The History of Shiba: The Lost Temple City beneath Tokyo Tower
Most visitors know Shiba for Tokyo Tower. This history reveals the vast Buddhist temple district that once stood below it—and why its main route still shapes the neighborhood today.
Cities and Neighborhoods
Articles exploring the history, urban form and changing landscapes of Japanese cities and neighborhoods.
The History of Shinbashi and Shiodome: Japan’s First Railway, Freight Yards and the Salaryman District
Shinbashi and Shiodome grew from Edo’s southern gateway into the birthplace of Japan’s first railway, a vast freight terminal, a newspaper and office district, and the postwar home of salaryman culture. This history explains how the freight yard’s closure and redevelopment produced Shiodome’s towers beside Shinbashi’s dense streets.
The History of Marunouchi: From Daimyo Estates to Tokyo’s Business Center
Marunouchi was once a district of daimyo estates beside Edo Castle. This neighborhood history traces its transformation through Meiji state land, Mitsubishi’s brick offices, the opening of Tokyo Station, postwar rebuilding and high-rise redevelopment into one of Japan’s most important business centers.
The History of Akihabara: From Produce Market and Rail Freight to Electric Town and Otaku Culture
Akihabara was a logistics district before it became Electric Town. Trace how rail freight, the Kanda produce market, postwar radio stalls, home appliances, computers, games, anime culture and station-area redevelopment created one of Tokyo’s most distinctive neighborhoods.
The History of Nakano: From Rural Village to Railway Suburb and Subculture District
Nakano grew from a Musashino farming settlement into a Chuo Line suburb, postwar shopping center, and global destination for manga and collectibles.
The History of Oji: Shrine Town, Cherry-Blossom Hill and Industrial Center
Oji’s shrines, river valley, cherry-blossom hill, paper mills and railways reveal how a scenic Edo destination became an industrial and transport center in northern Tokyo. Explore the layers still visible around Oji Station and Asukayama today.
The History of Ikebukuro: From Rural Village to Railway Hub and Cultural Center
Discover how a rural village became a railway junction, university district, artist colony, postwar market and one of Tokyo’s major cultural subcenters.
Kanda History: Why a Shrine, Book Town and Lost Station Share One Story
Kanda’s shrine, book district and lost railway station are parts of one urban story. Follow the river engineering, commerce and education that connected them.
The History of Fukagawa: Reclaimed Land, Canals, Timber and Temple Town
How reclaimed lowlands, canals, temple-town crowds, timber yards, warehouses, disasters and industrial reuse created modern Fukagawa.
The History of Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi: Temple Towns and Old Tokyo Streets
How temple relocation, plateau-and-valley geography, the Battle of Ueno, Meiji cemetery planning, uneven disaster damage, postwar commerce and preservation shaped Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi.