Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
Happōen
ീ๕Ԃ
• 1-1-1 Shirokanedai, Meguro-ku •
Garden
Daily 10am-5pm • Free •
Teahouse
Daily 11am-5pm • ¥800 • Shirokanedai station
Shirokanedai Station is the handiest jumping-off point for the lovely
Happōen
. he
garden's name means “beautiful from any angle” and, despite the addition of a
modern wedding hall on one side, this is still true. A renowned adviser to the
shogunate, Hikozaemon Okubo, lived here during the early seventeenth century,
but most of the garden's design dates from the early twentieth century, when a
business tycoon bought up the land, built a classical Japanese villa (still standing
by the garden's entrance) and gave the garden its present name. Take a turn through
its twisting pathways and you'll pass two bonsai trees, each more than a hundred
years old, a stone lantern said to have been carved eight hundred years ago by the
Heike warrior Taira-no Munekiyo, and a central pond. Nestling amid the trees is
the delightful
teahouse
, where ladies in kimono will serve you
matcha
and
okashi
.
At weekends many smartly dressed wedding parties line up for group photos against
the verdant backdrop.
Hatakeyama Memorial Museum of Fine Art
ിࢁه೦ؗ
, Hatakeyama Kinenkan • 2-20-12 Shirokanedai, Meguro-ku • Tues-Sun: April-Sept 10am-5pm; Oct-March 10am-4.30pm •
¥500; tea ¥400 •
T
03 3447 5787,
W
www.ebara.co.jp/csr/hatakeyama • Takanawadai station
In the midst of a quiet residential area a pretty Japanese garden is overlooked by the
formal restaurant
Hannya-en
, which specializes in
kaiseki-ryōri
cuisine, and the
Hatakeyama Memorial Museum of Fine Art
. Devoted to the art of the tea ceremony,
this compact but appealing museum houses the collection of business magnate
Hatakeyama Issei, who made his fortune manufacturing waste incinerators and pumps.
Hatakeyama had exquisite taste and his collection contains many lovely works of art;
he also designed the building, which reflects the structure of a traditional teahouse,
albeit on a much larger scale. Tea is served in the exhibition hall.
Shinagawa
The transport and hotel hub of
Shinagawa
was once the location of one of the
original checkpoints on the Tōkaidō, the major highway into Edo during the reign
of the shoguns. These days, most travellers who find themselves in Shinagawa are
merely changing trains or passing through on one of the many train lines snaking
through the area, but those with a little time to spare should head to visit the
eclectic
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
.
THE 47 RŌNIN
Celebrated in kabuki and
bunraku
plays, as well as on film,
Chūshingura
is a true story of
honour, revenge and loyalty. In 1701, a young
daimy
ō, Asano Takumi, became embroiled in
a fatal argument in the shogun's court with his teacher and fellow lord Kira Yoshinaka. Asano
had lost face in his performance of court rituals and, blaming his mentor for his lax tuition,
drew his sword within the castle walls and attacked Kira. Although Kira survived, the shogun,
on hearing of this breach of etiquette, ordered Asano to commit
seppuku
, the traditional form
of suicide, which he did.
Their lord having been disgraced, Asano's loyal retainers, the
rōnin
- or masterless samurai
- vowed revenge. On December 14, 1702, the 47
rōnin
, lead by
Oishi Kuranosuke
, stormed
Kira's villa, cut off his head and paraded it through Edo in triumph before placing it on Asano's
grave in Sengaku-ji. The shogun ordered the
rōnin
's deaths, but instead all 47 committed
seppuku
on February 14, 1703, including Oishi's 15-year-old son. They were buried with Asano
in Sengaku-ji, and today their graves are still wreathed in the smoke from the bundles of
incense placed by their gravestones.
