Roppongi, Tokyo Tower, Azabujuban, Minato

        Last October 27, our ramune the class went to Roponggi to look at its historical places. We had to meet at Azabujuban station in the afternoon. I also had to go to the Philippine Embassy to register as an absentee voter. Coincidentally, the embassy was also in Roponggi, so I was killing two birds with one stone. So I met with my fellow filipino friends and registered in the morning, and since we still had time before the class trip would start, we decided to take our own tour before meeting the class.

      On our way to Azabujuban station, we noticed that almost all of the embassies were situated in Roponggi. So since it really got me curious, I researched over it after the tour. According to Cybriwsky in his book “Roponggi Crossing,” I learned that foreign occupation in Roponggi dates back to the final days on the shogunate era, as the Zempukuji and the U.S. Forces occupied the place uninvited. Since then, Roponggi has been one of the most concentrated places of foreign residents and employments. He also mentioned that of the 146 embassies in Japan, 79 is in Minato ward in Roponggi, which is about half of it. We then proceeded to the direction of Tokyo Tower to look for something to eat for lunch. As we arrived in Tokyo Tower, I felt nostalgic in the view. It was just as the scene in the movie “Otogizoshi” has shown during the screening during class. There was the cemetery, the park and the view. It was true that it was a bit creepy of having a cemetery below a great monument like the Tokyo Tower. We also noticed a monument of dogs at the base of the statue. We asked some of the people who were working at the site, and they told us that that monument was about the story of the survival of 13 dogs chained in Antartica (good thing my friend was fluent in Japanese!). The story was so great that it was considered very important in the Nation, and many statues are all over Japan. For those who still dont know them, they were made into a movie by Disney, entitled “Eight feet Below.”

       We then ate and met with the class. We started by looking at a soba shop that dates back from the Edo period. I was amazed of how they were able to stay that long. We then went to the playground where scenes from Sailor moon can be seen here. I was really happy to be in that place, I've seen the anime and I still recall the scenes in the swings and the park. And since I was doing a personal research of visiting places that were depicted in the anime, it was another great addition to my research.

       We then proceeded to Zempukuji Temple. As I mentioned earlier, it was one of the first foreign things that came in Japan. The temple was quite very historical because of the things present there. In the temple, there was the monument of Townsend Harris, who propagated the first american legation last July 07, 1859 under the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, which opened Japan to the world. Fukuzawa Yukichi, the founder of Keio University was also buried there. There was also the huge Ginkgo tree that dates back to 824, one of the oldest standing trees in Japan. I was able to know its history because of the description was in English. There I learned that the temple was founded by Kobo Daishi, founder of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. Legend has it that Shinran Shonin, founder of the Jodo-Shinshu Sect, put down his staff which then started to sprout leaves and thus became the ginkgo tree. In the back of the tree there were burn marks that were scars from the war.

       We then went to other places, we passed by a shop famous for its Taiyaki, paste with red beans. The professor said that it was so famous that you had to wait for around 30 minutes to get an order. I wanted to try it, but we didn't had the time. We also passed by a shrine that had frog statues in it. It was said that the frog put out a fire before. There was also the small statue of the seven deities of fortune in a boat. As we walked further, we went in TV Asahi and looked around. Just beside the station was a beautiful garden, right below Mori Tower, one of the tallest building in Japan. The garden was also important because of its history. It was a garden of a former daimyo. More than that, it was also the spot where some of the 47 ronin committed suicide. Then we went to other places as well, such as the Stars and Stripes, a newspaper company for the US armed forces. We also passed by the National Art museum of Tokyo. We also passed by Tokyo Midtown. I was so happy that we passed by that place since Konami Headquarters was there. In the end of the tour, we were able to witness a real traditional wedding. It gave me an additional understanding of Japan's culture.

        What was really interesting was my trip to Tokyo Tower and Zempukuji temple. I liked the Zempukuji Temple because it was filled with a lot of very significant events from the early history of Japan. The most interesting was the Tokyo Tower. It was because I can relate to the scenes in the movies “Always Sanchome no Yuhi” (a must watch! A very nice movie!) and “Otogizoshi”, where Tokyo Tower served as the main point in those movies. Just the sight of the Tokyo Tower left me astounded, and gave me hope, just as it served as hope for Japan after the war.

Some pictures from our trip! Enjoy! :)

Sailor Moon! :D

Tokyo Tower :D

The Philippine Embassy in all its glory

Taking a rest from the trip

One of Mr Mori's architectural achievements

TV Asahi!

Links:

Cybriwsky, R.A., “Roponggi Crossing: The Demise of a Tokyo Nightclub District and the Reshaping of a Global City.” University of Georgia Press. Athens, Georgia. 2011.