Oshiage
Oshiage
Station is
a station in the eastern Ward of
Sumida. It serves the Toei Asakusa
and Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Subway
Lines, and the Keisei Oshiage and
Tobu Isesaki Train Lines. Oshiage
Station is also the eastern terminus
of the Toei Asakusa Subway Line.
The
area around Oshiage Station is being
developed into a massive commercial
district. The highlight of this
district is going to be the Tokyo
Sky Tree , previously known
as New Tokyo Tower .
Due to be completed in 2011, Tokyo
Sky Tree will be a broadcasting
tower for six terrestrial broadcasters,
led by NHK, the main public broadcaster.
The completed Tower will be 610.58
m tall and is going to be the tallest
artificial structure in Japan.
Noh
Mask Museum
Located
5 minutes from Oshiage Station,
is the Noh Mask Museum. Noh masks
are an integral part of traditional
Japanese theater, especially Noh
theater. Only the main characters
of the play wear these masks and
are meant to highlight traits of
the character that cannot be depicted
otherwise. Noh masks are intricately
carved by skilled craftsmen as they
have to bring out special characteristics
of the players. This carving of
the mask is considered a special
craft in Japan that dates back to
the 13 th century, and this is what
Noh Mask Museum is depicting.
The
museum has a collection of over
50 Noh masks that date as far back
as the 14 th century. Each displayed
mask has a description of when and
how it was made. The information
is given in both Japanese and English.
Noh souvenirs are sold here.
The
museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and every
fourth Sunday of each month.
