Directory_and_Chronicle_1933 — Page 323

TOKYO

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the Emperor took up his residence there in January, 1889.

1889. The Imperial Garden called Fukiage is situated within the enclosure of the palace. It is tastefully laid out in the pure native style, and contains fine forest trees, rare and beautiful plants of all kinds, a large, pond, cascades, etc.

Between the castle and the outer walls a large area was formerly occupied by the numerous palaces of the Daimios, but few of these feudal erections now remain to illustrate what old Yedo was like in the time of the Shogunate.

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The most important part of the business quarter is on the east of the castle, and is traversed by a main street running from the north to the south-west under different names.

A section well worth a visit is the public park or garden named Uyeno, where formerly stood the magnificent temple founded and maintained by the Shoguns, and which was destroyed by fire during the War of Restoration in July, 1868. In these grounds the Industrial Exhibition of 1877 was held, when the gardens were converted into a public pleasure resort by the Government. Several exhibitions have since been held here and have proved very success- ful. In Uyeno is also situated the fine Imperial Museum (Haku-butsu- kwan), the Tokyo Gallery of Fine Arts, the Academy of Music and a small Zoological Garden,

Undoubtedly the finest recent addition to the capital is the Meji Shrine dedicated to the Emperor Meiji, (1868-1911), and its beautiful outer garden which includes a fine stadium for athletic meetings and football matches, a huge baseball ground, a swimming pool and an imposing Meiji Art Gallery.

Among the places much resorted to by visitors is the ancient temple of Kwannon, at Asakusa, not far from Uyeno, one of the most popular and most frequented temples in Japan. At the right of the temple there is a fine old Pagoda, and near it are two colossal stone statues. A new park was also opened close to the temple about the same time as that of Uveno. Thus, with Shiba, in the southwest, where are to be seen some of the splendid shrines of the Shoguns, among the chief glories of Tokyo, there are three large public gardens within the city, in addition to the Meiji Shrine garden mentioned above.

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The districts of Honjo and Fukagawa form a distinct industrial portion of the capital. Here is the centre of the lumber and other trades. This quarter is connected with the rest of the city by ten splendid bridges all re- built since the earthquake. The biggest of them are called, commencing on the north, Senju-O Hashi, Kototoi-Bashi (new built), Azuma-Bashi, Komagata-Bashi (new built), Umaya Bashi, Kuramae-Bashi (new built), Ryogoku-Bashi, Shino-Bashi, Kiyosu-Bashi (new built), and Eitai-Bashi, respectively. From these the traveller may obtain a fine view of the animated river life of the Sunrida, whose waters are always covered with junks and boats of all descriptions.

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A great part of the remaining area forming the district north of the castle, a few years ago covered by paddy fields, is to-day covered by suburbs" of great extent, well served by the municipal tramway system. There are also extensive pleasure gardens, such as Asuka-yama, and neat little villages. The part west of the palace contains 50 temples, and a number of nobles' palaces. The district on the south of the palace, with an area of about 17 square miles, contains about 60 temples. The most remarkable among them is Fudo-sama in Meguro.

Several great fires have swept Tokyo during the last two decades, and these have led to great improvements and widening of the streets. The last of these broke out on September 1st, 1923, following upon a very severe earth- quake. The casualties due to this terrible visitation were as follows, accord- ing to a return issued in November by the Home Office:-Dead 68,215; missing (believed to be dead), 39,304; injured, 42,135. The number of houses des- troyed is said to have been 316,000, or 71 per cent. of the whole of the build ings of the city; and no fewer than 1,360,000 people were rendered home- less.