Tokyo Neighbourhoods: The Old Student Town of Hongo

23 Oct 2008 Category: Architecture, Japan

Tokyo Neighbourhoods: The Old Student Town of Hongo

Quiet Hongo with the red gates of Tokyo University, originally built in 1827.

When people hear Hongo, Bunkyo Ward, they always think of prestigious Tokyo University. But when you go for a casual stroll around around Hongo campus, you realise that it’s more of a charming neighbourhood with many old buildings, similar to the traditional Sumida district, which we guided you through before. Hongo is quite famous for its rich cultural heritage, with many houses that were constructed between the 1890s and the 1930s. So instead of diving into the hipster crowds in Harajuku, for today PingMag explores a very different part of Tokyo (with a Google map, see below.)

Written by Ayana
Translated by Kevin Mcgue


Hongo Sanchome station is on the Toei-Oedo and Marunochi subway lines. Above the station is the intersection of Hongo Street and Kasuga Street.

Taking the Oedo line 15 minutes from Shinjuku, we get off at Hongo Sanchome station. Once on street level, we find ourselves at the intersection of Hongo Street and Kasuga Street. Our first impression? A ton of traffic, and lots of tall buildings.

Going down Kasuga Street towards Korakuen, we pass LaQua, a spa whose window display of high-tech steam equipment caught our eye. However, we head toward the campus entrance and Yushima Tenjin Shrine.

typical traffic around Hongo Sanchome station. The odd building in the background is LaQua.

A minutes away walk from the intersection, we arrive at Sakae building and the Hongo Central Church, both of which are registered as national cultural heritage. Built in 1934 at the beginning of the Showa Era, the Sakae building’s first floor conbini (convenient store), used to be a pharmacy. The obvious Western influence in the design of the building, must have stood out to be pretty modern when it was first constructed.

The Hongo Central Church built in 1890, and made from wood was completely destroyed by a fire during the great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. It’s reconstruction in 1929 was built with a Gothic style in concrete, according to plans by an American Reverend Vogel. The church also appears in “Sanshiro” from 1908, a novel by Natsume Soseki, one of the most famous Japanese writers of the early 20th century. Visitors can see the inside of the church on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. Our tip: Make sure to call for an appointment first.

National cultural heritage, the Sakae building and the Hongo Central Church.

We found a tax accountant’s office who seemed to have been in business in the area for a long time…

Heading back to the main intersection toward Tokyo University, Hongo Street feels like a student town, with lots of small restaurants, cafes, and bookstores catering to academia.

A used bookstore selling medical textbooks… and the cutest street lamps ever.

Specialty shops on Hongo Street like a cosmetics shop (left) and a Paper store (right).

Walking a few more minutes, we arrive at the famous red gates of Tokyo University (pictured at the top.) The gates, also an important cultural heritage, were built by a daimyo, lord Nariyasu Maeda in 1827 as a symbolic gift to his wife.

Passing through the red gates, we stand in front of the very long Fukutake Hall, just recently completed by star architect,Tadao Ando. The long and low building, with trees in the background makes quite an impression.

Fukutake Hall, designed by Tadao Ando.

There is lots of green inside the campus, surrounding many historical school buildings. The basic layout of the campus was designed by a former professor, Yoshikazu Uchida, who made plans to rebuild the school after the Great Kanto Earthquake. In the centre of the campus is the symbol of the school, Yasuda Hall, surrounded by picturesque ginko trees.

At the centre of the campus, Yasuda Hall, and the central library. The campus is open to everyone, so stop by!

Continuing on Hongo Street, which cuts right through the centre of the campus, we reach a residential area filled with many narrow, sloping streets. Many of the buildings here are made from wood, giving the hood an ancient feel.

Among the narrow, sloping streets of a quiet residential area.

A nearby area named Kikuzaka was the home of writer Ichiyo Higuchi, who appears on the current design of the ¥5,000 bill. In the neighborhood, you can still find the old Iseya Pawn Shop, where Ichiyo Higuchi went for food when she was a struggling author. Though the pawn shop is no longer is business, the building is still standing!

The Iseya Pawn Shop… and more lovely little streets in Kikuzaka.

“Kikuzaka,” the neighbourhood’s name, appears here and there on shop signs.

A liquor shop that seems to be there for a very long time… and a flower shop we can’t tell if it is still in business or not.

There are so many traditional wooden buildings in the area! One that really makes us stop and take notice was “Hongo-kan,” an apartment building that was constructed in 1905. In the past, it served as a dormitory for Tokyo University students with 70 rooms crammed into the three-storey building. Until today, there is still a common toilet and bath in use.

