I GREW up watching the Japanese anime about a blue robot cat from the future, Doraemon, and resonated with a character named Shizuka.
Aptly, “Shizuka” means “peaceful” and “calm”, reflecting the sweet ponytailed-girl in the series.
It’s also a word that keeps ringing in my ears as I navigate the undeniably enticing but crowded, fast-paced streets of metropolitan Tokyo.
Its towering skyscrapers and electrified cityscape are captivating, but after a while, an essential dose of shizuka is needed. But is that be possible in a city inhabited by 38 million people?
It may just be possible.
At the recommendation of a Japanese friend, I seek refuge on the east side of Sumida River.
Affectionately labelled “shitamachi” or low town, this side of the river is predominantly populated by the working class since the Edo period due to its location near the mouth of Tokyo Bay.
Modernisation has failed to transform the area. Its “common-folk” charms remain, preserved by generations of petty merchants, restaurant owners, grocers, butchers, fishmongers and shopkeepers operating from the same premises as their forefathers in the 17th century.
COFFEE TOWN
One such district is Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, which is also known as Fukagawa.
These days, it’s dubbed as “coffee town” for the many specialty foreign and domestic coffee shops, but its main attractions are its connection to the past.
It is best to start with the Edo Fukagawa Museum. The displays are mostly monolingual (Japanese only), but an English-speaking guide is available to lead groups of foreign visitors through the permanent exhibitions.
The gem is at the basement where there is a full-size Edo-era neighbourhood by the Sumida River. Visitors are allowed to wander inside the local residents’ houses (shoes off, please!). There is a communal outhouse, a portable noodle stall, an outpost and a neighbourhood cat that has been meowing since the museum was opened in 1961!
The district is also known for its Kiyosumi Teien, or Kiyosumi Garden, a traditional Japanese landscape garden, designed and constructed in the Meiji period in the late 19th century.
With a small lake in the centre, the garden hasstepping stones, stone paths and stone bridges.
Kiyosumi Teien is popular among local visitors, who come to indulge in landscape painting, photography, leisurely strolls and a picnics.
A sense of solitude envelopes the garden’s perimeter. Cheery yet soothing sounds of various types of birds that have called the garden their habitat are heard. It’s hard to fathom that it’s located just next to a busy main street!
Walking through the quiet neighbourhood mainly populated by small, closely spaced abodes with interesting facades brings me to the main shopping street of the district.
Not a tourist haunt, the wares and specialty on sale are geared towards the locals.
That means the geta (Japanese clogs), yukata (summer kimono) and other local handicrafts are more authentic.
The same goes for the irresistible sakura mochi from one of the shops. It’s just a rice cake filled with red bean paste and wrapped by a pickled cherry blossom leaf in a generic, plain packaging, yet the sticky-sweet-sour goodness is delicious.
GREAT WAVE
All is not old and dreary in this shitamachi, though. Next to Kiba Park, a local public space frequented by local residents young and old, is the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.
True to its name, the facade designed by Takahiko Yanagisawa is made of steel, glass and bare concrete.
I am disheartened to find it closed for renovation as it boasts a permanent collection of almost 5,000 pieces of contemporary art.
For consolation, I circle the building, marvelling at the exquisite details of the building and its courtyard.
I fare better at the Sumida Hokusai Museum. Located closer to the Ryogoku district, it’s a good 30-minute walk from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa.
But that isn’t a deterrence because this newly-opened museum is worth a visit, even if one is not a fan of Katsushika Hokusai, a world renowned ukiyo-e (woodblock print) painter.
He was born in 1760 and spent his long life (he passed away at 90) in the area.
Thus the museum, with its futuristic, angular shapes and sharp edges conceived by the Pfizer Prize winner Kazuyo Sejima, is a fitting institution dedicated to honour and celebrate his lasting legacy.
Most of Hokusai’s original works are on display, particularly the iconic The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
However, my favourite part is its public space. Its narrow, intimate sidewalks on four sides encourage passers-by to peek inside and entice them to stop by, while the small park in front of the entrance is inviting for children.
Before leaving, it’s time to verify the area’s reputation as Tokyo’s new coffee town. Blue Bottle Coffee, an American specialty coffee shop chose Tokyo, or specifically Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, as its first international venture. It might be teeming with customers, but that is only a testament to its good quality coffee.
After picking up a cup single origin coffee from Ethiopia, meticulously prepared by a cheerful barista who calls customers with the extremely polite-sama suffix, I retreat from the renovated warehouse — an excellent minimalist work by the Japanese studio Schemata Architects — to a nearby park to unwind.
Who would have thought that despite its reputation as a city that is always on the move, a part of Tokyo stays rooted to the past, preserving the calm, quiet nature of yesterdays with it.
It is shizuka indeed, and by that I don’t mean the girl from Doraemon.
**DIRECTORY**
Fukagawa Edo Museum
1-3-28 Shirakawa, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Access: 5-minute walk from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa subway station
Pay: JPY 400 (adult), JPY 50 (children)
Kiyosumi Te-ien
3-3-9 Kiyosumi, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Access: 3-minute walk from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa subway station
Pay: JPY 150 (RM16) for adult, Free (children)
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Access: 15-minute walk from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa subway station
Pay: JPY 500 (adult), Free (children) for museum permanent collection; fee for temporary exhibitions vary
Sumida Hokusai Museum
130-0014?2-7-2 Kamezawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Access: 5-minute walk from Ryogoku subway station
Pay: JPY 400 (adult), Free (children)
Blue Bottle Coffee Kiyosumi-Shirakawa
1-4-8, Hirano, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Access: 10-minute walk from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa subway station
Pay: JPY 450 - 600 for a single serving of coffee