Kanda - A Historic Town with Heart

Today we explore Kanda, an area in the heart of the city.

At first glance it's a business district,

but it's actually one of Tokyo's oldest neighborhoods.

Nestled along its backstreets are long-standing establishments

and scattered traces of history.

The doors and ceiling are so...

The spirit of old Tokyo lives on among the community.

Beautiful!

It's my hometown.

Kanda is the best!

Let's dive into Kanda and see what discoveries await.

Kanda - A Historic Town with Heart

Kanda is an area to the northeast of the Imperial Palace,

near Tokyo Station.

Today, we focus on the east side of Kanda,

which developed in the early days of the Edo period and has flourished for centuries.

Hi. I'm Saskia and I'm discovering Kanda today.

Even though I've been living in Tokyo for about eight years,

I don't really know that much about the area other than that it has a long history.

I'm really excited to figure out the secrets

that lie behind the area surrounded by these tall skyscrapers.

So let's find out.

Saskia is a university researcher specializing in kimono culture.

She also has an avid interest in Japanese history.

Kanda is a district of commercial buildings and office workers.

It's conveniently served by multiple train lines.

We begin our day at a place that serves as the spiritual center of the local community.

So we've arrived at Kanda Myojin

and it is said that the god that's enshrined here

is protecting the people in the Kanda area.

So first of all, I'd like to pay my respects.

Let's go.

Kanda Myojin was founded nearly 1,300 years ago.

It's revered as a principal tutelary shrine

that protects the central Tokyo area.

Oh, there's even a small rabbit. Look how cute.

Wow!

It's said that the founder of the Edo Shogunate

prayed at Kanda Myojin for victory in the decisive battle

that effectively made him the ruler of Japan.

Later, the shrine was moved to its current location

to protect Edo Castle from what was believed to be an inauspicious direction.

These are so much fun.

This is Kato Teppei, a priest at the shrine.

I heard that this shrine is protecting the people in Kanda as a main deity.

Throughout Japan there are local deities protecting each area.

Tutelary deities are called "ujigami."

The parishioners they protect are called "ujiko."

Kanda Myojin protects Kanda, Nihonbashi, Otemachi, Marunouchi.

It's the ujigami of those areas.

Kanda Myojin has been a popular destination

for worshippers and sightseers alike since the Edo period.

It's said that the hilltop location once offered a view of the sea.

Many artists, including Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige,

have depicted the shrine in their ukiyoe woodblock prints.

Today, Kanda Myojin is revered as a guardian deity

that watches over local businesses.

Every New Year, representatives from about 3,000 companies

come to pray for good business, good fortune, and prosperity.

Another occasion that brings the community together is the Kanda Festival,

which the shrine has held in its current form since the Edo period.

The event was sanctioned by the shogunate,

and people were even allowed to enter the castle grounds.

The festival is held every other year in May.

Sacred portable shrines and impressive floats

are paraded through the streets.

Our parishioners take pride in the festival.

The whole community really comes together.

We priests are also proud of this tradition.

Really, I'm so interested in meeting these people from Kanda.

After hearing his story, I'd love to meet them.

At the foot of the approach to the shrine,

we find a shop with a story to tell.

I absolutely love the old atmosphere.

I'm going to have a look inside.

You can really feel the atmosphere in this shop. It's so nice.

How long have you been doing this?

We've been in business since 1846.

This seventh generation shop

specializes in a traditional sweet beverage called "amazake."

Here you go.

The amazake is made by fermenting glutinous rice with koji mold,

and is non-alcoholic.

The drink proved popular at a time

when sweet foods and drinks were still uncommon.

Oh, really good.

Obviously, it has this rice flavor but it's actually also a bit sweet.

The koji mold creates the sweetness.

This hits the spot when you're in the mood for something sweet.

And we have a cellar where we grow our koji.

Six meters underground is a special chamber

where they cultivate their koji mold.

For nearly 180 years, they've been using the same production methods

to maintain the flavor of their amazake.

So the taste hasn't changed in all these years.

Yes, it's the same.

How wonderful.

Next, we head to Kanda Station to get our bearings

before we venture out into the busy streets

and search for traces of local history.

I'm about to meet someone who is going to guide me around in the Kanda area.

I'm really excited.

I think it's him.

Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Tateyama.

Our guide is Tateyama Nishihei, a fourth generation Kanda resident.

A designer by trade, he publishes a local magazine

and has made exploring his hometown his life's work.

What will we find tucked away along these streets?

Right in front of the station we have this major street.

This has been one of the city's main streets since the Edo period.

The town that developed along here was called Edo Kocho.

That led to more neighborhoods, and Edo flourished as a result.

Here's the street on a map of old Tokyo.

The founder of the Edo Shogunate

installed his entourage of samurai in the highlands on the western side.

