Eastern Tokyo - Sumida and Koto Wards


If you visit Tokyo, you'll likely spend most of your time in the western and central parts of the city--there's not a whole lot on the east side. I guess Akihabara and Ueno Park are technically east/northeast of the Imperial Palace grounds, although they are still quite central. East of the Sumida River, the only ward that draws many visitors is the aptly named Sumida City. The ward boasts the Tokyo Skytree, just across the river from Asakusa, and Ryogoku, home to the Edo-Tokyo Museum and the most famous sumo stadium in Tokyo.

Since I've had a lot of time on the weekends, with coronavirus largely shutting down my social life, I took the chance to see more of East Tokyo. Back in March I spent a half day exploring Sumida and Koto wards. I walked past the Edo Tokyo Museum, continuing on to neighborhoods around Kinshicho, Mozen-Nakacho, and Kiyosumi-Shirakawa stations, including Sarue, Kiba, and Kiyosumi Parks. These areas are still close to central Tokyo, so maybe I'll take another day and go to Edogawa Ward. Since then, I also went to a few spots in Chiba prefecture, further east, so I'll do separate posts for those. Below are a few photos from my walking trip:

The 23 wards of Tokyo. The Imperial Palace grounds are in Chiyoda. Along
with Chuo and Minato, it forms the heart of the business and government
districts. Sometimes, Shinjuku and Shibuya wards are also included, since
they include many shopping, nightlife, and tourist attractions.

At the Yokoami-cho park near the Edo-Tokyo Museum


The Edo-Tokyo Museum, which was closed due to Covid-19

View of Tokyo Skytree from the Oyokokawa Shinsui Park

Kiba Park, with the Skytree in the background

Another view of the Skytree from the Sumida River

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From Busan to Osaka

Image
On to Japan! By the time we checked in to our hotel in Busan it was after 3 am.  Continuing our trend of sleeping in, Andrew and I didn't get started until after noon the following day.  Busan is the second largest city in Korea, and although its beaches draw lots of domestic tourists during the summer, the city isn't known in the West as a tourist destination.  Well Korea in general isn't high on many Western tourists' radar, but those who do come tend to flock to Seoul. We took a bus from Seoul, in the northwest, to Busan (sometimes written Pusan) in the southeast.  South Korea is about the size of Ohio, so a cross country trip is pretty quick. When it comes to beach weather in Busan May is hit and miss; it was still the beginning of the month and the highs were stuck in the 60s, so the beaches were quiet.  I still want to see Busan in the summer - I wouldn't expect to relax so much as awe at the crowds.  In the summer months it gets so crowded
Read more

Training in DC and Prep for Georgia

Image
As mentioned a few posts ago, I took a new job back in the US starting in mid-January. I flew back from Japan to my hometown in Ohio at the end of December, arriving just in time for New Year's. My initial contract in Japan ended along with 2020, so it didn't make sense to start a new one for a week or two in January. This way I was also able to spend time with my parents and my sister and her husband (who live nearby) before moving to Washington, DC. In addition to family time, I had a lot of administrative tasks to take care of before the move; my new job is with the government, which involves a long, at times frustrating onboarding process. I had to fill out several HR packets, arrange temporary housing for my training in DC, decide on consequential things such as life insurance and thrift savings plan contributions, and choose my healthcare plan. By the way, why is healthcare so complicated here?! The electronic form listed over 200 healthcare options to chose from! After e
Read more

My Dad and Uncle Visit Korea, Part 1

Image
Even before I left for Korea last November, my dad had mentioned that he might try and visit me.  In the past he has suggested trips only to say that it was just a hypothetical later on.  So when he finally booked a flight for a visit in the summer I was quite surprised.  Both he and my uncle flew in to Seoul on the 31 st of July and then also went to Japan together for four nights.  Here is a recap of their visit: My uncle (far right) and dad (second from right) were headed to Seoul! Korean public schools get over a month off for summer break in late June and August.  On the other hand, the private institutes (like the one I work for) often have much shorter breaks.  During the summer break from public school parents sign their kids up for extra classes at our school, so we actually are busier!  What a great vacation for the students – a full day of English classes!  My break was four days long (well six if you count the weekend), from Tuesday, July 31 st th
Read more