Shirokanedai

Shirokanedai Station is located on the Tokyo Metro Namboku and Toei Mita Lines in the Meguro Ward of Tokyo.

Meguro being home to several attractions, some of them are situated close to Shirokanedai Station. Some of these are:

Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo (IMSUT)

The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo (IMSUT), is located right in front of Shirokanedai Station. This research institute, affiliated to the University of Tokyo, evolved from the Institute for Infectious Disease in 1967. It was reorganized in April 2000 into three core departments - Microbiology and Immunology, Cancer Biology, and Basic Medical Sciences; three centers - Human Genome Center, Center for Experimental Medicine, and Advanced Clinical Research Center; and the IMSUT Research Hospital. IMSUT conducts two types of research - individual research based on creative activities of the scientists in core departments, and the highly organized goal-oriented research based on the activities of the centers and hospital.

As one enters the main gate of the IMSUT campus from Meguro Street, the first thing that one comes across is the red-brown brick-constructed Medical Science Museum situated in the midst of the green and beautiful public grounds. Continuing up the gently curved path comes the three-story gothic-style main building of IMSUT. Behind the main building stand two 8-story new buildings - the hospital building, and the research building.

The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, is the largest life sciences research institute in Japan, and one of the largest in the world.

Meiji Gakuin University

The other university located close (just a 5 minute walk away) to Shirokanedai Station is the Shirokane Campus of Meiji Gakuin University.

One of the Christian universities of Tokyo, Meiji Gakuin University was established in 1863 by merging three educational institutions - the Tokyo Union Theological Seminary, the United Japanese-English Union School, and the Japanese English Preparatory School. The current Shirokane location is the original site chosen by The Reverend Dr. James Curtis Hepburn, one of the founders of the university. The site still includes 3 buildings that belong to the university's initial days. These historical buildings are:

Meiji Gakuin Chapel (Shirokane Chapel): Completed in March 1916, the Chapel was built to replace the previous Miller Memorial Chapel, which was burned down in 1914. Designed by the Voris Architectural Design Office in an English architectural design, Meiji Gakuin Chapel has a total floor area of 589 square meters.

Meiji Gakuin Imbrie Hall: This wooden, two-story house with tile roofing was built in 1889. The first and second floors combined cover an area of 371 square meters. Because of its beautiful architectural design, Imbrie Hall was designated a ‘nationally-important cultural property' in 1998.

Meiji Gakuin Memorial Hall: Designed by Professor H. M. Landis in neo-gothic style, this red brick, two-story building was built in 1890. The building was damaged in the earthquake of 1894, and was rebuilt in part with wood. This unique combination of brick and wood is highly acclaimed by the connoisseurs. Currently, the first floor of the building is used as a sub chapel, a room for Gakuin ministers, and a room for the department of religion; and the second floor for the Meiji Gakuin Museum of Historical Materials, an exhibit room and a meeting room.

Meiji Gakuin University, Shirokane Campus, consists of the Schools of English, French, Art Studies, Teacher Training courses, Economics, Business Administration, International Business, Sociology, Social Work, Law, Political Science, International Studies, and Psychology. It also has several Research Centers, namely: Institute of Christian Studies, International Peace Research Institute, Institute of Psychological Research, Institute for Language and Culture, Institute for Research in Business and Economics, Institute for Sociology and Social Work, Institute for Legal and Political Research, Institute for International Studies, Institute for the Study of Liberal Arts.

Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum

The Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Museum is located a 3 minutes walk from Shirokanedai Station. In addition to the art collection in the museum, the venue itself is an attraction. The building stands surrounded by green and spacious Japanese and Western gardens with outdoor sculptures, a pond, and a tea-ceremony house. The structure, formerly the residence of Prince Asaka, the eighth son of Prince Kuni was completed in 1933. The Prince lived here with his princess Nobuko, the eighth daughter of Emperor Meiji, till World War II, after which it was put to various uses. The building opened its doors as the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum in 1983. The museum has an exquisite collection of ‘Art Deco', which refers to the decorative style that swept France and other parts of Europe from the 1910s to the 1930s. The style affected crafts, architecture, painting, fashion, and all other genres of art. Teien Museum's beautiful collection of the artwork was mostly imported France and other European countries. Other than the art pieces, the decorative features of the interior of the building are worth looking at. It can undeniably be said that the Museum venue in itself is a piece of art, and when the venue and the exhibits are combined, the experience of the visit to the Museum is an experience of a lifetime.

National Park for Nature Study

This National Park is located next to the museum grounds. Covering about 200,000 square meters, the park is an attempt to preserve nature in its original form. There are over 8000 trees in the park, besides grass and marshy ponds. Rare birds in this nature preserve make it a bird-watcher's paradise. In order to keep the place clean and unspoilt, only 300 people are allowed in the park at one time. Originally owned by the Shirokane family, the grounds are administered by The Institute for Nature Study as a branch of the National Science Museum. The area was designated as a natural monument and as a historic site in 1949.

Happo-en Garden

 

Happo-en Garden, literally meaning “beautiful from any angle”, is true to its name. It is one of the most beautiful Japanese gardens of Tokyo.

 

Happo-en Garden was originally built in the year 1600 by Hikozaemon Okubo, an adviser to the shogunate. He built the beautiful Japanese-style garden with his residence in the middle of it. The house is built in the style of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony house. The garden is full of trees with winding paths in between. The paths are lined on both sides by 200 year old bonsai trees. The other trees include cherries, maples, and azaleas, which make the garden an ideal place to visit in both the autumn and spring. Even in winter the garden is a beautiful view, often compared to a “fine sumi-e ink painting”. The garden also has a pond and a stone lantern that is said to be 800 years old.

 

The house in the garden is today a popular upmarket restaurant of the same name – Happo-en. Also nestled among the trees, overlooking the pond, is a teahouse – the Muan. This teahouse is very popular among tourists and is definitely a must for all visitors to Tokyo. Ladies dressed in kimonos welcome the guests and the master in ceremonial dress demonstrates the brewing of green tea in a large wooden bucket.

 

Happo-en Garden with its restaurant is also a popular place for local weddings. The Garden is open to the public from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.