The Hongo-kan apartment building is quite big compared to other wooden houses still standing.

There are also many old, traditional Japanese style inns in Hongo. Near the Hongo-kan building is the Morikawa annex of the Fuumeikan inn. Like the Hongo-kan, this building once served as a dormitory for Tokyo University students, and as the times changed, it started welcoming travelers as well.

Signs for traditional Japanese style inns… and the Morikawa annex of the Fuumeikan.

Walking around this neighborhood, you find many surprising shops. For one, a cute building housing a shop called Kingyozaka, which has been selling goldfish for 350 years! When the shop was created in the Edo Era, goldfish were rare and valuable treasures. Today, there is also a small cafe inside the shop.

Countless goldfish at the Kingyozaka shop.

There is quite a variety of goldfish and goldfish bowls!

The Mansada Fruit Parlor.

Finally, we stand in front of Mansada Fruit Parlor, which was established in 1914. Although the name is “Fruit Parlor” they only serve curry and rice! If you drop by for lunch, be sure to check out their cash register, which they have been using for 70 years!

Hope you liked our little tour to Hongo. And you’ll find its many hidden treasures only if you actually take a walk around yourself. See more of it on the PingMag Flickr site. Also, please add some stuff if we might have missed something really cute!

Last but not least, our Google map to find your way around. Enjoy!


Click for a bigger view!

14 Comments

  1. I want to go to the goldfish shop. Cup of coffee watch the fish sounds better than in Scotland - the fish you can see are always tiny and the big ones keep hiding.

    Posted by: tokyito on October 23rd, 2008 at 10:22 pm

  2. I’ll go there someday…

    Posted by: RBST on October 24th, 2008 at 1:52 am

  3. I need to go to Tokyo again!!

    Posted by: Flavio on October 24th, 2008 at 4:08 am

  4. I went to LaQua (Tokyo Dome) there, but I didn’t realize that particular area has unique architecture style. I stayed on one of those Ryokan inn called Homeikan, just around Todai campus area

    Posted by: Ray on October 24th, 2008 at 7:17 am

  5. Japan Rocks! Sometime i wish i’m japanese. Love those masc. hot japanese men

    Posted by: Trappedinmywhitepussy on October 24th, 2008 at 9:48 am

  6. My parents got house in AKASAKA, so i’m lucky to go visit whenever I want.

    Posted by: kaya on October 24th, 2008 at 9:52 am

  7. I love that enviroment!I’d like to visit somedays~make it real!cool place

    Posted by: J Lim on October 24th, 2008 at 12:44 pm

  8. LOL so many ppl here never been to Japan before, omg u guys are missing out!

    Posted by: angielove on October 24th, 2008 at 12:59 pm

  9. very good place!

    Posted by: ash on October 24th, 2008 at 3:31 pm

  10. Thanks for the walk.
    I’m using Google Street View for having a further look at this district.

    Here Hango-kan!
    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=fr&geocode=&q=tokyo&ie=UTF8&ll=35.717894,139.758689&spn=0.010732,0.015299&z=16&layer=c&cbll=35.71406,139.757864&panoid=3EI8rLslkrCNKzD-jBACxQ&cbp=1,302.4348090242036,,0,-9.833583643556505

    Posted by: Jim on October 24th, 2008 at 5:02 pm

  11. Ever lived in Tokyo for a long while…after leaving Tokyo then I’ve realized how much I love this city, country, and my lovely Japanese girl friend. :P
    Time to move back!!

    Posted by: Cyrex on November 1st, 2008 at 2:35 pm

  12. I stayed in Hongo for 1 month. It is a very nice neighbourhood with very friendly locals. It is so close to Ueno Park (a few minutes walk down the hill from Tokyo University) which for me were like a lung for Tokyo. I highly recommend experiencing the layers of this area.

    Posted by: Laurence on December 18th, 2008 at 2:30 pm

  13. [...] When people hear Hongo, Bunkyo Ward, they always think of prestigious Tokyo University. But when you go for a casual stroll around around Hongo campus, you realise that it’s more of a charming neighbourhood with many old buildings, similar to the traditional Sumida district, which we guided you through before. Hongo is quite famous for its rich cultural heritage, with many houses that were constructed between the 1890s and the 1930s. Read the full story>> [...]

    Posted by: Kevin Mcgue - Tokyo-Based Journalist & Filmmaker » Tokyo Neighbourhoods: The Old Student Town of Hongo on March 1st, 2009 at 9:54 am

  14. Good job! Nice..

    Posted by: hairstyles on October 11th, 2009 at 7:32 am

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