Image search results - "toshima-ku" - JAPAN PHOTOS by Philbert Ono

Image search results - "toshima-ku"

JR Sugamo Station on the Yamanote Line. 巣鴨駅

In front of JR Sugamo Station

Main road in front of JR Sugamo Station

Cherry blossoms near JR Sugamo Station

Entrance to Sugamo Jizo-dori shopping street 巣鴨地蔵通り商店街

Sugamo Jizo-dori shopping street 巣鴨地蔵通り商店街「おばあちゃんの原宿」

The clothing shops are geared for elderly women. Sugamo is the fashion capital for elderly women. 「おばあちゃんの原宿」

Nakasendo road marker.

Most of the clothing items are price low, around 1,000 yen which might be affordable by people living on social security.

Hat shop

Sugamo Jizo-dori shopping street 巣鴨地蔵通り商店街

Kōgan-ji Temple (高岩寺)

Gate to Koganji temple, a famous spot along the shopping street.

Koganji temple. The temple's popular name is "Togenuki Jizo-son." It sells magic paper called osugata which supposed to remove a thorn or splinter from your skin. Affix it to the thorn and it will be extracted. とげぬき地蔵尊

Togenuki means thorn-extracting. Koganji temple incense burner

Koganji temple Hondo hall. This is a Zen temple belonging to the Soto-shu school. The temple was founded in 1596 and moved to Sugamo in 1891.

Inside Koganji temple Hondo. The temple houses the Togenuki Jizo statue which is not visible to the public.

Grounds of Koganji temple as seen from the Hondo hall.

People line up to wash the famous Kannon statue. The line gets longer on weekends.

People in line for the Arai (Washable) Kannon statue. Anybody can line up and scrub the statue. No charge.

Arai Kannon statue. Wash the part of the body to cure the corresponding part of your own body. 洗い観音

They used to have a tawashi brush to wash the statue, but that wore out the statue. So the replacement statue is now washed/rubbed with a towel instead.

Jizo statue

People relax in front of the temple.

The shopping street is quite long, going all the way to Nishi-Sugamo on the Mita subway line.

The famous red underwear. Supposed to keep you warmer. For men and women.

Umbrella shop

Tokyo Toden streetcar, Koshin-zuka Station.

My lunch. Ball-shaped gyoza. The skin is slightly crunchy.

Inside the gyoza restaurant are placards written by past customers boasting the number of gyoza they ate (or couldn't finish).

Mejiro Teien Garden in Tokyo had a long line to get in during late Nov. Near JR Mejiro Station on the Yamanote Line. Free admission.

Mejiro Teien Garden's attraction was fall foliage lit up at night.

Mejiro Teien Garden centers on a pond that reflects the illumination.

Christmassy maple leaves at Mejiro Teien.

Tea house for rent.

Tea house

The 37th Otsuka Awa Odori was held on Aug. 26, 2009 (Wed.) in the middle of the week from about 5 pm to 9 pm. They paraded on the main road in front of the south side of JR Otsuka Station on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo.

Both sides of the road were almost totally covered with vinyl mats by people reserving a spot to watch the dance. The festival seemed to be mainly for the local folks, not for tourists from outside who could not get close to the roadside.

So it was not a good situation for taking pictures. The dance route was short, maybe only 300 meters. They danced on only one road. That's why it was quite crowded.