Tokyo Skytree is one of the capital's most iconic landmarks.

It's a broadcasting tower that stands 634 meters tall.

And it's surrounded by rivers and canals that were once bustling with activity.

It turns out that this area has a history as a tourist destination.

This was a place for relaxation as well as worship.

It was home to many temples and shrines,

and attractions like wisteria flowers and plum blossoms.

But as Japan modernized,

it was transformed into an industrial area served by waterways.

Growing traffic at the local freight terminal established it as a logistics hub.

Today, I'll go in search of Tokyo Skytree's historical roots.

Wow, this is amazing.

I've lived in Tokyo 20 years,

and I've never been up here in this kind of place before.

"Dive in Tokyo."

Join me as I explore the waterfront area

around the foot of Tokyo Skytree.

Tokyo Skytree opened in 2012.

At its foot is a larger shopping and entertainment complex

that includes over 300 shops and restaurants.

And with attractions like an aquarium,

it's become a popular tourist destination.

The tower is located about five kilometers northeast of Tokyo Station.

It's right next to a canal called Kitajukken-gawa.

My name is James Farrer.

I'm a professor of sociology, and as part of my fieldwork,

I explore the streets of Tokyo.

My first stop today is along the canal.

All right, so this is it. This is the famous place

where you can take a picture of the Skytree upside down.

Now, this is now a famous tourist spot in Tokyo.

But, actually, back in the Edo period,

this was also a tourist spot.

And that's what we're going to see on this trip.

But first, I've got to take a picture of the upside down Skytree.

Nice view, isn't it?

This canal was built in the second half of the 17th century.

It's said that, at that time,

there was a famous leisure district here called Yanagishima.

Oh, okay. So here's the Yanagishimabashi.

Now, I've heard about this place.

And what's interesting on the relief is,

you can see the old buildings that were here,

and also a lot of traffic in these old boats along the river,

something here that people would come to.

One of the things, right across here,

it looks like there's an exhibition or something going on with Hokusai,

the famous painter. So maybe these people here

will know something about what was in this area.

So let's go take a look.

It turns out that this is a temple called Hosshou-ji.

Hello.

Suzuki Ryokei is the 39th-generation chief priest of the temple,

which was established in 1492.

This is the main hall.

Hosshou-ji belongs to the Nichiren sect of Buddhism.

On the second floor, they have a gallery space

dedicated to works by Hokusai and others.

Wow, this is like a museum! Amazing.

Hosshou-ji is actually famous for its association

with Hokusai who was a devotee.

I asked Suzuki which print is his personal favorite,

and he pointed to this one of Mt. Fuji.

This one shows the sacred mountain in all its glory.

"Red Fuji" is the one that makes the strongest impression.

Yes, among Hokusai's works this one definitely stands out.

So what was the local neighborhood like back in Hokusai's day?

This is a woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige.

It depicts Kitajukken-gawa and Yokojukken-gawa.

Pleasure boats were all the rage.

This is the Yanagishima area, with our temple here.

Across the street was a "ryotei" restaurant.

At the time, the area north of Kitajukken-gawa was all peaceful farmland.

On the south side was Yanagishima,

a leisure destination where the well-to-do would show up in pleasure boats.

Yanagishima was synonymous with this temple.

Similar to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, or Shibamata Taishakuten in Shibamata.

The townspeople would come here to rest, relax, and worship.

On the grounds, there's a sacred place

where it's said Hokusai would come to pray.

Myouken Hall.

Enshrined here is a bodhisattva called Myouken.

Myouken is worshipped as the deification of the North Star.

This image of the great bodhisattva is affectionately

referred to as "Myouken-san."

It's said that those who pray here are blessed with good fortune.

And you see also these paper elements hanging from the rope.

So it's a really curious design.

And also, this colored, like, ribbon going through the ceiling.

Legend has it that Hokusai once prayed at this hall

for 21 days in a row,

and subsequently became famous and successful as an artist.

What were the boats like that carried worshippers

and pleasure-seekers out to Yanagishima?

To find out more, I met with a group of people

dedicated to preserving traditional wooden vessels.

All right. Well, this must be it here. There's old Japanese boats.

This waterfront park is centered on a dammed-up area along the canal.

This is Tomizuka Tomio, or Tomi for short.

He leads a group of volunteers who work with Koto Ward

to honor the tradition of "wasen" wooden boats

and the rowing techniques associated with them.

Their activities include providing free wasen boat rides

and rowing lessons at this park.

How do these differ from Western-style boats?

You face sideways. And push and pull.

Seems difficult!

This oar works like a fish fin.

It's the same principle.

It's time to head out onto the water.

