Having walked the northern part of the Ring Road 2 many times, I was initially not very enthusiastic about walking today’s route.
However, after taking a closer look at the side of the road, I found something new.
I found Kai (pistacia chinensis), which is said to be the origin of the word Kaisho (block style).
I also found the place where the name “Ochanomizu” came from.
Akihabara area
Akihabara Station (Showa-dori ticket gate)
Today I am leaving from Akihabara. I left from the Showa-dori ticket gate.
Starting and ending points of Loop Route 2
The starting and ending point of Loop Route 2 is in front of Shosen Book Tower, about 70 meters south on Showa-dori. There doesn’t seem to be an intersection name.
Loop Route 2 as seen from the starting and ending points
This is a view in the direction of travel from the starting and ending points.
The railroad that runs over the Loop Route 2 is the Keihin Tohoku Line.
Main pillar of Sakuma Bridge
Looking to my right, I saw a pillar with the name “Sakuma Bridge” written on it.
It seemed to be a remnant of a river that had become a culvert. The stream seemed to flow out from under the Akihabara station and flow into the Kanda River.
Akihabara Station (Denki-gai Exit)
Passing underneath the Keihin-Tohoku Line, you can see the electric street exit of Akihabara Station.
When I was a student, it was one of the most difficult stations for me because I could not grasp the relationship between the crisscrossing structure of Akihabara Station and the outside of the station.
junk shop
In the old days, Akihabara used to have junk shops like this one here and there. These days, however, they are few and far between. I sincerely hope that these stores will continue to exist for the sake of passing on Japanese electronics technology.
Measuring Instruments in Instrument Land
The old measuring instruments in Instrument Land have a certain flavor to them. They are works of art, and I never get tired of looking at them.
They are carefully made, and I believe they can still measure with high precision.
Yushima-Seido
Kanda River as seen from Shoheibashi Bridge
This is a view of the Kanda River from the top of Shoheibashi Bridge.
According to Wikipedia, there was Shoheibashi Station here for four years from 1908 to 1945, which was also the first station of the Chuo Line. However, there is no trace of it now.
To me, the store in the brick building on the left looks like a trace of the station.
The railroad along the Kanda River is the Chuo Line, and across the Kanda River is the Sobu Line. The bridge you can see below the Sobu Line bridge is the Hijiribashi Bridge.
Yushima Seido Gyoukou Gate
Yushima Seido is located on the left bank between Shoheibashi Bridge and Seibashi Bridge. It is dedicated to Confucius.
It was destroyed by fire in the Great Kanto Earthquake 96 years ago today (September 1, 1923), but was restored to its original form in April 1935 with reinforced concrete.
The name “Confucius” reminds me of the Analects of Confucius, and the word “Analects” reminds me of Eiichi Shibusawa, whose portrait will be on the upcoming 10,000 yen bill.
When I looked up the connection between Yushima Seido and Shibusawa Eiichi, I found out that he was the vice president of the Association for the Reconstruction of the Cathedral after the Great Kanto Earthquake.
Kai (pistacia chinensis)
I found a Kai (pistacia chinensis)!
Kai is the name of a tree. It is a famous tree that is said to have been planted at the gravesite of Confucius by his disciple, Zigong. The branches and leaves of the Kai tree are neat and orderly, which is said to be the origin of the word Kaisho (block style).
If you ask me, the shape of this tree is magnificent.
By the way, the Japanese name for this tree is Toneriba Hazenoki, and it is in the poison oak family.
Kai leaves
Here’s a look at the leaves. They are certainly neat and tidy.
Why does the character for “Kai” have a wooden part? I had never thought about it that way, but I learned one thing.
Yushima Seido
The sanctuary. People were coming one after the other.
Confucius is a Chinese man, so even though he’s considered a deity, he doesn’t have to do oak hands, right?
Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Juntendo Medical University
Three reliefs of Tokyo Medical and Dental University
Just outside of Yushima Seido is the Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
There was a relief on the wall. I had never noticed it before.
