Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Yanagibashi
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Umaya Bridge
Bridge
This green bridge
(left)
at the heart
of an old geisha
district has bolted
plates in the south-
ern Chuo ward
and north-facing
panels in Taito
ward. House boats
and fishing boats
are moored here.
This imposing iron
structure is named after
the shogun's horse
stables, once located
north of the bridge. Bas-
relief horses appear on
the ornamental pillars.
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Basho Inari Shrine
and Statue
Dedicated to the great
haiku poet Matsuo Basho
(1644-94), the shrine
leads to a small elevated
garden with a seated
statue of him
(above)
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Kiyosu Bridge
Built in 1928, this
blue bridge
(center)
was
inspired by a suspension
bridge that once crossed
the Rhine in Cologne. The
light from the lamps adds
to the air of romance.
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Eitai Bridge
(
Tsukuda-jima
Convicts were once
loaded onto boats from
this bridge and shipped
off to Japan's penal colo-
nies. It offers sweeping
scenic river views.
The first residents
of this island congre-
gated at the Sumiyoshi
Shrine, dedicated to
Sumiyoshi Myojin,
protector of seafarers.
River Chronicles
The writings of Tokyo's
foremost chronicler,
the novelist Nagai Kafu
(1879-1959), are evo-
cative descriptions of
the city. Kafu's river is
a leisurely waterway,
supporting a population
in tune with the
seasons. In an early
novel,
The Sumida
River
, Kafu presents a
vibrant portrait of the
river with a miniaturist's
eye. His later elegies
lament the changes
carried out in the name
of progress.
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Hama Rikyu Garden
The features of the original garden
(above)
can
be seen in the tidal pond, in islets linked by wooden
bridges, and in a tea pavilion. Sluice gates let sea-
water enter the pond, bringing in saltwater fish.
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The Tsukuda-jima island's first inhabitants were brought from
Osaka to supply the shogun's kitchens with whitebait.
