The 81st scene of Utagawa Hiroshige’s “100 Famous Views of Edo” is Kanasugi Bridge at Shibaura. The original picture is here.
Could the pilgrimage procession with its vividly colored banners be heading to Mount Oyama? It’s hard to believe there was a time when the sea lay just beyond Kanasugi Bridge. Looking toward the sea from the foot of the modern one, this is the view you get.
For those wondering where that is, here’s a clue.
It’s between Tamachi stn. and Hamamatsucho stn. on the Yamanote Line, right where you see the houseboat harbor as you pass under the elevated expressway. That’s the spot.
The old-fashioned walking tour of pilgrimage is gone. Modern travel has sped up hundreds of times over and become so much busier.
You can see the Shinkansen passing by right now. That means you can see this Kanasugi Bridge from the Shinkansen window too. If you go another 300 meters beyond the Shinkansen tracks, you’ll reach the modern Tokyo coastline and Hinode Pier.
In my mind, the area from Hamamatsucho south exit to around Kanasugi Bridge was remembered as a rather plain, cluttered commercial district retaining a Showa-era flavor. But it seems large-scale redevelopment has transformed it considerably.
The town has become more sophisticated, and it seems like more stylish shops have opened.
For those working or living here, it’s probably a good change. But if I may be so bold, it feels like another piece of the Showa era is fading away, and that’s a bit sad.
This time’s “Hyakkei” shooting location
![広重名所江戸百景 望月義也コレクション [ 望月義也 ]](https://thumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp/@0_mall/book/cabinet/0032/9784772610032.jpg?_ex=128x128)
