#edo bay

[japanthis]

What does Tennōzu Isle mean?

A rags to riches story. From sandbar to waterfront boardwalk. What does Tennoze Isle mean?

天王洲 I S L E Tennōzu Isle (island of the sandbar of the heavenly king)

So, COVID-19 is Still a Thing

I hope everyone is staying at home as much as possible. Deaths worldwide are up 13,000 since the last article. Yeah, so… you know what? Today we’re going to look at a popular man-made island in 東京湾 Tōkyō Wan Tōkyō Bay that is connected to a 神 kami god who has the power to protect mankind from…

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[japanthis]

What does Tachiaigawa mean?

What does Tachiaigawa mean?

立会川 Tachiaigawa (Tachiai River; more at water meets water)

Tachiaigawa in the Edo Period and today

It’s been about a year since I updated the site. A whole fucking year [i]. Long time readers will remember the time I got riveredand almost abandoned the project altogether. Well, I started an article one year ago that, on the surface, seemed so simple, but actually turned into a nightmare. So, I’ve…

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[japanthis]

Where is Goten’yama today?

御殿山 Goten’yama (palace hill) Today, we’re breaking from the usual etymology and location breakdown because I’ve already covered this area. I’m sticking to the recent theme of cherry blossoms, but I’d like to try something a little different. Bear with me. But I think you’re all going to like this. There’s an accompanying video at the bottom in which I’ll walk you around all these places. 御殿山…

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[japanthis]

What does Samezu mean?

What does Samezu mean?

鮫洲 Samezu (Shark Sandbank)

That awkward moment when you’re train station kinda sucks… but you’re historically mad important!

The other day, I took part in an epic history walk from 三田 Mita[i] to 品川宿 Shinagawa-shuku Shinagawa Post Town[ii], the first inn town on the old 東海道 Tōkaidō Tōkai Highway[iii]. The town was the first and last stopping point for millions of travelers coming in and out of…

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[japanthis]

Questions from Readers

Reader Questions! (and a crappy video I made today)

Wanna know who this dude is? So did other readers. Today I’ll tell you!

I don’t get a lot of e-mails, but I’ve gotten a few over the past few months asking about my personal opinions or musings on certain topics. I don’t think Japan This!is really the place for my personal opinions on things like the “Do you think Korea has a good argument for renaming the Sea of Japan “the East Sea?” That said,…

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