DAY 4 (2/3): EDO TOKYO MUSEUM (江戸東京博物館), Sumida, Tokyo, Japan, 2017.06.17
This was our third visit to Tokyo. Apart from its delicious food and sleek fashion, we were also eager to learn about the city’s history. In Sumida, we chose to visit the Edo Tokyo Museum, an interesting museum on Tokyo’s history housed in a monumental building designed by Kiyonori Kikutake (菊竹 清訓). Established in 1993, the museum offers a good introduction of the history of Tokyo, from the founding of Edo to the present day. Raised on a platform overlooking Ryōgoku Kokugikan (両国国技館), the architecture was modeled after an old storehouse in the Kurazukuri style. Unlike Sumida Hokusai Museum where the scale of the minimalist architecture fits perfectly with the surrounding neighborhood, Edo Tokyo Museum takes a much more monumental approach.
As soon as we stepped out the lift from Ryōgoku Station, we were overwhelmed by the monumental museum building.
We reached the entrance platform underneath the raised museum building via a grand staircase.
At the far side of the entrance platform we could see the famous Ryōgoku Kokugikan (両国国技館).
We purchased the museum tickets and headed towards the red escalator.
Enclosed in a glass tube, the red escalator was the main access point up to the museum.
A partial reconstructed Nihonbashi (日本橋) lay ahead of us once we entered the museum main hall.
Below the reconstructed Nihonbashi, the most prominent feature was the reconstructed Nakamuraza Kabuki Theatre.
The story of Tokyo began with the founding of Edo Castle (江戸城), the residence of the shogun.
From different miniature models, we learnt the evolution of Edo and then Tokyo.
Interesting information also included traditions and festivals in Tokyo.
Theatre art was an important part of the Japanese culture and history of Tokyo.
Dominated with Western brick houses built after a fire burnt down much of the area in 1872, Ginza (銀座) Bricktown was the model area of modernization during the Meiji Period.
At certain period of the day, there would be performances and activities held in front of the reconstructed Nakamuraza Kabuki Theatre.
GINZA, Tokyo
Rows of small-scale commercial buildings and traditional department stores, Ginza offered us the first taste of Japanese architecture in Tokyo. Tidy, classy, and being one of the first districts in Tokyo to undergo modernization in late 19th century, Ginza has been the place of styles and wealth for many decades. It is the area of luxurious shops, splendid department stores, fancy restaurants, art galleries, and the famous Kabuki-za Theatre. Despite its fame of being the old commercial core of the city, Ginza remains at the forefront for architectural innovations today. We strolled around the area and passed by a number of influential Japanese architecture, including Kenzo Tange’s Shizuoka Press and Broadcasting Tower (1967), Kisho Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower (1972), Jun Aoki’s Louis Vuitton Building (2004), Toyo Ito’s Mikimoto Ginza (2005), Shigeru Ban’s Nicolas G. Hayek Centre (2007).
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Read other posts on 2014 Tokyo:
1. Tokyo 2014 (Introduction)
2. Yokohama Osanbashi Pier
3. Ginza, Tokyo
4. Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo
5. Omotesando, Tokyo
6. Harajuku & Aoyama, Tokyo
7. Nezu Museum, Tokyo
8. Roppongi Hills, Tokyo
9. The National Art Centre, Tokyo
10. Midtown, Tokyo
11. A Shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo
12. Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo
13. A Night in Yanaka, Tokyo
14. Breakfast at Tsukiji Market, Tokyo
15. Moveable Feast, Tokyo
16. Seasonal Fruits, Tokyo
17. Afterthought, Tokyo
Blue Lapis Road 