Nezu

 

Nezu Station lies on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo. The station has two platforms. There is a stairway going down from street level to the first platform, and the second is further below and is reached by escalators.

 

Nezu is part of the area of Tokyo called Yanesen (consisting of the localities of Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi). Developed as a temple town during the Edo period (1603-1867), this part of Tokyo still holds charms and traces of olden days. Besides the many temples and shrines, several old traditional style wooden houses, inns and pubs can be seen in the area. Nezu is the perfect place to experience the warmth and charm of old Tokyo.

 

There are several walking tours of Nezu and the surrounding areas that a visitor to Tokyo must not miss. Strolling through the narrow lanes of Nezu is the only way to view and experience historical Edo.

 

Nezu Shrine (Nezu Jinja)

 

Nezu Shrine, or Nezu Jinja in Japanese, is the best known place of the area. Located 5 minutes on foot from Nezu Station, it is one of the oldest shrines of the city.

 

Nezu shrine is said to have been established more than 1,900 years ago for the deity Susano'o no Mikoto. Although always an important shrine, it grew in importance only in the period of the fifth shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1646-1709) when he relocated it to Nezu to commemorate the adoption of Ienobu as his successor. Later when the 6th shogun Ienobu chose it as the guardian deity, Nezu Jinja became the main shrine of the time. Subsequently, Ienobu also presented three mikoshi (portable shrines) to the shrine and started the Tenka Matsuri ( reign festival ) that continues to be celebrated till today in September each year. Later in 1868 when Emperor Meiji moved to Edo, he made Nezu one of the “Ten Shrines of Tokyo”, visiting which is still considered a pilgrimage by the people of Tokyo.

 

Since Nezu Shrine is one of the only three shrines that survived the World War II bombings, its building is still the original. The Karamon , or the large Chinese-style gate to the shrine, is beautifully crafted. The brightly colored torii (gate), the Haiden (worship hall), Honden (main sanctuary), Romon (two-story gate) and Sukibei (lattice-windowed wall) are all built in the Gongen-style of architecture. Because of their beauty and historical significance, they have all been declared Important Cultural Properties by the Government.

 

The Shrine grounds are also known for its thousands of manicured Japanese azalea bushes. People from across the city come to view the beauty of the place when these plants are in full bloom in the month of April. This is when the Azalea Festival is celebrated every year at Nezu Shrine. Numerous stalls selling food, flowers, and antiques are put up, and street performers entertain the many visitors who come to enjoy the beautiful place.

 

Daimyo Clock Museum

 

A short walk from Nezu Station is Daimyo Clock Museum. The displays of this small one-room museum were originally the personal collection of Kamiguchi Guro (1892-1970), who had a passion for daimyo clocks and traveled all over the country to study and collect them. After he died, the passion was continued by his son, Kamiguchi Hitoshi, who established this museum in 1972 to display the collection to the public.

 

The Daimyo Clock Museum has over 50 clocks from the Edo period (1603-1867) on display . These include sundials, huge free-standing clocks, alarm clocks, pocket watches, and small watches that were attached to obi (the sash worn with a kimono). The daimyo clocks were different from the present ones. They were based on the length of time from sunrise to sunset. As this length of time varies from day to day and season to season, the clocks had to be set every single or other day. In order to do this, a clock setter was in permanent employment of a daimyo. This made the clocks very expensive and only feudal lords, or the daimyo, could own them.

 

The explanations of these clocks are all given in Japanese, but pamphlets with explanations in English can also be bought. The museum is open on all days, except Mondays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music

 

Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious art schools of Japan. Popularly known as Geidai in Japan, the university is located just 10 minutes' walk from Nezu Station.

 

Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music was established in 1949 by merging two specialist schools - Tokyo Fine Arts School and Tokyo Music School - both founded in 1887. After the merger, the two schools became the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Faculty of Music of the new University. Both the faculties offer undergraduate and graduate courses in various programs. The programs at the Faculty of Fine Arts include Japanese Painting, Oil Painting, Sculpture, Craft, Design, Architecture & Planning, Aesthetics & Art History, Inter-media Arts, Conservation, and Film & New Media. The programs at the Faculty of Music are Composition, Conducting, Vocal Music, Piano, Organ, String Instruments, Wind & Percussion Instruments, Early Music, Musicology, Traditional Japanese Music, and Musical Creativity and the Environmental.

 

Since its inception, various facilities have been added to the University. These are:

the Library (with a collection of over half a million books, magazines, and audio-visual materials on art and music), Sogakudo Concert Hall (a state-of-the-art concert hall and the first of its kind with a revolving ceiling above the audience seating, enabling adjustment of acoustics according to the music played), Performing Arts Center (a creativity and experimentation forum), the Art Media Center (provides information technology support to the university), and the International Student Center ( provides advice and information on campus life and scholarship for international students).

 

The Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music has student exchange programs with several art and music institutes across the world. A second campus of the university is located in Toride City, Ibaraki Prefecture.