Yanaka - Building on the Past

Let's dive into Yanaka,

an area full of old-town charm.

I know I'm in the middle of Tokyo, but it feels like

actually I'm in Kyoto.

There are around 70 temples in Yanaka.

And you might not expect what we learn about their history.

Gun? Rifle?

Later, we follow these twisting, winding passages.

This is like a maze.

We'll be exploring three topics this episode.

Temples, rivers and love.

Join us as we dive into this historic temple district.

Yanaka - Building on the Past

Yanaka is close to Ueno and Asakusa.

It's an area representative of old-town Tokyo.

It's comprised of two zones, the highland and the lowlands.

Our journey begins at this train station a short distance from Yanaka.

Hi. This is Zega.

I really enjoy walking around Tokyo, especially the old parts of town,

and I hear that Yanaka has a lot of historical places.

Let's go.

Our reporter today is Zega.

Bars.

He's an actor and comedian.

A tunnel underneath the tracks leads into Yanaka.

There are some stairs on the other side.

Wow.

It's an entrance to a shrine.

This is Suwa Shrine,

home to the deity which protects Yanaka.

It was established 800 years ago.

It's the oldest site in the area.

The shrine puts on a summer festival every year.

It brightens up the mood, and helps strengthen the community.

Zega pays his respects at the shrine.

Hello.

So is this a very old shrine?

Yes, there are traces of settlements going back thousands of years.

People have lived in this area for a long time.

There's a spot to learn about what the area was like during the Edo period.

Take a look at that painting.

It's a woodblock print from about 200 years ago.

The artist, Utagawa Hiroshige made this depiction of the Suwa Bluff.

This is what Suwa Shrine looked like at the time.

The shrine overlooked an open field.

The Yanaka area has always been home to numerous temples.

Many pilgrims came to visit the area.

200 years have passed since then.

They're... Oh, look!

It looks like it's flying over the buildings,

over the city and under the city.

Train paradise!

It's almost unbelievable that it's the same place here.

It shows how much Tokyo changes over the years.

The high ground where Suwa Shrine is located

is still filled with many other temples and shrines.

Yofukuji Temple.

Yofukuji Temple was founded in 1620.

Guardians of the temple.

These two guardians have watched over the gate for around 300 years.

Oh, wow. Look at this.

Look at this wall.

The wall of this temple, Kannonji, is made from clay.

This has been around some 200 years.

I know I'm in the middle of Tokyo, but it feels like

actually I'm in Kyoto.

Our first topic is temples.

There are around 70 temples in Yanaka today.

It's said to be the largest temple district in Tokyo.

Just how did it become this way?

Okay, yes, here it is.

Kozenji.

Head priest waiting to meet with us here

and tell us about the history of this town and the temples.

Good afternoon.

Welcome.

This is the head priest, Yamazaki Masanori.

Why are there so many temples in Yanaka?

The Tokugawa shogunate designated what would be their main temple.

A large temple complex called Kaneiji was established in Ueno.

After that, many other temples moved nearby.

That's how this area became such a temple district.

In 1603, the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu

established a new government in Edo, today's Tokyo.

In 1625, the Tokugawa clan established Kaneiji Temple in Ueno

where they could pray for their ancestors.

Other temples then started being built in the neighboring Yanaka.

There was one more major event

that solidified Yanaka as a major temple district.

Edo suffered the Great Fire of Meireki.

Most of the city burned, as did the keep of Edo Castle.

The Great Fire of Meireki.

The flames destroyed around 60% of the central area of the city

and damaged Edo Castle.

Tens of thousands of lives were lost.

Yanaka on the edge of the city was spared from the flames.

After the disaster, many temples moved to Yanaka

forming the extensive temple district.

Head priest Yamazaki guides us to a spot

that reveals some important history of the area.

It's found at Kyo-oji Temple.

Zega, there are several holes here. What do you think these are?

- I don't know. Peephole?
- No.

No. Well, what is it?

These holes are from gunshots.

Gun? Rifle?

