Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
Kite Museum
A Day Exploring
Historical Sites
Morning
Arrive at
Kudanshita
Station
around 10am after
the commuter crowds have
dispersed. Exit the station
on Yasukuni-dori avenue,
take a sharp left, where
the 1930s
Kudan Kaikan
Hotel
(see p49)
stands, a
blend of nativist and Art
Deco styles. Return to the
main road and walk uphill
to the
Yasukuni Shrine
(see p37)
, a fine piece of
Shinto architecture. Forego
the military museum in
favor of strolling the pleas-
ant grounds, full of cherry
trees. Have tea beside
the garden pond, or wind
back to the Kudan Kaikan
for one of their afternoon
tea sets. The rooftop beer
garden with a view is
another option.
Displaying over 20,000 kites
from all over the world, the
museum focuses on Japan and
China. The Japanese kites are
adorned with real and mytholo-
gical figures, as well as animals
and natural landscapes such as
waves and sacred mountains.
Kite frames are made from
bamboo, and the sails from
washi
, a strong paper made from
a type of mulberry tree. Picture
outlines are painted in black
sumi
ink to restrict the flow of color
pigments.
d
Map P3 • Taimeiken 5F,
1-12-10 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku • 3271-2465
• Open 11am-5pm Mon-Sat • Adm
• www.tako.gr.jp
Afternoon
Return to the main road,
cross, and follow the
signpost to Tayasu-mon, a
wooden gate leading into
Kitanomaru Park. Before
seeing the gate, note an
old Meiji-era tower. Past
the gate, linger outside the
octagonal
Budokan
(see
p8),
the martial arts hall
where the Beatles once
gave a concert. Follow the
road south to the pretty
Imperial Palace East
Gardens
(see p67)
, the
former site of
Edo Castle
,
the shogun's citadel. Here
you can climb the ruins of
a keep for a view of the
gardens. Press on south
toward the
Babasaki
Moat
, home to white
swans, egrets, and turtles.
Cross busy Hibiya-dori and
walk toward the nearby
Tokyo Station
(see p67)
,
a superb 1914 structure.
Have a drink at the Man-
darin Bar in the Mandarin
Oriental Hotel
(see p126)
.
A colorful display at the Kite Museum
)
Tokyo Station Gallery
This small but interesting
gallery is part of the original 1914
station. The walls, like the build-
ing, are made of brick, a unique
but apt surface for the paintings
and photos that are hung here.
Set up in 1988 to expand the func-
tion of the station into a cultural
venue, the gallery features a lot
of Japanese oils and watercolors,
as well as some international art.
d
Map N3 • 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-
ku • 3212-2485 • Open 10am-7pm
Tue-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat-Sun • Adm
69
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