In this article, I’ll talk about Edo Castle, the NPO (non-profit organization) that wants to rebuild it, and what some people in Japan think about it. Then I’ll share some of my ideas for Japan’s “THAT PLACE.”

Is Edo Castle the symbol of Japan?

You’ve probably heard that Tokyo will be hosting the 2020 Olympics. Naturally, the Olympics will provide an excellent tourism opportunity for the island country, and one organization is hoping to use 2020 as a grand unveiling of their project: The NPO江戸城再建 (Rebuilding Edo Castle NPO) aims to garner enough consensus and financial backing to rebuild what used to be the tallest part of the former Edo castle city-compound.

To get an idea of how big this area was, visit this fascinating page at JCastle. Edo Castle’s outer moat stretched 15 km, while the inner moat was 5 km long. Without stopping for anything, it’d take you about 3 hours to walk the outer moat and 1 hour for the inner one.

Modern-day Tokyo does not have a castle. There’s the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda ward where the royal family lives. There’s a moat and a kind of mini-castle called the Fujimi-yagura. But neither of these are a castle fortress like Nagoya or Osaka’s, and those behemoths are only around half the height of Edo-jo’s tallest tower.

Like a lot of historic places in Japan, the original Edo-jo location didn’t change as much as the important buildings themselves did. Edo was established in the 11th century, but it wasn’t until 1457 that the place got a proper compound and was called a “castle.” This Edo-jo landed in the lap of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ever ambitious, he devised a large-scale expansion of Edo which included a 59 m. high donjon (central tower). It got built, alright. And then was destroyed, and rebuilt, and destroyed, and rebuilt, and destroyed one last time in the 1657 Meireki Fire. It is said that when the flames spread from the donjon to the surrounding Edo urbanity, 100,000 people died — a fifth of Edo’s population.

Rebuilding the Castle

According to the NPO’s website, after the fire, the shogun’s half-uncle insisted that “Giving relief to the disaster victims and to rebuilding the districts of Edo come first. So forget the tower.” But the shogun and others were so prepared and ready to fund a third rebuilding of the tower that they managed to reconstruct the stone base before coming around to their senses.

And that was it. The tower didn’t get rebuilt. It had stood, then fallen, rinse and repeat, for a mere 50 years of the shogunate’s 250 year government. So then why does this NPO, founded in 2004, want to rebuild this unlucky central turret?

They assert that Edo-jo is necessary to “give future Japanese a historical legacy that is representative of Japan’s traditional and unique spirit” and which would attract visitors from around the world “with its charm and vibrancy”. They argue that currently, tourists mostly come through Tokyo, but when they do, all they get to see is Asakusa or Akiba, “And that’s a little sad, isn’t it?” The really cool stuff is all at a distance from the metropolitan hub.

Their plan is to rebuild a historically accurate 6-floor citadel on the same old pedestal that never got a purpose (except distressing OCD tourists with its mis-matched bricks). The costs would be around 40-50 billion yen (400-500 million USD), and would have to get special permissions for: 1) being such a tall wooden structure, 2) looming over the residence of the imperial family, and 3) being rebuilt on the yet-untouched, unexcavated pedestal remains.

Japan’s Thoughts on Edo-jo

Though the NPO has existed for nearly ten years, in the wake of the recent Olympics news, an Asahi Shinbun article described the Rebuild NPO Project. Japanese responses were various. Let’s start with one that will give you Deja Vu (remember the shogun’s uncle?) :

「そんな無駄金あったら震災復興に使えよ」 “If you’ve got that kind of money to waste, then use it for the recovery of disaster-struck areas.” —Anonymous

Move on to those concerned about taxes:

「寄付だけでやるなら反対はしない。税金は一切使うなよ！」“If they do it solely on donations, then I have nothing against it. But don’t you dare use a penny of my tax!” —Anonymous

Stop at the dream door:

「…東京に江戸城とかカッコヨクね？え。なんでみんな批判てきなんだろう。めっちゃカッコイイじゃん。たぶん、超みんな行くと思う。おれ、めっちゃ行きたいもん。」 “…Wouldn’t it be cool to have an Edo castle in Tokyo? I wonder why everyone’s criticizing it. It’d be so awesome. I bet literally everyone would – I would definitely want to go.” —Takuya Sebec Kawamura

And stare down the dream-crusher:

「バッキンガム宮殿、紫禁城、凱旋門。全部本物。東京には歴史的ランドマークがないことを痛感自国の歴史に無知なだけ。東京の事をまともに知らない人間が外国で日本を売り込もうとするから恥をかくのだよ。そもそもレプリカ造って「歴史的」ランドマークだなんてありえないでしょ？」 “Buckingham Palace, Beijing’s Former Palace, The Arc de Triomphe – they’re all the original thing. The people who feel that Tokyo doesn’t have a historical landmark are just ignorant of their own country’s history. The people who flat out don’t know anything about Tokyo are those in other countries. Coming from a platform of “Let’s make Japan into a market for them” is embarassing. And anyway, it’d be ridiculous to build a replica of a landmark and call it ‘hisorical’.” —Mahito Kanayama

Country without a Monument?