The bullet holes date back to the mid-19th century.

The Edo government run by the Tokugawa shogunate ended,

and imperial rule was restored to the emperor.

Conflict arose with those who were formerly in power.

Forces from the old government barricaded themselves at Kaneiji Temple in Ueno.

From there, the fighting spread to Yanaka.

Kaneiji was the Tokugawas' temple.

They used it to fight the imperial forces.

They were defeated, so they retreated here.

These holes are from the pursuit.

The imperial forces were vastly superior in number.

The battle ended in just one day.

Kaneiji Temple burned as did most temples in Yanaka.

After all the destruction and everything finished,

how was it possible to rebuild this whole town?

Yanaka was considered a sacred place during the Edo period.

It was important to the people of Edo, so they worked hard to rebuild it.

Today, the temple district lives on in Yanaka.

It's a testament to the devotion of the local people.

Our next stop is in the lowlands below the temple district.

So, now we're heading into town.

A small shopping street comes into view.

Postcards and...

Ah, "rakugo" items.
(This store sells Japanese trinkets.)

Clothes.

There's everything here.

A very narrow street.

Maybe we go in.

As we continue along, the streets start getting even more narrow.

It becomes very narrow. The street is very narrow.

Maybe we go this way.

Explore the narrow streets of Yanaka.

The streets are lined with homes.

It's almost the opposite of the temple district.

This is like a maze.

I feel lost.

Why are the passages here so twisting and winding?

Here's where we get into our second topic, the river.

The river was an important part of life in this lowland.

We've made it out to a wider street.

It says there, "bridge."

What bridge?

There isn't any river in sight,

so why is there a sign for a bridge?

We continue further.

It turns so abruptly.

This street is called the Hebimichi or Snake Road.

Twists and turns.

Winding road.

What is this?

Excuse me, can I ask a question?

Why does this road wind so much?

There used to be a small river here. The road followed along it.

So the road followed it exactly, and we ended up with this shape?

Yes. And with all the homes here, the river became a culvert.

About a hundred years ago, this Hebimichi was actually a river.

The name "Yanaka" means "in the valley."

The lowlands were a river valley.

Water was taken from the river to flood rice paddies.

But as the population grew,

the paddies were turned into land for homes.

The small passages all around

are what's left of the paths between paddies and canals.

Emerging from the Hebimichi,

we find a store that's closely tied to the area's history.

What do you sell here?

We sell Japanese handkerchiefs.

So many lovely designs.

This is Choju-giga, isn't it?

I love this.

It's said to be like Japanese cartoon.

Maybe the first Japanese cartoon.

I'll take this!

This shop is very old too.

How old is this shop?

It's about 120 years old.

The store opened here because of the river.

Why was it important to have the shop by the river?

The store used to dye kimonos.

You need a lot of water to wash the fabric after the dyeing process.

So apparently there were many dye shops along the river.

The river was about two meters wide in front of the store.

There used to be many shops along the river

that dyed fabric with Japanese indigo dye.

The river was known as Aizome River or the Indigo River.

Is that indigo dye too?

Yes, that is dyed with indigo.

Very nice.

So there's many old shops like this one remaining here in this area?

Yes, if you compare with some of the other areas in Tokyo,

a lot of old shops are still around, thanks in part to the many temples.

Yanaka started as a temple district.

As people began living in the lowlands, the area started to develop.

This is a rice cracker shop that was established over a hundred years ago.

They use charcoal to bake the crackers just like old times.

That classic taste. It's a local favorite.

This tatami shop has actually been around for almost 300 years.

Kaneiji Temple was the temple of the shogunate.

Many artisans worked exclusively for the temple.

This area used to work under Kaneiji Temple.

There were all kinds of craftsmen. Stoneworkers, carpenters,

tatami makers like us, metalworkers, makers of Japanese sweets.

For generations, that's how we made a living.

As we continue our stroll...

What's this?

Engraving of an "ojizo-san."

And it's said to take care of the

children of the area.

Why is this here?

