When I take a walk, I often come across structures that were built long ago. This time, as soon as I started walking along Koshu Kaido, I came across the stone wall of Yotsuya Mitsuke Ruins. I could feel the continuous history of Tokyo in the stone wall that remained in the middle of the city.
Nihonbashi
Nihonbashi is the starting point of all major highways. This is also the starting point of the Koshu Kaido.
I go to Nihombashi from Kanda Station when the highway is heading south, and from Tokyo Station when it is heading north. That way, I can always pass through Nihonbashi before starting my kaido walk.
Zero kilometer marker at Nihonbashi, the starting point of Koshu Kaido.
I took this picture of the zero kilometer marker in Japan. There is a lot of traffic, so it is dangerous to get too close. If you want a photo from directly above, there is a replica at the foot of the bridge, so it’s safer to stick to that.
Directly above the Japan Road Sign is a pillar with the words “the zero kilometer marker point” written on it. Now you can see the road marker from the expressway.
Huh? But why doesn’t it say “Japan” on this pillar?
There are many of them because they were set up in each municipality in 1919. If you don’t write proper nouns, you won’t understand, right? Actually, I can tell.
Perhaps the reason why they did not write “Japan” was that, for design reasons, they could not increase the length of the columns.
Passing through the North Free Passage in Tokyo Station, I headed towards the Imperial Palace.
The modern exterior of the Tokyo Bankers Association Building
I found the Tokyo Bankers Association Building at the intersection with Hibiya Street. It’s a modern building. I didn’t know there were such fashionable buildings in Japan. But for some reason, the upper floors are a modern building. The reason is that it was a historical building and they preserved part of it when they rebuilt it.
Looking toward Tokyo Station from the intersection of Wadakuramon
Looking toward Tokyo Station from the intersection of Wadakuramon. Work is underway to preserve and restore the Marunouchi station building. The work will continue until next year.
Metropolitan Police Department and other buildings
At the southeast corner of the Imperial Palace, turn west onto Uchibori Street. I could see the Metropolitan Police Department. Are the antennas on the round structure for transmitting and receiving police radio signals? The building in the back is the Central Joint Government Building No. 2. It houses the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the National Police Agency. Again, there are many antennas attached. The red brick building in the foreground is the former main building of the Ministry of Justice. It looks like it has lightning rods, but no antennas.
Sakuradamon
The gate near the National Police Agency. Sakuradamon. So Ii Naosuke was attacked in this beautiful scenery.
National Diet Building
Supreme Court
From the Sakuradamon area, you can also see the Diet Building and the Supreme Court.
I could see willow trees, but I couldn’t see the well, the willow well
About 300 meters from the intersection in front of the Diet, there was a signboard for the Willow Well. It was famous water from the Edo period, and was appreciated by passersby at that time. Although I could see the willow trees, I couldn’t quite make out the well from the sidewalk.
Hanzomon, said to be the Shogun’s escape route
This is Hanzomon Gate. It is said that the Tokugawa Shogun planned to leave Hanzomon, cross over this embankment, and flee to Kofu along the Koshu Kaido in case of emergency.
But the speed of the Shogun’s movement was a mere fraction of the speed of someone who had trained his legs and feet like the express messenger. How effective were they in stalling for time?
From Hanzomon, the name of the street becomes Shinjuku-dori. It extends almost in a straight line to the west.
Naitou-Shinjuku
St. Ignatius Church
An unfamiliar cylindrical building appeared. I recognized it as St. Ignatius Church because of the cross on the roof. But it didn’t look like the one I had seen when I visited for an acquaintance’s wedding in the past. When I looked it up, I found out that it had been rebuilt between 1995 and 1999 due to old age. It must have been more than ten years ago when I walked around Yotsuya.
The remains of Yotsuya Mitsuke, with its stone walls from the past
I turned right at the intersection in front of Yotsuya Station and was about to turn left along Yotsuya Station when I spotted the remains of Yotsuya Mitsuke!
There was an explanation near the nearby restroom, but it seemed to be an explanation for historical experts, and I couldn’t understand the structure or function. So, I’ll try to think about it in my own words.
The current Chuo line from Ichigaya to Yotsuya runs along the inner side of the outer moat. In the Edo period, the outer moat was naturally filled with water. Therefore, it is not possible to pass freely in the east-west direction. But since this is a highway, they had no choice but to build a bridge (I looked up the name of the bridge but couldn’t find it, so it might be a dike). Then, there was a possibility that the enemy would attack through the bridge. Therefore, I decided to set up a watchtower (mitsuke) at the foot of the bridge. In this photo, the structure of the guard post was designed in such a way that the enemy who entered from the left in front of the stone wall would turn around and come toward us. In the event of an actual attack, the plan was to intercept the enemy seen below from the area where the large tree grows. It looks like this, doesn’t it?
I think the area where the large and small stones are combined is a stone wall from the Edo period. The original mitsuke was cut off around the area where people were standing, so I think the part piled with stones of standardized dimensions is a newly piled stone wall to make it look better.
The antennas hidden in the branches of the trees are the antennas of the Ministry of Defense. The Ministry of Defense is overseas, so there is no problem even if it is outside the outer moat.
Yotsuya Fire Station
Less than a kilometer from Yotsuya Station is the Yotsuya Fire Station, and adjacent to it is the Fire Museum. Admission is free and there are many exhibits. However, I won’t go in today.
Stone monument at the site of Yotsuya Ookido
I found a monument to the site of the Yotsuya Ookido. However, in the Edo period, the Yotsuya Ookido was located about 80 meters closer to Nihonbashi than here, near the Yotsuya 4-chome intersection.
Junction of the Koshu Kaido and the Ome Kaido
After another 1km, you will reach the intersection of Shinjuku 3-chome. This is the junction of the Koshu Kaido and the Ome Kaido.
Shinjuku South Exit
The Koshu Kaido turns left at Oiwake and then right again, passing in front of the south exit of Shinjuku Station.
From here on, the scenery is the same along the highway all the way to the Kamikitazawa area.
Sasazuka intersection with four auxiliary signals.
I decided to take a walk to Sasazuka today. I took a picture of the traffic lights with four auxiliary signals as a memorial, and that was it.
Walking data
Course: JR Yamanote Line Kanda Station -> Nihonbashi -> Naito Shinjuku -> Keio New Line Sasazuka Station
Distance: 13.2km
Time: 2h49m
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