It looks like a single piece, but it is divided into three parts: on the left is the “Oath of Hippocrates,” in the center is the “School of Athens,” and on the right is the world’s first public experiment of general anesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Huh? Wasn’t Hanaoka Seishu the first person in the world to administer general anesthesia? Since Seishu didn’t do any public experiments, is this relief supposed to be the world’s first?
Incidentally, these are the subjects of “medical treatment,” “education,” and “medical care.
The Hijiribashi Bridge under construction
The exit of Yushima Seido is located on the Hijiribashi Bridge. The bridge was under construction.
Birthplace of Modern Education
On top of the Seibashi Bridge, Metropolitan Road 403 runs through the area, and just across the road (on the corner outside the Tokyo Medical and Dental University grounds) was the “Birthplace of Modern Education. It is said that the Shoheizaka Gakushujo (Shoheiko School) was built in 1797.
Incidentally, Yushima Seido displays photos taken during the construction of Nicolai Hall (1884-1891), and the Tokyo Higher Normal School was located here at that time.
Juntendo Iin
Next to Tokyo Medical and Dental University, there is Juntendo Medical School (Iin).
The characters for “Byouin (hospital)” do not mean “treatment”, but the characters for “Iin (medical office)” mean “treatment”, so they use this name.
According to the photo above, Tokyo Women’s Normal School used to be located here.
The place where “Ochanomizu” originated
I found the place where the name “Ochanomizu” originated!
Before the Genna era (1615-1626), there was a spring in the precincts of Korinji Temple here, which was offered to the shogun as “tea water,” hence the name of the place.
Today, it is a small park.
The slope in this photo is also called “Ochanomizu-zaka”.
Sotobori (Outer Moat)
Loop Route 2 as seen from the pedestrian bridge in Iidabashi
I reached Iidabashi.
The green area on the left side of the road is the outer moat of the Imperial Palace. This part of the moat is now a culvert.
Dredger at the outer moat
The moat is being dredged to improve the water quality.
By removing the nutrient-rich mud from the bottom of the moat, the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus leaching out will be reduced, and the water will be cleaner.
Ichigayamitsuke intersection
At the Ichigayamitsuke intersection, Yasukuni Street joins the road from the left.
The left side of the intersection has three lanes, of which the leftmost lane is Kanjo 2, which continues along the outer moat.
The remaining two lanes are on Yasukuni Street, heading towards Shinjuku.
The road coming towards you on Loop Route 2 joins Yasukuni Dori at the Ichigaya-Hachimancho intersection, which has a green light ahead.
Ruins of the Outer Moat of Edo Castle (National Historic Site)
I found the site of the outer moat of Edo Castle (Sotobori Park), a national historic site!
According to the explanatory board, the outer moat was a major civil engineering project that was shared by 52 feudal lords.
According to the explanatory board, the water used for the outer moat was from springs and Tamagawa josui.
I had thought that the water was turned from the Kanda River. However, the elevation here is almost 20 meters higher, so it was impossible.
Simply drawing a canal would have caused the water to flow like a river, so they built weirs such as Kuichigai, Yotsuya-mon, Ichigaya-mon, and Ushigome-mon to store the water. It was well thought out.
By the way, in the actual Sotobori Park, there is only a ground, and I did not know what to look for as a historical site.
However, in a corner of Sotobori Park, there was a magnificent building of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers (I forgot to take a picture of it). I wonder if it is because they have inherited the great civil engineering works from the Edo period.
Yotsuya-mitsuke Kita intersection
At the Yotsuya-Mitsuke Kita intersection, the road joins the old Koshu Kaido.
This was the end of my walk for today.
Walking data
Course：JR Yamanote Line Akihabara Station -> Loop Route 2 (start/end point – Yotsuya Mitsuke North) -> JR Chuo Line Yotsuya Station
Distance: 7.9km
Time: 2h4m
