Secret Tokyo Guide

Pierre Mustiere was born in France in 1976, but has lived in Tokyo since 1998. He has a keen interest in the city's history and is always curious to learn more about it. At weekends he often wanders around little-known corners of the Japanese capital in search of a forgotten bridge, an obscure alley, or a hidden shrine or garden, to discover (or rediscover) parts of this metropolis that he thought he knew. Although working in a completely different field in his day job, for his own pleasure he has qualified as a National Guide-Interpreter ( ) and is also licensed as a Tokyo City Guide ( ). Yoko Kera ( ) comes from the island of Sado in the Sea of Japan. She moved to the capital to study at the prestigious University of Tokyo (Todai), and is more interested in the city's hipper sites and the latest international influences than in its past. Pierre and Yoko are married and have one daughter.

Minato / Chiyoda / Chuo
CRIMINOLOGY SECTION OF MEIJI UNIVERSITY MUSEUM 16
PILLARS INDICATING THE SAKUMA BRIDGE SITE 17
TRAIN OBSERVATION PLATFORM 18
STATUETTE OF DAIKOKUTEN AT MINOBU-BETSUIN 20
KOKUCHO BELL 21
PASONA GROUP URBAN FARM 22
COMMEMORATIVE STONE AT W. ADAMS' RESIDENCE 24
NIHONBASHI UOGASHI MEMORIAL 25
MEMORIAL TO THE HEAD OF TAIRA NO MASAKADO 26
CHINREISHA 28
PILLARS OF YASUKUNI MAIN GATE 29
STATUES OF ANIMALS KILLED IN WARTIME 29
TAKARAKUJI DREAMKAN 30
TOKYO METROPOLITAN POLICE MUSEUM 31
OKUNO BUILDING AT GINZA 32
MEMORIAL TO OLD GINZA 33
TSUKUDA PARK'S LIGHTHOUSE TOILETS 34
NISHI-NAKA-DORI NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH POST 35
KACHIDOKI BRIDGE PYLON 36
PASSAGE OF NISHI-GINZA JR CENTER 38
FRENCH DOOR OF TAIMEI MUNICIPAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 39
YURAKUCHO'S GODZILLA STATUE 40
RUNIC STONE IN HIBIYA PARK 41
FOX STATUES OF TOYOKAWA-INARI TEMPLE 42
MOUNT ATAGO STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN 44
NHK MUSEUM OF BROADCASTING 45
FORMER OMOTESANDO PLATFORMS ON THE GINZA LINE 46
TOUCHABLE EXHIBITION ROOM, MINATO CITY LOCAL HISTORY MUSEUM 47
TAKANAWA CENTRAL PASSAGE 48
ARIMASUTONBIRU HOUSE 49
SEISHIN JOSHI GAKUIN SCHOOL GATEWAY 50
REMAINS OF ODAIBA CANNON BATTERIES 52


Ota / Shinagawa / Meguro
MEGURO SKY GARDEN 56
WHITE-BRICK MEMORIAL OF TOGOSHI-GINZA 57
PALM 57
STATUES OF GOHYAKU RAKAN-JI 58
WHALE BURIED AT KAGATA SHRINE 60
SHINAGAWA-SHUKU 61
TORII OF THE TOYOKAWA-INARI AT JIYUGAOKA 62
NAVAL VILLAGE 63
A VENETIAN CANAL IN TOKYO 63
SENZOKU-IKE PASSAGE 64
TOKODAI BLOSSOM 65
REMAINS OF SUZUGAMORI EXECUTION SITE 66
WILD BIRD PARK AT TOKYO PORT 68
FLOWER HALL AT OTA MARKET 70
OMORI NORI MUSEUM 72
HANEDA MOVABLE BRIDGE 74
JIZO AT HOJOIN TEMPLE 75
PIO 76


