Fukagawa Edo Museum

A few humorous sites that we encountered on our visit to the Fukagawa Edo Shiryoukan.



As we descended down the stairs, we could not help but notice a cat meowing in the background. Looking down on the buildings, we found this little cat that would bob its head and meow every so often.




This is a scene near the river. No explanation needed as to what this little guy is doing.

Overall, this is a fun, interactive museum.

Fukawagawa Edo Museum

Our group enjoys learning about culture and history on our trips to Japan. (Believe it or not, it's not all about eating, drinking and eating.) We enjoy visiting museums that teach us about a the history and culture of the area.

This year, I scheduled a visit to the Fukagawa Edo Museum. The Fukagawa Edo Shiryoukan Museum is located in Kiyosumi Shirakawa, a Shita-Machi neighborhood known for its beautiful Kiyosumi Tei-en (Garden). A stroll to the neighborhood would not lend you to believe that there is a museum here. The streets are lined with a mix of old and modern buildings. It is a mix of residences and mom and pop store fronts. There are a few neighborhood temples and shrines. Amidst this streetscape, is the Fukagawa Edo Museum.



The Museum, looks more like a library. It is not until you walk inside and down the stairs, do you realize the scale of what is exhibited there. The museum showcases life in shitamachi during the edo period. There are preserved buildings and streetscapes. The floor of the building is actually sunken. It actually is a basement. This is pretty smart since there are height limits for buildings in this neighborhood.

Above is a picture of my mom on the long stairway down to the exhibit floor.



A look inside the home of a merchant in edo.




A side street in edo amongst the Nagaya (long houses).

To be continued.

Day 2 A trip back in time

We took a trip back in time to the Fukagawa Edo Shiryoukan.



The museum preserves buildings from the Edo era in a an indoor museum. Each building is furnished based on the life of a fictional person. There was a modestly furnished home of a new resident in Edo working as a street vendor. This room did not have tatami and had very little personal belongings.

There was a more upscale room that was occupied by a well to do shamisen instructor. The room was furnished with a stately dressers and fine kimono.