Azabu-Juban
Azabu-Juban
Station is located in
the Azabu-Juban district of Minato
Ward. It is served by the subway
lines Namboku of Tokyo Metro and
Toei Oedo of Tokyo Metropolitan
Bureau of Transportation.
Azabu-Juban
(also spelled "Azabujyuban")
is an upscale residential district
where many prominent celebrities
and business people live. It is
also home to several foreign embassies
and a large number of expats.
Azabu-Juban
is a neighborhood that still holds
a traditional Japanese downtown
atmosphere. A number of small shops
selling traditional Japanese textiles
and sweets line the narrow streets,
while the side lanes sell herbal
medicines, soba, and tatami mats.
What makes Azabu-Juban even more
interesting is the fact that modern
shops, French bakeries, and restaurants
thrive side by side with the traditional
Japanese shops. A reason for Azabu-Juban
being able to hold on to some Edo
traditions is that it has been secluded
for a long time. It wasn't until
the year 2000 when Azabu-Juban Station
was opened that the area became
much more accessible.
Places
of Interest:
Zenpuku-ji
Temple
Zenpuku-ji
Temple , also known as
Azabu-san , is
a Jodo Shinshu temple located a
few minutes walk from Azabu-Juban
Station. Founded in the year 824
by the famous monk Kukai, it was
originally a Shingon temple. It
was brought into the Jodo Shinshu
sect by Shinran, the founder of
devotional Buddhism, in 1232 during
the Kamakura period. A famous feature
of the temple is its 700-year old
Ginko tree. Legend has it that Shinran
had planted his walking stick in
the courtyard of the temple which
grew into this tree. Zenpuku-ji
Temple also has its place in world
history, as it was here that the
first Tokyo legation of the United
States, under Townsend Harris, was
established under the 1859 Treaty
of Amity and Commerce. The founder
of Keio University, Fukuzawa Yukichi,
is also buried here. The staff of
Keio University visits the temple
on the anniversary of his death
on February 3 each year.
Azabu-Juban
Hot Spring
Japan
is known for its natural hot springs
( onsens ), and Tokyo has
some of its own. The best known
in Tokyo is the Azabu-Juban
Hot Spring , or Onsen
. This natural hot spring,
which spouts from 500 meters underground,
can be found in a building in the
shopping district of Azabu-Juban.
On the first floor of the building
is the public bath, which relatively
cheap and only a nominal fee is
charged. The upper floor is the
more expensive private bath with
saunas and relaxing rooms. People
travel from across the country to
Azabu-Juban Onsen as it is believed
that the brownish water of the spring
cures rheumatism, arthritis, neuralgia
and other ailments.
Temple
University Japan
Temple
University is one of the
better universities of the USA,
and the Temple University Japan
is its branch campus in Tokyo. Located
in two buildings in Azabu-Juban,
TUJ is the first recognized foreign
university campus in Japan. It offers
B.A., M.S.Ed., Ed.D., MBA and LL.M
programs, as well as semester and
year-long study abroad programs
for U.S. undergraduates and law
students. Its credits and degrees
are recognized as being equivalent
to those of Japanese universities.
The university presently has around
2,830 students, about one-half of
whom are Japanese and the others
being from the U.S. and about 40
other countries.
Azabu-Juban
Matsuri (Festival):
One
of the most famous festivals of
Tokyo, the Azabu-Juban Matsuri
, is hosted by Azabu-Juban
every summer for 3 days in the 3
rd weekend of August. This popular
summer street festival attracts
over 10,000 people every year. It
features stalls selling traditional
Japanese food and crafts, an international
bazaar providing food from around
the world, brass band parades, dances,
and various other entertainment
and music programs.
