Читать книгу Beautiful Japan - Leza Lowitz - Страница 5

TOKYO

Shop along tree-lined streets filled with exclusive boutiques, stroll in ancient temple grounds, strike a business deal on the thirty-second floor of a chrome-and-glass skyscraper, get swept up in the crowds, or sip sake with newfound friends in a bustling neighborhood pub. Tokyo—once a maze of rice-paddies and quiet wooded villages called Edo—is now a tableaux of old and new, where wooden houses meet modern skyscrapers on streets with no names. Welcome to the gateway of the twenty-first century.

1. The triumphant twin towers of the Tokyo metropolitan government offices in West Shinjuku

瀟洒なブティック、近代的な高層ビル、

喧噪に満ちた居酒屋、密集する木造家

屋、東京の魅力は近代と伝統とが同居

し、しかも未来への可能性を秘めてい

るところにあるだろう。

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One of the most photographed sights in Tokyo, Nijubashi Bridge reflects the glories of Old Edo. A bright day finds swans gliding in tandem beneath its arches, a vision of unruffled tranquillity. The first span is constructed with stones from the ancient castle walls, the second is made of iron and crosses a moat that has guarded the Imperial Palace in the center of the city for 350 years.

1. Nijubashi bridge at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace.

2. Water lilies frame the Rokkaku-do at Shinobazu Pond, Ueno Park.

東京で最も代表的な見所の一つである二重橋は、

古き江戸の栄光を偲ばせながら、静かに落ち着

いた景観を繰り広げている。

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The City by Night

Lights, camera, action! What could outshine the luminous Tokyo night horizon, where a necklace of neon lights drapes from the stylish shopping streets of Ginza to the business district of Shinjuku to the entertainment center of Shibuya. Of course, if you like your night sky lit up the old-fashioned way, catch the fireworks flying high over the Sumida River.

1. San-ai Building at Ginza 4-chome in all its glory.

2. West Shinjuku metropolitan government offices at night.

3. Fireworks fly over the Sumida River every August.

4. The neon glow of Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku.

5. The Rainbow Bridge at Daiba Park shows its colors.

銀座の商店街、新宿のビジネス街、渋谷の歓楽街など、不

夜城の感のある東京の夜。隅田川の空高く打ち上げられる

花火に代表される伝統的な夜景もある。

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Sumo Madness

Adoring fans pack sumo tournaments, throwing cushions and cheering on their heroes. Once considered the Japanese national Sport, sumo has become truly international as foreign wrestlers fight their way to the top of this revered sport.

1. When push comes to shove： Grand Master Takanohana and Hawaiian Konishiki.

2. Crowds go wild at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan sumo stadium.

ファンを熱狂させる大相撲。これまでは日本の国技と

考えられていた相撲も、外国人力士が上位に昇るにつ

れて国際的なものになってきている。

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Kabuki Culture

Brilliant larger-than-life costumes, haunting traditional music, and stunning sets work their magic on the Kabuki stage, but the age-old epics are really brought to life by superb actors from families who have honed their craft for generations.

1. Masters of the art of artifice—Ichikawa Danjuro XII playing Sukeroku and Nakamura Jakuemon IV playing Agemaki, the courtesan.

2. The Kabuki-za theater, another world in the heart of Tokyo.

印象的な伝統音楽に支えられた簡潔な舞台に、華麗な

衣装を身に着けた名優の演技が観客を魅了する。

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Shrines & Temples

Priests in stark white robes break the morning stillness of a Shinto shrine, while visitors to Zen temples are shrouded in the scented smoke of incense from a communal urn. No New Year’s celebration is complete without a shrine visit, and festivals such as Coming-of-Age Day bring girls in gorgeous kimonos to pay their respects.

1. A morning scene on the grounds of Meiji Shrine.

2. The traditional torii gate at Yasukuni Shrine.

3. Visitors to Senso-ji temple in Asakusa fan themselves to cure afflictions.

4. Crowds ring in the New Year at Kameido Shrine.

5. The snowy serenity of Toshogu shrine in Ueno Park.

清浄な雰囲気を漂わせる神社と思索の気に満ちた仏寺。

それは人々の祈りの場でもあり、幸せを願う善男善女

が集うのである。

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People, People, Everywhere

A garland of gatherings show traditions transcending changing times in almost every corner of the city. Calligraphy devotees painstakingly ink scrolls as their first New Year’s activity, while portable omikoshi shrines are passed down hand to hand and generation to generation in lively neighborhood festivals.

1. The postmodern plaza of Ebisu Garden Place.

2. The beat never stops in Roppongi, land of disco diversions.

3. Cherry-blossom viewing parties at Riverside Park, Asakusa.

4. A brush with greatness at the first calligraphy of the year.

5. Young people find their own road at a hokosha tengoku (pedestrians’ paradise), Ginza.

6. Men carry the gods on their shoulders at the Sanja Festival, Asakusa.

人々のさまざまな集まりが時間の流れを作っていく。世代