火曜日, 1月 17th, 2012...8:57 AM

Kasuga Walking Guide

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Kasuga Walking Guide
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Along with the city full of history, such as the sites of literary people and a temple of Tokugawa family, there are also Tokyo Dome, Kourakuen, and the high-rise ward office building. Kasuga station seems rather plain since it is hidden in the presence of Kourakuen station but it is a city with many to look around.

The first thing that comes to site right outside Kasuga station is the Masago market inside the Kumin center.
It becomes extremely crowded during lunch time and a scene where a student wanting to buy a lunch box can be easily imagined.

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Next I walked along the wide street where the science faculty of Chuou University stands.

Then an unfamiliar statue was stading infront of the park.

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The sculpture on the left of the statue said this “Koishikawa Park” was part of military land.
Although it was gradually released after the war, veterans memorial halls were still left, The atmosphere was different from other regular parks.

And after I passed the park, the “Koishikawa Uiyoe Museum” came into site.
I wanted to enter but it was closed that day so I was surprised.

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Anyway, this museum displays works of 3 centuries of the development of Ukiyoe from the early stages of Moronobu to the late ages of Utagawa.

And after I passed Chuou University and went up a hill, I unexpetedly found an inconspicuous Soba restaurant.

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This reataurant is called “Inari Soba Mansei Souhonten” and is a restaurant that continues for more than 380 years since the opening.
It seems like it is loved by the local people for the unchanging taste.

After turning right at an intersection where the restaurant was, Dentsuin came to site.

Dentsuin
This temple was founded in 1415, and is a temple with deep connections with the Tokugawa family. It is also famous for having many graves of people with deep connections with the Tokugawa family.

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There is the Takuzousu Inari when you go down the hill of Dentsuin. This temple also has deep connections with Tokugawa Ieyasu and is the temple that built the grave of Ieyasu’s mother.

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And after completely going down this hill and turn right, there is another hill which is called Rokkakuzaka and there is a very interesting building there.

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A cat building.
It looks very cute.

After walking back the street I came from and turning right, there is the Daiadou Shoten.

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Daiadou Shoten opened in the late Taisho period and chaged locations in 1932 to the present location which is at Konnyakumae Kousaten. They buy various books such as novels, picture books, children’s books, and manga, if you bring it. There is a great collection of old books to new books.

If you walk pass this store a slope comes to site.

Horizaka

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The name “Horizaka” came from the mark stone built by the Hori family after the repair of the slope around 1818 to 1830.
The slope is fairly steep so I suggest you go down the slope.

If you go down this slope and walk a bit, there is a store called gallery Yoshinaga.
This store is a specialty store of Joseon dynasty furniture. For 30 years, it has displayed and sold furniture the owner carefully selected. There is coffee and home made cakes so it was a nice place to take a break.

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And finally, I visited the Bunkyo Civic center, outlook lounge.

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This building is a ward office building but the overlook lounge on the 21st floor, is a free entrance date spot where you can see the skyscrapers of Ikebukuro and Shinjuku. I would like to come again at night.

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This is the end of the walk in Kasuga.
I realized again that Kasuga is a city with a lot of history. Dentsuin and Inari Soba Mansei Souhonten are definitely a part of it. However, there are more stores that seek for new things recently, like Masago market. It was a walk that made me wonder how the city is going to develop now on while preserving the history sites.

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