History of the Edo Tokyo Museum

The city of Edo first appeared around the 11th century, and became effectively the de facto capital of Japan from 1603. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Edo became one of the largest cities in the world – this period of Japanese history is widely known as the Edo Period. In 1868, following the Meiji Restoration, Edo was renamed Tokyo and the imperial capital (previously in Kyoto) was relocated here. The name Tokyo literally translates as ‘eastern capital’.

The museum was created to preserve and tell the history of Edo and Tokyo and preserve parts of their cultural heritage. Designed by the architect Kiyonori Kikutake, the building is based on traditional rice storehouses found across Japan, and contains 8 floors. The 7th floor is a library containing over 500,000 texts and cutural items relating to Edo-Tokyo. At 62m tall, the museum is purposefully the same height as the keep was at the 17th century Edo-jo.

Edo Tokyo Museum today

The museum has an absolute wealth of information: too much for one visit, and to be honest, half a day in here is an information overload. The English-speaking guides are an excellent resource to make us of: they’re extremely nice, informative and a really good way of digesting some of Edo / Tokyo’s vast history. You’ll need to reserve one in advance, or you can chance your luck on the day.

There is a decent amount of English signage: temporary exhibitions tend to be lacking, so you might want to give them a miss unless it’s on a subject you’re fascinated by. Edo and Tokyo are divided into relatively clear/separate floor spaces: a design which has plenty of critics, but makes a clear break for foreigners in the complexity of Japanese history.

Edo Tokyo Museum is closed on Mondays.

Getting to the Edo Tokyo Museum

The Edo Tokyo Museum lies to the east of the Sumida River, very close to Ryogoku Station. It’s easy to access and the building is pretty hard to miss: many have likened it to an alien lifeform. Taxis will be able to get you here if you prefer not to use public transport. It’s too far to walk from most of central Tokyo.

Himeji Castle history

Himeji’s current main structure dates back to 1609, although a fortification of some form was first built on the site in the 14th century. Himeji is also known as Shirasagi-jō (‘White Heron Castle’), due to its striking white exterior, and was recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993, as well as being designated one of Japan’s National Treasures. The castle was passed into the ownership of the state in 1869.

The main part of Himeji is built from wood and has remained remarkably resilient over the centuries, although the castle was never attacked or destroyed, despite the city of Himeji being bombed in World War Two. However, there have been various repairs and renovations of Himeji over the centuries.

In more recent times, Himeji Castle became known as a particularly eye-catching location in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice, starring Sean Connery as Ian Fleming’s famous spy (the screenplay was written by British author Roald Dahl, best-known for his children’s books, and unlike the previous four Bond films, it was only loosely based on Ian Fleming’s novel of the same name).

In the film, Himeji is portrayed as a ninja training school led by Tiger Tanaka (played by actor Tetsuro Tamba), the head of the Japanese Secret Service. James Bond visits Himeji to receive training, in order to infiltrate the island where his nemesis, Ernst Blofeld, is hiding out and putting together his latest scheme for world domination.

There are unsubstantiated stories which claim that the film crew encountered problems after photos appeared in Japanese newspapers appearing to show a weapon (either a knife or shuriken throwing star) embedded in one of the castle’s ancient wooden walls during the filming of a scene. Allegedly, the weapon was, in fact, thrown into a fake wall, built to protect the real castle structure.

Himeji Castle today

Today, Himeji is of the most popular castles in Japan for tourists and can be visited year-round. Visitors can access the top level of the castle for magnificent views across the city of Himeji from the summit. Himeji is also popular during Japan’s cherry blossom season in spring (mid-April is recognised as the season’s peak), when the many cherry blossom trees around the castle grounds are in full bloom, providing a brilliantly photogenic backdrop.

Getting to Himeji Castle

The castle is around one mile from Himeji rail station. The city of Himeji is in Japan’s Kansai region, and can be reached easily from nearby large cities, including Kobe and Osaka to the east, and Okayama and Fukuyama to the east.

History of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial

Originally constructed in 1915 by the by the Czech architect Jan Letzel, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial building is a domed structure which originally served as the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition, and was later used by the Japanese government during the war.

On 6 August 1945, US forces dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. It was the first ever use of the ‘A-bomb’. At the time, Japan was still at war with Allied forces in World War II and US President Harry S. Truman hoped that this action would cause the Japanese to surrender. In fact, Japan would surrender on 15 August 1945, but not before a further such bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki on 9 August.

The atomic bomb at Hiroshima instantly killed around 100,000 people and would go on to kill many thousands more as a result of radiation poisoning (approx 214,000 total with Nagasaki). It also devastated the city. The destruction was so great that the Hiroshima Peace Memorial building was the only structure which remained, thanks to its predominantly concrete and brick outer wall: everyone sheltering within was killed instantly however. The building’s survival is remarkable nonetheless, given it stands around 500ft from the centre of the powerful explosion.

After the war, the dome was scheduled for destruction, but debates quickly sprung up over this, with many wanting to leave its ruins standing as a memorial .From 1950, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was established around the dome. Minor structural repairs have been undertaken in order to ensure the building’s stability, but otherwise the dome looks almost as it did following the explosion in August 1945.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park which also includes a museum. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Museum today

The dome itself has no public access: it can be viewed from anywhere in the Peace Park and remains an incredibly moving and powerful symbol of the destruction that occurred here.

The museum is equally as poignant, and parts of it take a strong stomach to finish reading and viewing what’s on display. Collections of items from victims and some particularly horrific photographs draw attention to the real nature of nuclear warfare, and there are some interesting exhibitions about the history and development of nuclear weapons. Look out for the watch that stopped at the moment the bomb exploded.

The museum is open year-round, and is a must-visit for anyone in Hiroshima.

Getting to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Museum

Take the metro to Hondori or Chuden-Mae: from there it’s a short walk across the bridge to the musuem and peace park.