He gathered craftsmen in the eastern lowlands of Kanda

to build Edo Castle and the surrounding city.

The gray-colored areas on the map became home to skilled artisans and other commoners.

So right now we're in Kajicho Icchome.

At one point this area used to be lined with blacksmiths.

Today none of them remain.

No? That's too bad.

We venture away from the main road.

Saskia spots a signboard shaped like a traditional Japanese coat

known as a "hanten."

This information board explains how this area got its name.

Look at how cute it is.

It's like the size of a hanten. It's so cute.

They've arrived in Konyacho,

a neighborhood that was once lined with indigo dyeing houses.

This area used to be a major producer of hand towels and summer kimono.

It was said that if you came to Konyacho,

you could get a glimpse of what fashion trends would be popular that year.

Just a short distance away

is a neighborhood that catered to the appetites of the Edo townspeople.

Today this looks like any old street.

But up ahead is Tacho Nichome, where I was born and raised.

The Tacho district was home to Kanda's fruit and vegetable market.

It operated for roughly 270 years.

The Edo Shogunate organized the market in the mid-17th century

to meet the city's food needs.

Over the years, it continued to grow,

eventually covering a vast 50,000-square-meter area.

Quality produce grown by farmers in the surrounding areas

was transported here by both land and water routes,

and the market thrived until 1928.

Very few traces of the produce market remain.

Only a house belonging to one of the market's wholesalers.

Here it is coming up on the right.

Originally a wholesale produce supplier founded in the early Edo period,

today it's a residence for the family's descendants.

The current building is a traditional wooden townhouse built in 1931

after the Great Kanto Earthquake.

Hello! Yoshiko-san, hello.

May we come in?

This is such a lovely place.

I've never seen this before,

this raised tatami and then the doors and the ceiling are so beautiful.

Our family ran a wasabi wholesaler for generations in the local market.

The Matsumoto family has now lasted for 15 generations.

Fifteen generations! Wow!

During the economic boom of the late 1980s,

many of the surrounding single-story houses were demolished to make way for new buildings.

This area went through a big transformation.

Amid the economic bubble, our neighbors moved out one by one.

Our house looks like it has two stories.

But from the side you can see we have three.

Matsumoto says that you used to be able to see Mt. Fuji

from their third-floor balcony.

Growing up, the whole neighborhood was my playground.

Everyone knew each other.

Neighbors would invite you in for a meal.

Or if they'd drawn a bath they'd let you take a soak.

This is cultural heritage.

A wonderful building filled with memories.

I hope it can be preserved.

Ideally, yes. We'll see.

I really want this area to revive

and that these types of buildings can live on forever.

It's such a beautiful culture that is hidden behind all these tall buildings.

Next, we venture down a narrow side street.

Is that a shrine?

This cherished neighborhood shrine

was originally the guardian deity of the produce market.

Nestled along side streets throughout Kanda

are similar shrines dedicated to the Shinto deity, Inari.

Though the townscape may change over time,

the local community continues to look after these sacred sites.

We walk on to the end of a narrow alley...

where we encounter another building with a long history.

What do you think?

Wow! It really has a sense of presence!

This tofu seller is an example of a townhouse

given a copper facade to make it fire-resistant.

It too was built after the Great Kanto Earthquake,

making it roughly 100 years old.

Ishikawa-san!

Hey! It's been a while!

Do you two know each other?

Yes!

We grew up together.

He's like a big brother to me.

This old-school tofu seller prides itself on using domestically grown soybeans

and making its tofu by hand.

It's headed by Ishikawa Yoshiaki,

who's been making tofu for over 50 years.

He says the final product varies day by day

depending on the quality of the beans he's able to source.

With seasoned intuition and skillful technique, he finishes up a fresh batch.

He offers to give Saskia a taste.

Beautiful.

This is really good.

Very soft, not too harsh.

The flavor really melts in the mouth. So good.

- Two tofu, please!
- OK!

The shop mainly serves the community.

For the missus!

Again? You're too kind!

Fresh vegetables, thank you!

- It's broccoli.
- Broccoli! Thank you!

How long has my family been coming here?

I wonder...

Fifty years, I think.

Yeah. She lives right around the corner.

- I'm currently 78.
- Come again?

Seventy-nine?

You're a great team!

Together we can do the work of one!

The shop also serves up tofu

that's been individually skewered and grilled over charcoal.

A savory aroma fills the shop and the surrounding air.

So you were both born and raised in Kanda.

What kind of memories or feelings do you have towards the area?

Ask someone from Kanda for a favor and we gladly oblige.

We never refuse.

Kanda is the best! Number one!

Wherever I go, wherever I live, Kanda is my hometown.

So my heart is always in Kanda. There's no place like it.