Does that require a lot of strength?

- Not really. You use your body weight.
- I see.

He says the trick is to lean your full body weight into the oar.

Once you get some momentum, the boat practically glides through the water.

In the Edo period these boats were used for many purposes.

Ferrying passengers and cargo.

Recreational activities and so on.

There were lots of them.

Boats like these would take people to pleasure quarters.

Places with geisha houses and ryotei restaurants.

You'd flag down a boatman who looked fast.

Someone who could get you there quick.

Apparently, you wanted to get there early

so you could book the company of your favorite geisha entertainer.

I got to try my hand at sculling the boat.

The group offers free rowing lessons to the public,

and hopes to hand down their skills to future generations.

I'm doing my best!

So you have to learn to kind of keep it even with the power on both sides.

So there are some tricks to it, that's for sure.

It's not as easy as it looks.

The group has over 50 members,

many of whom are working or retired salarymen.

I enjoy talking to passengers.

There's a lived-in feeling to the wood.

You can tell where past guides handled the boats.

The wood is imbued with their spirit.

We've been getting retired salarymen who are eager to volunteer.

We train them to be oarsmen.

We want to hand down our rowing techniques.

To that end I think we've got a good thing going here.

So how did the canals around Tokyo Skytree come about?

For the next leg of my journey, I hopped onto another boat,

this time, one powered by a motor.

My guide, Hirayama Takashi, is an expert on Tokyo's waterways.

Our first stop is a junction

where Kitajukken-gawa meets another canal at a right angle.

This is like a street intersection! What's the story here?

The Great Fire of Meireki burned much of Edo to the ground.

They needed to bring new areas under development

to build mansions for feudal lords and samurai.

These canals were built as part of those efforts.

The Great Fire of Meireki was a massive conflagration

that destroyed most of old Tokyo in 1657.

This area was developed in the aftermath.

That included a network of canals like Kitajukken-gawa.

Many temples and shrines were also relocated here.

The steady flow of worshippers led to the opening of

fine dining establishments, and the district flourished as a result.

This area was on the outskirts of Edo.

It was a great destination for a day trip.

So they say it got a lot of visitors.

Along the river are a series of traditional banners.

They mark the approach to historic Azuma Shrine.

Apparently, the shrine had an interesting design.

It looked like it was floating on the water.

Here's a woodblock print that depicts the shrine in the Edo period.

It was nestled among trees, with an approach that cut across a marsh.

Visitors came both by boat and on foot.

Today, the shrine remains an important place of worship for the community.

Another nearby attraction was a mansion

whose grounds featured 300 plum trees.

Every spring, revelers came from far and wide to enjoy the blossoms.

- Are the fish here safe to eat?
- Of course!

- What types of fish?
- Mostly goby.

Hey there, are the fish biting? Goby?

Yes!

- That's great.
- Looks like they're after goby.

Next, we took a turn and headed south down another canal.

Up ahead is Tenjinbashi bridge.

It's right by Kameido Tenjin Shrine, which is known for Japanese wisteria.

This is the bridge here.

Back in the Edo period, you could get off at this bridge to go visit the shrine.

So what's Kameido Tenjin Shrine like today?

I said goodbye to my ride, and headed over to see for myself.

Wow, there's a pond in here, too.

It really matches the town that we're seeing here

back in Edo with all the water, the canals,

the greenery.

It's a bit like stepping back into the old city in that period.

Kameido Tenjin was founded in 1662.

The shogun granted this land to the shrine

so that it could watch over the newly developing neighborhood.

This place is famous for its wisteria which bloom in spring.

Their beauty is immortalized in many woodblock prints from the Edo period.

These are all wisteria vines, right, all throughout this shrine,

the grounds of this shrine.

So it must be really, really amazing, like, when in May,

this is all wisteria hanging down from here

and just all over this whole shrine ground.

The shrine's annual wisteria festival runs from mid-April until early May.

It's no wonder Kameido Tenjin has remained a popular destination

for locals and tourists alike for centuries.

In the second half of the 19th century,

Japan started down the path to modernization.

The canals became even more vital

as water-based transport systems further developed.

With the push for industrialization,

businesses set up large factories in this area.

This company was among them.

I visited their corporate museum to learn more about the local history.

This is Kato Reiko.

- This company is known for detergent.
- Yes, that's right.

This major manufacturer produces household goods

like soap and laundry detergent.

It was founded in 1887,

and is famous for being among the first to introduce

cosmetic soap to Japanese households.

Why did the company build a factory in this area?

As you can see, it was built along a waterway.

They could transport goods.

The ease of water transport was a major factor.

This factory was built in 1902.

They used boats to supply the facility with raw materials

and ship out finished products.

Across this area that we now call Sumida Ward,

there were all sorts of factories that used water transport.

Factories producing soap, glass, leather, and more.

At the time, these were the outskirts of Tokyo.

You could buy land for cheap.

And you could secure a workforce.

Water transport. Land. Workers. That's why this area was chosen.

I see.

Several decades later,

this area was devastated by the Tokyo air raids of World War II.

About five minutes from Tokyo Skytree,

there's a spot that still bears the scars of the firebombing.

So I heard there's a tree in this neighborhood

that survived the bombing of Tokyo during the war.

And I think this has to be it.

You could even see that...

It looks like it's burnt all along the outside. You can see these marks.

It was burnt almost like it was struck by lightning or something.

As the district grew as an industrial center,

more munitions factories were built.

Their strategic importance made them a target for air attacks,

and most of this area was destroyed as a result.

But this ginkgo tree managed to survive the inferno.

Estimated to be 500 years old, it continues to thrive to this day.

I spoke to the chief priest of this shrine to learn more.

These burns are from a fire caused by the air raids on March 10, 1945.

The fire came from over there.

The flames came up to this area.

So the fire stopped here.

Yes, it stopped in this vicinity.

Much of the area over there remained intact.

He says that some residents believed

that the gingko tree's sacrifice saved their neighborhoods.

Here's the other side. They say it was almost burned out.

So you can really see how it's burnt up here

really deeply into the tree,

all the way up into quite far up into the tree.

I mean, this tree was really burnt all the way around the entire tree.

But when it was burnt, some of the bark on this side is clearly not burnt,

and so that's how it survived because the bark was still on the outside.

That's amazing. It's amazing that it survived.

And it's growing really well now.

After the war, Tokyo focused its reconstruction efforts

on the burned-out areas of the city.

When you overlay Tokyo Skytree

onto a photo of the area taken right after the war,

you can see that the site used to be a large railyard.

And there appears to be a port-like facility along the canal.

Why was this site chosen for Tokyo Skytree?

It turns out the railyard belonged to the same company that owns the tower.

Yamada Takako is the curator of their corporate museum.

One of the exhibits is an old locomotive

that hauled the company's freight cars for 60 years.

Did this train come to the Skytree area?

Yes. Our company set up freight lines to that area.

And we built a dock on Kitajukken-gawa.

There, cargo could be transferred between steam locomotives and boats.

I see.

In the region to the north were mines

for limestone and other raw materials for cement.

This railway operator built routes to connect them to Tokyo.

In the postwar period,

Tokyo needed construction materials to build infrastructure.

Trains carried cargo into the city.

The freight yard was located where Tokyo Skytree is today.

In 1949, a ready-mix concrete plant was opened nearby.

The concrete from plants like these was used all over Tokyo

to build the foundations for the city's postwar recovery.

Today, a concrete monument

at the foot of Tokyo Skytree commemorates that legacy.

Eventually, trucks overtook trains

as the primary method for commercial transport,

and the freight terminal was shut down.

In 2003, one of the operator's commuter lines

was connected to the Tokyo subway network

to accommodate passenger demand.

That left the company with a large empty site above ground.

Right about that time, the city was in need of a new broadcasting center

to replace Tokyo Tower.

Thus, construction began,

and in 2012, Tokyo Skytree was completed.

Tokyo Skytree was built to support the city's information infrastructure.

The fact that this land can continue to serve society's needs in this way...

is quite miraculous.

You can feel the flow of history.

Yes, exactly.

11 years on, this area has become one of Tokyo's busiest tourist spots.

And recently, some of the areas along the canals have been reimagined.

So now it looks like they've re-created a new tourist destination

along the canal here just like in old Edo period.

You've got hotels, you're going to have cafes.

So it's coming back again, a place where people come to have fun in this area.

This waterfront shopping district that opened in 2020

makes use of the space underneath the elevated train tracks.

And last, but not least...

Welcome to the observation deck!

I visited one of the tower's observation decks,

350 meters in the sky.

Wow, this is amazing.

I've lived in Tokyo 20 years,

and I've never been up here in this kind of place before.

Wow, I've never seen this view.

You could see the canals down here, though.

So you can see from up here,

you can see how they're going past right where we are right now.

As I looked down, it became clear

how Tokyo Skytree is rooted in these historic canals.

And you just see this tower,

you don't really realize how it's connected to the history of the city.

You don't, you know, see those connections to old Edo.

But it really is connected because of transportation,

because of the way in which all the transportation hubs came together

and created a space here where they were going to end up building this tower.

So for me, that's really something that I learned.

So it's really a lot of fun to visit this place.