Shrine with cherry blossoms.
sh565-IMG_3011.jpg
Ebara Shrine torii and bridge.
sh566-IMG_3027.jpg
Cherry blossoms along the Meguro-gawa River.
sh567-IMG_3029.jpg
sh568-IMG_3015.jpg
Ebara Shrine. Near Shinagawa bridge and adjacent to cherry-lined Meguro River on the left. 荏原神社
sh569-IMG_3021.jpg
Ebara Shrine torii
sh570-IMG_3025.jpg
The shrine is associated with Ebisu, the god of fishermen (notice the fishing pole) and good fortune.
sh571-IMG_3020.jpg
Ebara Shrine and priest
sh572-IMG_3022.jpg
Ebara Shrine also holds the Sanno Festival in early June.
sh573-IMG_3023.jpg
Ebara Shrine is only one of many shrines and temples in this area.
sh574-IMG_3034.jpg
Looks like a former police box (koban) next to Shinagawa Bridge.
sh575-IMG_3036.jpg
These frequent signs saying "Tokaido Shinagawa-juku" try to remind you that you're in Shinagawa-juku.
sh576-IMG_3040.jpg
Unfortunately, there are no post town buildings except for numerous shrines and temples.
sh577-IMG_3046.jpg
The only other traditional things you see are pine trees. This one came from Hamamatsu in Shizuoka.
sh578-IMG_3049.jpg
sh579-IMG_3052.jpg
Other shukuba (post towns), especially in the rural areas, have been successful in making their buildings look traditional. But Shinagawa was a total failure in this regard.
sh580-IMG_3057.jpg
If they could even build one traditional-looking building here, more tourists would come. But the most traditional-looking building is this public toilet.
sh581-IMG_3061.jpg
sh582-IMG_3065.jpg
Rest stop (a bench).
sh583-IMG_3066.jpg
More pine trees. This one came from Oiso in Kanagawa Pref.
sh584-IMG_3070.jpg
Police box looks traditional.
sh585-IMG_3071.jpg
Aomono-Yokocho Station on the Keihin Kyuko Line. This must be one of the ugliest train stations in Tokyo. The old Tokaido Road goes further beyond, but I stopped here.
sh586-IMG_3073.jpg
Daiichi Keihin highway. One road which replaced the Tokaido Road.
     
93 files on 1 page(s)