Though the neighborhood may change with the times,

it seems the spirit of the Edo townspeople is alive and well.

With the introduction of streetcars and railways,

the Kanda produce market area further flourished as a transportation hub.

Eventually, it became one of Tokyo's busiest neighborhoods.

Just off the main road, there's a place that harks back to the past.

A 100-year-old restaurant tucked away in a modern urban streetscape.

Look, look, look. Look at this weird thing.

It's a fish? Wow!

(This restaurant specializes in monkfish hotpot)

(It is a traditional delicacy)

(Inside is a miniature altar enshrining Kanda's tutelary deity)

(The restaurant was founded in 1830)

(They cut and trim about 100 kg of monkfish a day)

(This traditional hang-and-cut method is known as "tsurushigiri")

(The fish is cooked in a secret broth)

My great-grandfather wanted to adapt it to local tastes.

So he flavored it with shoyu rather than miso.

We've stuck with that ever since.

(Time-tested flavors served up at a Kanda landmark)

Our next stop is a 20-minute walk from Kanda Station.

It is said to be the oldest liquor store in Tokyo.

Can you tell me a bit more about that?

We were founded in 1596.

So we've been in business for about 430 years.

I'm the 16th generation head.

400 years! 16th generation! That's incredible.

The shop also produces its own sake.

Its signature brand is the only sake offered

to the deities enshrined at Kanda Myojin.

They say there is an old book from the Edo period

in which their shop is featured.

Is that hanten?

This is called a "happi."

And this is our company trademark. It's called "Kaneju."

This symbol has represented their business since they opened.

Here it is. The "Edo meisho zue."

I'm really excited to see such an old and important treasure.

Wow!

The "Edo meisho zue" is a 20-volume illustrated guide

published in the early 19th century

that spotlights famous places in old Tokyo.

Their sake shop is featured in the first volume.

Yes! It's the one! There's logos here.

The illustration clearly shows lanterns bearing their trademark.

It's a bustling scene

which depicts a surging crowd of men with wooden buckets and sake bottles in hand.

A real bonanza for the sake shop.

At the time, the shop produced a sweet drink called "shirozake,"

which was especially popular among women.

We served up sake from the Kansai region along with snacks.

We were essentially an early "izakaya" pub.

Three years ago, they opened their first izakaya pub in a century,

a short distance from where they were founded.

One of the tofu snacks they offer recreates a dish from their original menu.

It's become a favorite hangout for Kanda locals—a living connection to the past.

The people of Kanda take pride in their roots.

As our business evolves, we want to cherish the bonds of community.

It's two months until the Kanda Festival.

We got word that the organizers are having a meeting today.

They're gathered at a residence near the shrine.

Hello! May I enter?

Please, come in! We're in the middle of our meeting.

Takeuchi Yasuo is one of the chairs of a local association

which represents the ujiko,

that is, the parishioners of Kanda Myojin.

He and I are wearing matching hanten coats.

Hanten?

Yes. See how they're wearing different colors?

They're beautiful.

On the back is the name of their neighborhood.

There are 108 different designs.

- 108?
- Yes.

The shrine's parishioners come from a total of 108 neighborhoods.

Each has their own hanten design to help unite their community.

The neighborhood councils compete to liven up the festival.

You don't want to be shown up!

Exactly.

Let's head up to the shrine.

Takeuchi offers to show us his council's "mikoshi," or portable shrine.

Let me show you inside.

This building contains the mikoshi of many of the local neighborhoods.

Their storeroom is packed to the brim with festival equipment.

After about ten minutes of shifting items around,

out comes the object we're looking for.

Wow, it's beautiful!

This is wonderful.

It's my first time seeing this from up so close.

The detail, it's so beautiful.

This torii... You can see it's like the miniature version of a shrine.

It's beautiful.

I've heard that in these mikoshi, the "kami-sama," well they house in here, they reside in here.

How does that work?

Our deity rides inside as we parade through the streets.

So they get to see the community.

Right, they come down to visit.

During the Kanda Festival,

more than 200 mikoshi are paraded through the streets.

When they finally make their return to the main shrine,

it's a truly spectacular sight.

Over seven days, the festival attracts hundreds of thousands of people.

With COVID restrictions being lifted,

this year it will be held in full for the first time in four years.

What does Kanda mean to all of you?

The bonds of family and of community.

Kanda is a place that preserves connections.

I'm grateful to live here.

The festival is a way to express that.

I hope that the next generation carries on that spirit.

This place is our hometown.

That's why we work so hard to make the festival a success.

At first, you would think Kanda is just an empty district

with skyscrapers and salarymen,

but it's actually not like that and I discovered that through my journey.

I loved to see all the people, their connections...

They really, really felt like it's just a big, big family

that loves their district so, so much.

I really want to come back and see more of this town.