This is Tsuboi Akiyoshi who lives across from this jizo statue.

His family have been builders in Yanaka for three generations.

Around 70 people died during the war in this area alone.

My grandfather built this memorial to them here in 1948.

Air raids destroyed much of Tokyo in World War II.

(Bombing of Tokyo, 1945)

Yanaka was spared from the worst of it.

On this map, the red areas were hit with firebombs.

We're standing right around here now.

The white areas avoided damage.

A lot of old homes here survived.

The white part of the map was the area around Yanaka.

The fire didn't spread much because of the open spaces of the parks,

the university, and the many temples.

Many old buildings that avoided the bombings are still standing.

Oh, this looks like an old house.

These homes were built over 80 years ago.

Three old homes were renovated into a multipurpose facility.

Look at this. Beer. Beer.

This is a beer hall where you can enjoy local craft beer.

Cheers.

This is the kind of beer I like.

The interior still resembles the old residence it once was.

This shop sells olive oil and salt.

And this is a bakery that specializes in northern European pastries and bread.

The second floor is an eating space,

and it retains the old tatami floor seats.

It's very nostalgic.

It reminds me of visits to my grandmother's home.

While it looks very old-town, it has a new use.

I'm very glad they found uses for these buildings.

Our last topic for the day is love.

While Yanaka survived much of the damage from World War II,

there were plans to develop the area in the 1980s

during Japan's economic bubble.

The locals loved their community, and banded together to protect it.

Welcome. Please, come in.

This is Shiihara Akiko.

She's been involved with the Yanaka region for some 40 years.

The population of Yanaka is around 12,000 people.

People young and old connect directly with each other on the small streets.

Those bonds make our community a nice place to live.

The residents value that the most.

In order to protect their community,

Shiihara formed an organization with like-minded people.

When there were plans to build tall apartments

which would greatly change the look of the area,

Shiihara worked together with locals

and persuaded the developers to build low-rise buildings instead.

You could say I'm just using what I learned in Yanaka, for Yanaka.

And I'm sure those efforts will be of use in other areas as well.

The preservation efforts seem to be gaining traction.

This is an interesting looking house.

This used to be a home built 50 years ago.

Now it's a gelato store.

I'll have a mango, please.

Here you are.

Sweet.

The contrast of the old neighborhood,

some European ice cream.

Only in Tokyo.

The younger generation has inherited Shiihara's values

opening shops like these.

We visit the man who built the store.

That's nice.

This looks like it was an old house.

And now it's a cafe,

and a gallery.

Very nice place.

Miyazaki Mitsuyoshi, an architect.

His efforts to repurpose old homes

began with this cafe and art gallery facility.

It used to be a residence built 60 years ago.

Miyazaki was living here with friends while he attended the nearby art university.

In 2011, after the Great East Japan Earthquake,

the owner decided to tear it down.

There are many old buildings in Yanaka, but they're disappearing rapidly.

We loved this apartment.

So we asked the owner to let us do a little funeral for it.

We would dress it up one last time and see it off with an art event.

The send-off art event before the building was to be torn down

lasted three weeks and attracted close to 1,500 people.

This changed the owner's mind about the place.

He called off the demolition

and asked Miyazaki to give the apartment a new life.

Following this success, Miyazaki started his own business.

He would do the same thing with other buildings on the narrow streets of Yanaka,

converting old homes into popular tourist spots.

A building physically exists, but it remains in people's minds.

Not just for people who lived there, but for those that walked by it too.

The memories of the older generation linger in these places.

If you think about it that way, every building has value.

Even if it's not something ancient like the buildings in Kyoto,

they represent local history, and I want to preserve that.

The old Yanaka has endured through the centuries.

It's the people's love for their community that keeps it alive.

Yanaka has this connection to history and its old buildings.

And I had no idea how important it was that all the temples

that gave birth to the community at first

actually made it a really vital community that takes care of its history,

and how the people are very committed to keeping it alive.

Maybe this spirit carries on to other parts of Tokyo.

Maybe the future of Tokyo is even brighter.