Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
187
spirits would find glory here; even today, it's believed that the spirits of some 2.4 million
Japanese war dead are at home here, where they are worshipped as deities. During any
day of the week, you're likely to encounter older Japanese paying their respects to friends
and families who perished in World War II. But every August 15, the shrine is thrust into
the national spotlight when World War II memorials are held. Visits by prime ministers
have caused national uproars and outrage among Japan's Asian neighbors, who think it
improper for a prime minister to visit—and thereby condone—a shrine so closely tied to
Japan's nationalistic and militaristic past.
If you can, come on a Sunday, when a flea market for antiques and curios is held at
the entrance to the shrine from about 6am to 3pm. On the shrine's grounds is a war
memorial museum outlining Japan's military history, the
Yushukan
. It chronicles
the rise and fall of the samurai, the colonization of Asia by Western powers by the late
1800s, the Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, and World Wars I and II, though
explanations in English are rather vague and Japan's military aggression in Asia is glossed
over. Still, a fascinating 90 minutes can be spent here gazing on samurai armor, swords,
uniforms, tanks, guns, a Mitsubishi Zero fighter plane, and artillery, as well as such
thought-provoking displays as a human torpedo (a tiny submarine guided by one occu-
pant and loaded with explosives) and a suicide attack plane. But the most chilling dis-
plays are the seemingly endless photographs of war dead, some of them very young
teenagers. In stark contrast to the somberness of the museum, temporary exhibits of
beautiful ikebana (Japanese flower arrangements) and bonsai are often held on the shrine
grounds in rows of glass cases. Yasukuni Shrine is also famous for its cherry blossoms.
3-1-1 Kudan-kita, Chiyoda-ku.
&
03/3261-8326.
www.yasukuni.or.jp. Free admission to shrine; Yushu-
kan ¥800 adults, ¥500 students, ¥300 junior-high and high-school students, ¥100 children. Shrine daily
24 hr.; Yushukan daily 9am-5pm. Station: Kudanshita (3 min.) or Ichigaya or Iidabashi (7 min.). On Yasu-
kuni Dori.
7
5
MORE MUSEUMS
ART MUSEUMS
Bridgestone Museum of Art (Bridgestone Bijutsukan)
This is one of
Tokyo's best private art museums, with a small but impressive collection of French
Impressionist art, as well as Japanese paintings in the Western style dating from the Meiji
Period onward. Because there are only 10 small rooms of displays, it makes a quick and
worthwhile 1-hour detour if you're in the vicinity. The permanent collection, comprising
500 works shown on a rotating basis, includes works by Monet, Manet, Degas, Sisley,
Cézanne, Pissarro, Renoir, Corot, Gauguin, van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, and
Rousseau, as well as Japanese painters Chu Asai, Aoki Shigeru, Kishida Ryusei, and Saeki
Yuzo. An audio guide for ¥500 provides historical and biographical background to major
works. Special exhibitions, which draw large crowds, are mounted four times a year.
Bridgestone Building, 1-10-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku.
&
03/3563-0241.
www.bridgestone-museum.gr.jp.
Admission ¥800 adults, ¥600 seniors, ¥500 students, free for children 14 and under (except during special
exhibits). Special exhibits cost more. Tues-Sat 10am-8pm; Sun and holidays 10am-6pm. Closed during
exhibit changes. Station: Tokyo (Yaesu Central exit, 5 min.), Kyobashi (Meidi-ya exit, 5 min.), or Nihom-
bashi (Takashimaya exit, 5 min.). On Chuo Dori (with an entrance around the corner on Yaesu Dori), a
short walk directly east of Tokyo Station.