Setagaya / Suginami / Nakano
BRONZE MONUMENT TO GUNDAM 80
PHILOSOPHICAL BUILDINGS OF TETSUGAKUDO PARK 82
ENTRANCE TO NAKANO PRISON 84
NAKANO BROADWAY RESIDENCE 85
PEARL CENTER STATUETTES 86
ASAGAYA ANIME STREET 87
IRORI AT SUGINAMI HISTORICAL MUSEUM 88
SACRED HALLS OF RISSHO KOSEI-KAI 90
LA PORTA IZUMI NO MON AND MIND WAA RESIDENCES 92
FORMER RESIDENCE OF TOKUTOMI ROKA 96
SOSHIGAYA PARK'S TWO NOTORIOUS HOUSES 98
MANEKI-NEKO AT GOTOKU-JI 99
ULTRAMAN DI SOSHIGAYA-OKURA 100
OTHER TRACES OF ULTRAMAN 101
ROTATING BUDDHA OF OKURA 102
GODZILLA STATUE AT THE ENTRANCE TO TOHO STUDIOS 103
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE MUSEUM 104
BIORIUM 105
WAYMARKER AT OYAMA-DORI 106
SETAGAYA MUSEUM OF HISTORY 107
TOWERS OF KOMAZAWA WATER SUPPLY STATION 108
STATUES OF SAZAE AND HER FAMILY AT SAKURASHINMACHI 110
HASEGAWA MACHIKO ART MUSEUM 111
THE SANDO AT HISATOMI-INARI SHRINE 112
GALLERY OF THE MEMORIAL AT KOMAZAWA OLYMPIC PARK 114
EDAN MALL FUKASAWA 115
KUHONBUTSU STATION 116
TODOROKI GORGE 117
TUMULI ON MUSASHINO'S HILLSIDES 118
KIMURA BUDOEN AND CHICKEN RUN 119
UNDERNEATH TAMAGAWA-DAISHI TEMPLE 120

Nerima / Itabashi / Kita
TAKASHIMADAIRA ANTI-SUICIDE BARRIER 124
YAKUSHI NO IZUMI GARDEN 125
GREAT BUDDHA OF TOKYO 126
COMMEMORATING AKATSUKA CASTLE 127
HIKARIGAOKA DANCHI 128
KOIZUMI CATTLE 130
SOBA-KUI JIZO OF KUHON'IN 132
SHINGYOJI 133
OBSERVATORY AT NERIMA TOWN HALL 134
TOSHIMA-BENZAITEN 135
EKODA'S FUJIZUKA 136
TOKIWADAI AND ITS CULS-DE-SAC 138
DAGASHI-YA GAME MUSEUM 139
FOOTPATH OF KIRIGAOKA DANCHI 140
KOYAMA-SHUZO BREWERY 141
AKABANE HACHIMAN 142
ARAKAWA MUSEUM OF AQUA 144
IWABUCHI LOCKS 146
NAKANOSHIMA 147
KYU-FURUKAWA TEIEN GARDENS 148
MOUNT ASUKA PLAQUE 149
REMAINS OF JUJO MUNITIONS FACTORY 150
COMMEMORATING THE SECOND ARSENAL'S
POWDER CRUSHER 152
NOGUCHI INSTITUTE 153
REMAINS OF ITABASHISHUKU 154
ENKIRI ENOKI 156



Shibuya / Shinjuku
WASEDA EL DORADO 160
TSUMAMI-KANZASHI MINI MUSEUM 162
HAKONE-YAMA 164
ICHIGAYA FISH CENTER 166
NAITO-SHINJUKU DIORAMA 168
TAISO-JI'S ENMA STATUE 169
GUNKAN HIGASHI-SHINJUKU 170
TOYAMA HEIGHTS, AN AGEING VILLAGE
IN THE YAMANOTE HILLS 171
FOUNTAIN FOR HORSES AT THE EAST EXIT OF SHINJUKU 172
MYSTERIOUS PILLARS OF LUMINE EST 173
RURIKOIN BYAKURENGEDO 174
PONIES IN YOYOGI MUNICIPAL PARK 176
HARAJUKU IMPERIAL DOCKS 177
SENDAGAYA TUNNEL 177
UPSTREAM ON THE SHIBUYA RIVER 178
KOKUGAKUIN MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY 180
BUILDING NO. 1, AOYAMA TECHNICAL COLLEGE 182
TOKYO BRANCH OF MIKI CORPORATION 183
DAIKANYAMA E-SUNFLOWER 184
TOKYO MOSQUE 186



