(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi)
In Tokyo, you don’t have to travel far if you want a taste of old Japan.
Shibamata, on the east end of Tokyo, is a 50-minute train ride from Hardy Barracks and is well-known for its old school feel.
Locals recognize it as the setting of a popular Japanese 50-film series “Otoko wa Tsurai yo,” or “It’s Tough Being a Man” in English. In the series, Shibamata is described as the home of the main character, a lovable vagabond named Tora-san.
This typical downtown district is a great stroll with various shops and eateries in classic Japanese buildings, inciting memories of the comical and sometimes-heartwarming scenes in the films.
My wife and I visited the area recently to take in the sights and sounds Shibamata has to offer.
Our trip there started with a walk to Daikyoji, a Buddhist temple, which is also known as Taishakuten. This temple is in the center of it all and has been around since 1629.
The temple’s large “Nitenmon” gate, a dark-brown wooden structure with gray tiles and bronze roof, welcomed us. The main gate’s façade was covered in small, yet intricate carvings throughout. These beautiful carvings describe the world of Lotus Sutra, according to the temple signboard.
Once inside the complex, we saw the majestic and large main temple hall framed by 66-feet long pine branches. The 500-year-old pine that sits in front of the temple looks to many visitors like a dragon about to fly out into the sky.
The enshrined Buddha of this temple, Taishakuten, is a war Buddha who wards off evil fortune and disease. Many visit here to offer good faith for protection from disease, fires or other disasters in return. So, we put our palms together and wished the Buddha for our better health and luck.
We left the temple and through the gate we could see the shopping street leading up to the temple bursting with activity. The street, lined up with classical shops and restaurants, reminded us of the famous shopping streets of Asakusa, though not as busy. Still, there were plenty of crowds here shopping and perusing the merchandise the vendors had out.
On our shopping stroll, we saw vendors selling local specialties like dango, skewered rice flour balls; senbei, toasted rice crackers; and many different types of dried river fish.
The smell of the rice crackers led us to Kanekoya, a senbei shop. An employee stood over the customary charcoal stove and roasted each cracker by hand. We sampled a few different flavors, and all were light, extremely crispy and had a deliciously gentle soy-sauce taste. The samples convinced us to buy a few for gifts.
After we finished up our shopping and headed back to Shibamata Station, we saw a few bronze statues dedicated to Tora-san and his sister, Sakura. Our departure from the area was reminiscent of how all the films in the series end, with him saying good-bye to his kind-hearted sister at the station.
Our short day trip in Shibamata gave us an escape from the hustle and bustle of our city life, and reminded us of the good, old times of the past.
Tora-san: Popular movie series of lovable vagabond
Filmed from 1969 to 1995, “Otoko wa Tsurai yo” made Shibamata famous, and made its leading man “Tora-san” one of the most popular film characters in Japan’s cinematic history.
Actor Kiyoshi Atsumi performed Tora-san throughout the 49-film series until his death in 1995. In 2019, the 50th film was produced posthumously using footage from the previous films. Atsumi’s portrayal of Tora-san was so impressive and memorable, he is still remembered as the lovable vagabond. In fact, the film series won the Guinness World Record for the longest-running movie series starring a single actor.
All of the stories of film series have basically the same plot with some minor variations. Tora-san wanders from town to town peddling his wares. He always encounters a beautiful woman who is suffering from some troubles on his trip. When Tora-san returns home to Shibamata where his sister, Sakura, and aunt and uncle run a dango (sweets) shop, the woman seeks him out for help.
During his struggle to help the damsel in distress, it never fails that Tora-san always falls in love. However, Tora-san never gets the girl, even after he solves her problem. Tora-san is always left behind heartbroken, but he always puts on a brave face and wanders off again for a new journey to heal his broken heart.
Film Series “Otoko wa Tsurai yo”
URL (Shochiku Film Company Official Site) (Japanese)
Shibamata Taishakuten Daikyoji Temple
Hours: 5 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Location: 7-10-3 Shibamata, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-3657-2886
Kanekoya
Hours: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Location: 7-7-5 Shibamata, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-3657-6682