A country of earthquakes, monsoons, fires, and constant humidity is naturally a country where frequent reconstruction is built into even the most admired landmarks (e.g., Ise Jingu, home of Amaterasu and the Yata Mirror). But here are three things that could be symbolic and monumental for Japan with no cost, just a bit of marketing elbow grease, and without straying much from Tokyo.

Tenshu-dai

It’s possible that the “Rebuild Edo-jo” folks are onto something. Maybe the remains of the tower, the Tenshu-dai pedestal itself, should be Japan’s symbol. You might think that sounds stupid, as if I’m suggesting your unfinished porch should become the logo for a new restaurant or something. But reconsider the history of the Edo donjon: the third time people thought about rebuilding the tower, somebody said “Let’s put that gold where it’ll count,” and what’s more, the shogun listened. The shogun and the rich folk took care of their town. Edo grew bigger. Edo became Tokyo, and all without that looming tower as part of its identity.

Sometimes its the negative space that’s important. To quote Thoreau: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them”. Standing on the spot where the shogun’s power-tower used to be, you can gaze unhindered towards the sky and dream. How’s that for a symbol of Japan?

Mount Fuji

Without Googling, can you think of a monument in Somalia, in Argentina, or even in Canada? If you’re from those places, it might be easy. But if you aren’t, it becomes clearer what the NPO for Rebuilding Edo-jo is going for: international recognition. Paris’ Eiffel Tower and Moscow’s Kremlin seem very representative of those cities, their culture, and are literally big things to visit.

Comparing those monuments to spots in Tokyo does make me wonder what Japan’s centrally-located monument could be. Of course, finding something super historical, big, and impressive is a tad difficult considering not much of those things survived the WWII Tokyo Air Raids.

Except, you know, Mt. Fuji. That survived the war. It happens to be the subject of hundreds of Ukiyo-e prints and is surrounded by beautiful tea-farming, lake-dotted countryside. It’s not in Tokyo, though, and it isn’t open all year for hiking. Furthermore, with all the international visitors to Mt. Fuji, apparently some invasive flora has found its way to Mt. Fuji’s ecosystem. Yet, if Tokyo looked closely at the mountain’s naturally grown reputation and also its efforts to chisel more tourism, surely they would build a plan for how to stack a Tokyo landmark up to Fuji’s height.

Asakusa

With skillful marketing, Asakusa’s Senso-ji-area could easily be made into that building-sillhouette or camera zoom that screams “Japan” and makes obaachans proud. Asakusa began as a fishing village, then got famous when two fisherman dragged a golden Bodhisattva from the river. They built Senso-ji, a temple, to honor the Kanon Bodhisattva and people came from everywhere to see. Later, a shrine was made to honor those two fisherman. Asakusa transformed, much the way Edo-jo did, from humble beginnings into something incredible. Asakusa also had a hip-cool-Shibuya kind of phase, but now, with a five-story pagoda, a temple, a shrine, a marketplace, and a giant lantern at the Kaminari-mon, Asakusa is as much a tourist destination for Japanese citizens as it is for international visitors.

This is despite the fact that most of its buildings (e.g., Senso-ji, the lantern, etc.) are not original. Various fires, plus the WWII Tokyo Air Raids, destroyed many cultural landmarks here, but Asakusa meant enough to be rebuilt. For comparison, unlike the gigantic Edo Tower, Asakusa’s gate has been at the same spot, with more or less the same features despite multiple reconstructions, for about 400 years. If it’s good enough to make some famous Ukiyo-e artists depict it, it’s right up there with Fuji in being a monument of Japan. If Tokyo capitalized on the Kaminari-mon and its lantern, the symbolism would be on par with the Olympics’ torch lighting the way for some cross-cultural, cross-generational bonding. Due to its long history, the lantern as a symbol could be picked up by both the younger folks and the older generation in Japan.

So What’s Japan’s Symbol?

When I went to Japan, I didn’t know about any landmarks aside from Tsukiji Fish Market and Mt. Fuji. My bucket-list destination revealed itself after hours of Ukiyo-e research for a class: the Kameido Tenjin Jinja taiko bridge. It’s just a red bridge that used to be so circular that it was dangerous. Now it has steps so it doesn’t even look that drum-like, but it was still quixotic to stand there, looking at all the skyscrapers, looking at those stupid helper-steps (I can handle a slope!), and imagine what it was like from those Ukiyo-e I’d seen of the exact spot I was standing.

We find symbols in the smallest and simplest things, so while it might be helpful for Japan’s economy to market one, which one is still clearly a debate. Whether you fall into the Edo-jo or the Edo-no camp, I hope I’ve helped you think a little bit about Japan’s historical monuments. And even if you’ve never taken a marketing class, I want to hear what you think could be ‘that symbol’ and why you think so.

Sources

• Hashi. “The Imperial Family’s Mysterious Treasure“, Tofugu. Jan. 18, 2013.
• Japan National Tourism Organization. “The 62nd Regular Removal of the Grand Shrine of Ise – Shikinen Sengu”
• JCastle. “Edo Castle Project”.
• “Municipalities Make Efforts to Attract Foreign Tourists – a Case Study of Fujieda City”. Hiragana Times. July 2012
• National Geographic, Education. “Mount Fuji: Symbol of Japan“
• Numata, Ryoichi. “Mount Fuji Habitats Threatened by Foreign Flora,” Japan Times. Sep., 15 2013.
• Rebuilding Edo-jo Association. “Edo-jo Saiken Q&A”.
• Thoreau, Henry David. Walden, or Life in the Woods, p. 356. Oxford University Press, 1999. Originally published 1845.
• “東京五輪のために500億円かけて「江戸城」再建？“. Asahi Shinbun. Sep. 9, 2013. Translation “Edo Castle to be Reconstructed in time for 2020 Olympics?” at JapanCrush.

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Ryokan are traditional Japanese inns that really haven’t changed all that much since their creation during the Edo period. Staying at a ryokan is about as close as you can get to traveling back in time in Japan. Everything from the buildings to the food and clothing is in the traditional style. It’s really quite an experience.

How the Ryokan Came to Be

Way back in 1603, the mighty warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu became the Shogun of Japan. His great victory ushered in a period of peace that Japan hadn’t experienced in quite some time.

As the Edo-era was the first time in a long time that Japanese people didn’t have to worry about getting murdered due to warring factions, travel became much more popular. Because of this, inns surged in popularity. And thus, the ryokan was born.

Since that time, many ryokan have sprung up all over Japan. Today there are small ones, large ones, cheap ones, and really, really expensive ones. Some are quaint little places that are run entirely by one family whereas others are practically resorts. Regardless of your tastes and preferences, you’ll be able to find a ryokan that suits you.

Where to Find Ryokan

You can find ryokan pretty much anywhere in Japan, really. However, the vast majority of them are located in resort-type areas, such as Hakone. The prices for these ryokan are always per-person, per-night. The price usually includes fancy meals as well, unless you’re staying at a super budget ryokan (and missing out on part of the fun).

Most rooms are designed to accommodate two to four people and most ryokan don’t accept single occupancy bookings. You single folk might want to check out a capsule hotel instead. Kind of a bummer, but that’s just the way it is.

The Elaborate Service and Atmosphere

Ryokan service is second to none. You even get a personal attendant to see to your every need. They’ll be there to greet you, check you in, provide you with tea and snacks, serve your meals, and assist you with any issues you might encounter. Talk about an experience. This is the royal treatment right here.

Ryokan also provide yukata for all guests to wear during their stay. This really adds to the old-timey atmosphere. You’ll be wearing these around the establishment pretty much any time you’re not in your room or chilling out in the bath.

Speaking of baths, ryokan almost always have an onsen available to its guests. Like most onsen, it’ll most likely be separated by gender, so make sure you go in the right side. Don’t be a baka gaijin. The bath may be indoors, outdoors, both, or even right next to your room. Some of the more upscale places have guestrooms with onsen built right in.

Ryokan Buildings

The more traditional ryokan will be located in historical buildings whereas the more modern and resort-type ryokan will be located in newer, fancier buildings. Either way, ryokan will usually have a very large lobby area and many of the rooms will have a nice view of a garden of some sort.

The rooms themselves are very traditional Japanese style with tatami flooring, futon beds, and old style furnishings for you to enjoy. Like I mentioned before, some rooms even have a personal onsen and many have balconies as well.

How to Have Fun at a Ryokan

Eat, bathe, drink, and play. That’s pretty much all you need to do to enjoy yourself at a ryokan. Most often, the ryokan staff will serve you your meals right in your room. Meals are traditional Japanese style, and dinners are an elaborate feast. If you’re skipping out on ryokan meals during your stay, you might as well not even be there.

Many ryokan guests will take multiple onsen baths during the day as well. They’re very relaxing, so it makes sense. Also, since you’re not going anywhere and just spending all your time chilling out max at the ryokan, it’s a perfect opportunity to drink. Most ryokan will have bars available for you to get your drink on. At the very least they’ll have some beer vending machines around somewhere.

In addition to bars, large ryokan are likely to have cafes, game rooms, and karaoke for you to enjoy. To get the full ryokan experience, you pretty much want to spend the entire day inside the ryokan. You paid good money for this thing and there are plenty of relaxing activities for you to enjoy so you might as well experience them all to the fullest.

Gaki no Tsukai

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And for a nice idea of what some of the rooms might look like, you can check out the above video from one of Gaki no Tsukai’s batsu games i.e. this is just an excuse to include a Gaki no Tsukai video.

If you have never seen one of these before, you’ll probably be very confused, but there’s tons more on YouTube for you to check out, or you can just read more about them here. Either way, they’re hilarious and I highly recommend them. But yeah, ryokans are cool.

So tell me, have you ever been to a ryokan before? What was it like? If you haven’t been, would you want to? Let us know in the comments!

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