Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum - East Zone
East zone
This is a partial reproduction of the downtown area of Edo, in particular Yamanote (山の手) and Shitamachi (下町) areas.
In the photographs, left-to-right, top-to-bottom:
- Uemura House: A copper-plated signboard in Shintomi-cho (新富町)
- Mantoku Ryokan: A ryokan located along Ōme Kaidō Avenue (青梅街道) in Nishiwake-cho, Ōme City (青梅市). The interior shown corresponds to about 1950.
- Yamatoya Main Store: A three-story wooden dry food store in Shirokanedai (白金台), Minato-ku (港区). (Two photographs).
- Kawano Shoten: A historic oil-paper umbrella wholesale store from Tokyo, built around 1926, showing traditional Japanese craftsmanship. The building showcases the shop’s original atmosphere from when umbrella making was a booming trade, with its interior and exterior preserved for visitors.
- Tenmei family (farm house): A wealthy farmer’s prestigious house with a Nagayamon (traditional Japanese gate style, 長屋門 – Not shown)
Kodakara-yu
Also located in the East Zone is Kodakara-yu, a Sentō (public bathhouse). It was built in a palace in Senju, Adachi-ku (足立区) in 1929. The wall with two pictures and three mirrors, as shown in the photographs, separates the male and female sides. One enters this bath area after going through the shoe locker area at the entrance, then the datsuijo (脱衣場, changing room). The bath area, featuring multiple baths at different temperatures, is separated from the datsuijo by sliding doors to keep the heat in.
West Zone
This zone displays Musashino (武蔵野市) farm homes and Yamanote (山の手) houses. We did not have enough time to explore this area because we had to catch the bus to make our reservation time at the Ghibli Museum.