Edo e yôkoso (Welcome to Edo)! This year, the Orient's Goldfest will be celebrated in Edo, Japan. Our hood was completely rearranged for the occasion and several events were planned. Not only can you go shopping (and have fun taking some quizzes) in the three districts of the city, but you can also visit some of the hot spots, like the Edo Castle, or even the Senjo-ji Temple. For those you who like a good riddle, there's always the traditional quest, or AW's first sumo tournament. At the end of the day, the Orient is waiting for you in the streets of Edo to celebrate another day of this festival. Now, returning to the shopping, you have a map of the city of Edo displayed on this page (see below) with links to all the existent shops. You can start right shopping away! Have a good day in our city and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact any of the Oriental scribes.

Location: Edo (actual Tokyo) is located at the head of Tokyo Bay, on the eastern coast of Honshu, the largest of the four main islands of the Japanese archipelago.

Symbols:
Flower: Yoshino cherry blossom
Tree: Ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba)
Bird: Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus)

History: It may come as a real surprise to anyone who has seen Tokyo - either in photographs, or because they have visited the place itself - to know that until the end of the 16th century, there were little more than small fishermen villages and swamps in a landscape dominated by hills and valleys, as well as the waters of several rivers and the Pacific Ocean. Even after the construction of Edo Castle by Ôta Dôkan in 1457, the region didn't see any real urban development for another century and a half

1590 AD, in the Kanto Plain, Toyotomi Hideyashi, helped by Tokugawa Ieyasu, finally secured his power over Japan by defeating the last of his opponents. As a reward for his services, Ieyasu, who originally was lord of the Mikawa province, received six provinces in Kantô. In August 30, he entered Edo Castle, which would become the home of the most powerful daimyo under Hideyashi until the death of the latter in 1598. The next few years saw tensions between Hideyashi's vassals as they fought to succeed to the late leader. Ieyasu's power logically prevailed though in the great battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and was appointed shogun by the emperor three years later

Naturally, these political changes had a great impact on the shogun's city, as it became, de facto, the center of power, even though the Emperor remained in Kyoto until the Meiji Restoration. A military settlement developed by Ieyasu in the 1590s, it was chosen by the same to become the administrative center of Japan. As such, it was to follow a plan different from that of Kyoto or Nara, the former imperial capital, called "Castle Town" (more about this below)

Moreover, the obligation for the lords and their samurai to live part time in Edo, and to leave behind members of their families when they were going home in their domains, the massive arrival of craftmen, artisans and merchants from all over Japan to catter to the needs of this elite, and the desire of the the shogun to build an "imposing metropolis" (1), led to a fast increase in population and size: during most of the 18th century, Edo was probably the most populated city in the world. It was in Edo that the trends in all the fields of arts and everyday life were set before being imported in Kyoto and Osaka and spreading throughout the country from there

The Pax Tokugawa lasted for 26 decades until the arrival of the Perry's Black Ships in 1853, and the subsequent Convention of Kanagawa the following year. The reopening of the country to foreigners precipitated events which would eventually lead to the fall of the shogun and the Meiji Restoration. But unlike its former master, Edo rose to new glory as it was made the new home of the Emperor and became Tokyo, the "Capital of the East"

Urban structure & development: Imperial cities, like Nara and Kyoto, have been traditionally built following the strict plan of the Chinese Chang'an. But during the reunification of Japan following the sengoku jidai ("warring states era"), Oda Nobunaga, and then Toyotomi Hideyashi, developed castles with a new role for them in mind, that of administrative and military center (2). Edo is one such "castle town"

It appears that there have been two main considerations that have dictated the urban structure of the city as it grew during the 17th to the 19th century. One is the class division: in fact, all the way until Meiji, the population was almost evenly divided into lords and their samurai on one hand, and townsmen, or chônin, on the other. That clearly reflected on the city layout. The other is the close relation that the Japanese entertained with nature. As was said above, the area presented with a landscape greatly varied, something that the Japanese mostly preserved. Of course, that doesn't mean that nature could always be totally respected, and large engeeniring projects were undertaken, especially to avoid floodings in the Shitamachi

The Shitamachi was the area east of Edo Castle, around the the Edo Bay area that was populated almost exclusively by the chônin. That part of the city developped around the rivers and canals, which earned it the name of "city of water". The reason why water was so important was because goods were distributed in most cases by water. But don't imagine for one second that it looked in any way like Venice or Amsterdam. Because the canals played a commercial role, their banks were soon to be filled by storehouses and warehouses

The succession of hills and valleys is characteristic of the Yamanote area of the city. On the hills were located the daimyos and their samurais. Daimyos often had not one, but two or more residences - one was located in the city center, while the others were on the outskirts. The latter escaped the strict regulations and restrictions imposed on central residences, and were therefore much more indiviualized. At the same time, the peasants who had lived in the valleys long before the Tokugawa came to power, started to make way to townsmen, as the valleys became extentions of Shitamachi.





Sources:

• Itasaka, Gen (Editor), "Kodensha Encyclopedia of Japan", Kodansha America, 1987, United States of America
• Encyclopedia Nipponica 2001, 1985, various articles
• Macé, François & Mieko, "Le Japon d'Edo", Belles Lettres, 2006, Paris
• Nishiyama Matsunosuke, "Edo culture: daily life in urban Japan, 1600-1868", University of Hawai'i Press Books, 1997, United States of America
• Wikipedia, various articles

Ah, shopping! The ultimate bonding experience....well, for women, at least! But our male visitors may look at shopping with a completely different eye after this experience. Indeed, in the Edo of the 17th century, merchants came from all over Japan and their number grew at a steady pace as the city developed. For this special occasion, we didn't hesitate to call out for shop owners as far away as Rome! Have a look at the city map and go visit them - all will welcome you with a smile, and, more often than not, little gifts that you'll be able to take back with you to your home! It is also a unique way to discover more about the history and culture of Asia. Don't forget to leave your impressions in our Guestbook!