Tokaido Shinagawa-juku 東海道 品川宿
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JR Shinagawa Station, Takanawa Entrance on the west side. 品川駅 高輪口
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JR Shinagawa Station, Takanawa Entrance on the west side. 品川駅 高輪口
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JR Shinagawa Station, Takanawa Entrance on the west side. 品川駅 高輪口
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High-rise modern hotels have long replaced the old inns at Shinagawa-juku, the Tokaido Road's first post town during the Edo Period.
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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
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Way to the old Tokaido Road at Shinagawa. It was around here where Godzilla first set foot on Japan, in the first Godzilla movie.
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Entrance to the Tokaido Road at Shinagawa. Short walk from Shinagawa Station.
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Near the entrance to the Tokaido Road is this tourist info booth. Free pamphlets (English included) and maps of Shinagawa-juku.
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Shinagawa-juku along the old Tokaido Road looks like this today. In the old days, it looked like this.
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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
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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.
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Hiroshige's woodblock print of Shinagawa-juku (2nd post town on the Tokaido) from his "Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road" series.
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The ukiyoe art are all related to Shinagawa.
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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.
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Shinagawa beer
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Rest stop
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Message in English
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Hinkai Park
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Shinagawa-juku road marker
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Shinagawa-juku famous spot marker. It reads "Kyu-Tokaido no Nigiwai" meaning "Full of People on the Tokaido."
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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.
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"Kita-Shinagawa Koko Kara"
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Still just modern buildings in Shinagawa-juku, looking like any ordinary street in Japan.
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Isshinji Temple, associated with the god of longevity, Jurojin.
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Isshinji Temple gate sign
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Isshinji Temple is a branch of Narita-san.
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Painting shutter art. Looks like a pine tree.
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More shutter art.
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Site of Shinagawa-juku's Honjin. 品川宿 本陣
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Site of Shinagawa-juku's Honjin. 品川宿 本陣
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Pine tree at Shinagawa-juku's Honjin. The pine tree came from Tsuchiyama-juku in Koka, Shiga Prefecture.
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Sign explaining about the pine tree. Tsuchiyama in Shiga Prefecture was the 49th post town on the Tokaido Road.
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Shinagawa-juku Honjin marker.
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Site of Shinagawa-juku's Honjin. Seems to be used for parking bicycles... 品川宿 本陣
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Road to Shinagawa Shrine.
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Shinagawa Shrine faces Daiichi Keihin, a major highway.
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Shinagawa Shrine 品川神社
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Shinagawa Shrine torii at street level.
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Daikokuten, God of Wealth, Farmers, Agriculture, and Rice. He stands on bales of rice.
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Sightseeing marker
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Torii
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Marker for "New 100 Views of Tokyo."
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Second torii
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Third torii
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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.
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Honden main hall, Shinagawa Shrine
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Honden main hall, Shinagawa Shrine
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Honden main hall, Shinagawa Shrine
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Kaguraden for sacred dances.
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Kappa
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Cherry blossoms
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Monument says that the practice of visiting all the seven shrines for the Seven Gods of Good Fortune started here.
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Memorial for knives.
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Sight from the shrine's hill. Keihin Kyuko train runs parallel to the old Tokaido Road in Shinagawa.
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Daiichi Keihin highway in front of the shrine and Shin-Bamba Station on the Keihin Kyuko Line.
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Traffic sign for Tokaido Road.
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Shinagawa Bridge, with a small park on the bridge. 品川橋
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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
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Map of the walking route along Shinagawa-juku.
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Shinagawa Bridge and Meguro River.
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Meguro River as seen from Shinagawa Bridge. The river served as the boundary between Kita-Shinagawa (northern Shinagawa) and Minami-Shinagawa (southern Shinagawa).
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Bridge to Ebara Shrine.
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Bridge to Ebara Shrine with cherry blossoms.
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Ebara Shrine torii and bridge.
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Cherry blossoms along the Meguro-gawa River.
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Ebara Shrine. Near Shinagawa bridge and adjacent to cherry-lined Meguro River on the left. 荏原神社
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Ebara Shrine torii
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The shrine is associated with Ebisu, the god of fishermen (notice the fishing pole) and good fortune.
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Ebara Shrine and priest
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Ebara Shrine also holds the Sanno Festival in early June.
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Ebara Shrine is only one of many shrines and temples in this area.
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Looks like a former police box (koban) next to Shinagawa Bridge.
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These frequent signs saying "Tokaido Shinagawa-juku" try to remind you that you're in Shinagawa-juku.
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Unfortunately, there are no post town buildings except for numerous shrines and temples.
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The only other traditional things you see are pine trees. This one came from Hamamatsu in Shizuoka.
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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.
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If they could even build one traditional-looking building here, more tourists would come. But the most traditional-looking building is this public toilet.
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Rest stop (a bench).
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More pine trees. This one came from Oiso in Kanagawa Pref.
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Police box looks traditional.
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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.
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Daiichi Keihin highway. One road which replaced the Tokaido Road.
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