Edogawa / Katsushika / Adachi
TONERI IKIIKI PARK 190
HIGH-FREQUENCY TRANSMITTER IN KITASHIKAHAMA PARK 191
IKO ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK 192
IKO TEMPLE VILLAGE 193
JIZOS OF NISHIARAI-DAISHI 194
TOBU-DAISHI LINE 195
REMAINS OF SENJU SHUKUBA 196
BRONZE STATUES OF KOCHIKAME CHARACTERS 198
JIZO STATUE ALL TRUSSED UP 200
PARK ON THE BANKS OF THE HIKIFUNEGAWA 202
KATSUSHIKA CITY MUSEUM 203
STATUES OF CAPTAIN TSUBASA 204
STATUE AT CHIKUSA CELLULOID FACTORY 206
SHIBUE PLAYGROUND 207
STANDING STONE OF TATEISHI 208
TATEISHI NAKAMISE 209
SHOGAN-JI PLANETARIUM 210
GIANT DAMS ON THE EDOGAWA 212
TOWER HALL FUNABORI OBSERVATORY 214
ZENSHINSHA 215
GATES OF THE OLD LOCK OF KOMATSUGAWA 216
NAKAGAWA FUNABANSHO MUSEUM 217

Bunkyo / Toshima
WESTERN GRAVES AT SOMEI CEMETERY 220
SUGAMO PRISON MARKER STONE 222
LABYRINTH OF 6-OTSUKA AND 5-HIGASHI IKEBUKURO 223
LOURDES 224
CHINZANSO ESTATE 226
BASHO RESIDENCE 227
BOTANICAL GARDENS AT TOKYO UNIVERSITY'S GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SCIENCE 228
KOISHIKAWA ANNEX, UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO MUSEUM 229
BLIND ENMA STATUE AT GENKAKU-JI 230
TOKYO WATERWORKS HISTORICAL MUSEUM 232
MON TILES OF THE AKAMON AT TODAI 234
PHANTOM STEPS AT YAYOI 235


Arakawa / Taito / Sumida
TRAMCARS ON THE ARAKAWA LINE 238
ARAKAWA YUEN'S BRICK WALL 240
OKU STATION TOILETS 241
GRAVES OF DISSECTED BODIES AT YANAKA 242
BINBO GA SARU STATUE 243
ABANDONED STATION OF KEISEI HAKUBUTSUKAN-DOBUTSUEN 244
KOREAN BUSINESSES IN MIKAWASHIMA 245
KAN'EIJI-SAKA 245
FACE OF THE GREAT BUDDHA OF UENO 246
CENOTAPH FOR THE ANIMALS OF UENO ZOO 248
THE POLICE STATION AND MAILBOX AT UENO ZOO 249
MUMMIFIED KAPPA ARM AT SOGEN-JI 250
BURNED TREES AT SENSO-JI 252
YOKOAMICHO PARK 254
LAKE OF THE FORMER YASUDA GARDENS 256
SUMIDA HERITAGE MUSEUM 258
SHIRAHIGE-HIGASHI DANCHI 260
THE SEIKO MUSEUM 262
IMADO SHRINE 264
MEMORIAL TO YOSHIWARA PROSTITUTES AT JOKAN-JI 266
JOE'S STATUE AT SAN'YA 268
CONVERTED TAMANOI CAFES 269
REMAINS OF KOZUKAPPARA EXECUTION SITE 270

Koto
KATORI-JINJA SHRINE AT KAMEIDO 274
MONUMENT IN THE PLUM ORCHARD 275
REMAINS OF ONAGIGAWA CARGO TERMINAL 276
CENTER OF THE TOKYO RAIDS AND WAR
DAMAGE 278
HAYAGRIVA OF KOTO 279
SOCIAL HOUSING AND COMMERCIAL PREMISES ON KIYOSUMI AVENUE 280
KIYOSUMI GARDENS: FOUNDED BY MITSUBISHI 280
LAND SUBSIDENCE OBSERVATION CENTRE AT MINAMISUNAMACHIA 281
STAGING OF THE ENMA STATUE AT FUKAGAWA ENMADO 282
FUKAGAWA FUDOU-DOU FACADE 284
EITAIBASHI 285
MEIJI MARU MUSEUM SHIP 286
DAIGO FUKURYU MARU 288
NEW SPORTS PARK AT TATSUMI NO MORI 290
TATSUMI DANCHI 291
ABANDONED BRIDGE OF HARUMI 292
TOKYO CUSTOMS INFORMATION CENTRE 294
VIEW OF THE OI WATERFRONT FROM AOMI MINAMI-FUTO PARK 295
CHUO-BOHATEI LANDFILL 296
PEDESTRIAN ACCESS TO THE GATE BRIDGE 297