Why Not Visit “One Hundred Scenes of Shinagawa”?---Part 15
Kita-Shinagawa
With spring buds blooming, it is an ideal time of year for taking leisurely strolls. Why not walk around the town of Kita-Shinagawa? Why not walk around the Shinagawa-ura waters and see nostalgic traces of the good old days?
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Row of Old Japanese Houses in Kita-Shinagawa (1-20 and 21 Kita-Shinagawa)
If you take the Keikyu Main Line from Shinagawa Station, the train will travel over an iron bridge along the way, and slowly meander to reach Kita-Shinagawa Station. If you look in the direction of Shinagawa Station from this area, you will see rows of high-rise buildings that look set for future development. If you proceed to the east from the station, you can see wooden houses that are reminiscent of the old days in Japan. You can almost hear the cheerful voices of children along the narrow streets, and can see old-fashioned red mail boxes. The green hedges add a rich color to the streets.
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Inarido Shrine (Yatsuyama Park, 1-14-7 Kita-Shinagawa)
If you walk past the rows of houses in Kita-Shinagawa, you will see two parks on both sides of the street – Yatsuyama Park and Higashi-Yatsuyama Park. Higashi-Yatsuyama Park is a relatively large park, but nearby Yatsuyama Park is quite small and has a tranquil atmosphere.
There is a red shrine gate on the east side of the park, and behind that is Inarido Shrine. This shrine was built to get rid of bad luck in the area formerly known as Shinagawa area, which is thought to come from a northeast direction. Since long ago, shrines have been built in northeast locations to get rid of bad luck. Many people still come to this shrine to pray for safety.
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Shinagawa-ura Waters and Fishing Boats (1 Kita-Shinagawa and 1 Higashi-Shinagawa)
Long ago, Shinagawa-ura waters prospered as a fishing village. The boat docks of Shinagawa-ura waters at the mouth of Old Meguro-gawa River still have traces of how it was like at that time. Today, yakatabune roofed recreation boats and fishing boats are moored.
The fishing boats in operation throughout the year head toward fishing spots in Tokyo Bay, for example, off the shores of Kisarazu.
In addition, while the yakatabune roofed recreation boats offer all kinds of attractive sights, the Sumida River is particularly popular at this time of year, due to the cherry blossom that bloom along both sides of the river. A variety of options are available for enjoying a view of the ocean, during the day or at night. (Fees apply; reservations are required.)
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Yatsuyama Bridge (4 Kita-Shinagawa)
If you walk about 500 meters from Shinagawa Station toward Kita-Shinagawa, you will come to Yatsuyama Bridge. This elevated bridge was built, using wood, in 1872 to allow the road (Tokaido Avenue) pass over the railway (Tokaido Line). In the early Taisho Period, it was replaced by an arched iron bridge, and in 1930, was rebuilt into its original shape. Although it was replaced due to being old in 1985, a part of the old bridge (the main pillar of the former Yatsuyama Bridge, seen on the left side of the photo above) still remains today.
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From Shin-Yatsuyama Bridge Toward Shinagawa Church (4 Kita-Shinagawa)
Just south of Yatsuyama Bridge is Shin-Yatsuyama Bridge (New Yatsuyama Bridge). It was built in 1963 to help people avoid the traffic jams on the Dai-Ichi Keihin Route. The area provides a beautiful view and you can see the cross of Shinagawa Church with Gotenyama in the background, which is a beautiful sight.
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