9.44 km in Total Length

Walk along Shiba Onarido (Hibiya Park – Akabane Bridge)

The first part of the Shiba Takanawa Walking Course (芝高輪コース) roams from Hibiya Park to Zojoji, the family temple of the Tokugawa shogunate. Mt. Atago along the way is the most scenic spot in Edo, where you can see the mountains of Boso in the distance. At the end of the Taisho era, Japan’s first radio broadcasting station was located here. Onarimon is the back gate of Zojoji Temple that was used when the shogun visited. Beyond the magnificent Sanmon Gate (Sangedemon), Tokyo Tower, a huge modern-day radio tower, rises.

Walk around Midasaka (Akabanebashi – Isarakozaka)

Tour the highlands of Mita surrounded by many hills. There are many famous Western-style buildings in the vicinity, including the Mitsui Club designed by Conder, the Mita Speech Hall on the campus of Keio University, and the university library. It was here in Mita that Kaishu Katsu and Takamori Saigo negotiated over the surrender of Edo Castle. The two men met at the Satsuma Clan’s warehouse near Tamachi Station.

Takanawa Shio no Kaori Walk (Isarakozaka-Shinagawa Station)

If you go down Isarakozaka and pass through Daiichi Keihin, you will find the old Tokaido. In the Edo period, the road ran along the coast, and the area up to Takanawa Okido was within Edo’s Gofun area. There are many temples on the hill in the background, and among them Takanawa Sengakuji is known as the grave site of the 47 samurai. Shinagawa is the first inn station on the Tokaido route. It was a long and narrow post town along the coast, stretching 2km north and south from Takanawa to Oi.

Yamanote Shirogane walk (Isarakozaka – Meguro Station)

From Mita, pass through Uoranzaka and go around the Shirokane Plateau along the slope. Shirokane used to be a mountainous area where many samurai residences and temples and shrines were located. The National Natural Educational Garden, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, and Ikedayama Park were all vast samurai estates. The temple town that stretches south of Meguro Street is Zojoji Eight Temples. This is a group of subsidiary temples built by Zojoji Temple during the Edo period.

About the Author

Pjechorin

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I have lived and worked with my family in Japan since 2005. For many years I have been interested in the very practical and creative side of Japanese culture. In my free time I travel around, enjoy hiking in the countryside and cities, and just generally seeing and doing new things. This blog is primarily a way for me to focus my energies and record and teach others about what I have learned by experience constructively. I am interested in urban development, and sustainable micro-economics, especially home-economics, and practical things everyday families can do to survive and thrive through these changing times.

Photo thanks to Utagawa Hiroshige, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons