Meiji-mura museum 5: Western world brought transportation technology (Shinagawa lighthouse/品川燈台, steam train/上蒸気機関車, Uji-Yamada Post office/宇治山田郵便局 )

Inuyama city, where Meiji-mura park placed, is in the mountain.

As there were a lake in the park, I was surprised when I saw a light house.

The lighthouse was first built at Shinagawa port, where only 2 stations from Tokyo station.

When Japan had opened the country to abroad, the port were made to several places.

Shinagawa port was one of them. A French man named Verny built lighthouse here.
The lighthouse's name was "Shinagawa lighthouse (品川燈台)".

Japanese woodblock print also had left with building.

In the museum near the lighthouse, huge light bulbs were displayed.

It was first time I saw the light bulb of lighthouse, so I got surprised of their size.

Now the lighthouse is placed on the top of hill, looking down a lake and mountains.
Verny would never thought that lighthouse will be move in the mountain.

Not only the sea transporting, the land transporting had also changed.

Steam train had imported to Japan, and run from Shinbashi, the station next to Tokyo, to Yokohama.

 This train is brought to Japan in year 1874 from England.
The company's name was "Sharp Stewart & Co.".

When turning around, it is done by man's power.

Two men pushing the train with part of railroad.

As the transportation performance had advanced, the postal service also had evolved.
Postal service had started in year 1870. The first post office was built in Tokyo.

Ujiyamada postal office, the picture below, had opened in year 1909, Ise city, Mie prefecture.
The office was used for 60 years, and moved to Meiji-mura museum in 1969.

In the office, you can see the letter boxes which used in each ages.

In the behind of these boxes, there are real office is in service. You can send a letter from here to anywhere in the world.

There are more and more buildings and heritages here in this museum.
If you have a chance to go Nagoya, and have extra times, I will recommend going here.

You can see the moment which the Western culture had blended into Japanese culture.

Thank you for reading!
Good night!

明治村, 灯台, 蒸気機関車

Meiji-mura museum 4: Meiji era, Churches came to Japan with western culture (St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral / ザビエル天主堂, St. John's Church / 聖ヨハネ教会堂)

As feudal government in Edo era closed the country from abroad for few hundred years, Christianity were also stopped in Japan.

When the Meiji-era started, the Christianity also restarted.

In Meiji-mura, some Churches also had removed from several places in Japan.
As earthquakes often occurs in Japan, most of old the buildings in Japan were made with flexible woods. If the buildings are built with stones and rocks, they may can't let the power of quakes, and will broke down. Flexible woods preferred and used for buildings in past Japan.
(Technology had advanced and now we can use concretes and cements for buildings.)

The churches in Meiji-era seemed that built using both woods and concretes.

St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral (ザビエル天主堂), was built in 1890, in Kyoto.
Outer wall was built with bricks, and inner roofs and pillars were woods.

I sometimes saw the churches built with stones and woods in Europe, so I felt that it is not special building. If I have a chance to meet people from Europe countries, I would like to ask about it.

The frames of stained glasses were also made with woods.
Thinking of intensity, I think the churches in Europe may uses steels here.

Appearance of this church is like this.
It reminded me Sacré-Cœur chapel in Montmartre, Paris. (Only the color resemble, though...)

There were writings in Latin? or French? in the entrance, and could't read them.

The next church, St. John's Church (聖ヨハネ教会堂), may be unique building.

In the explanation, it is said that first floor was built with bricks, second and third floor were built with woods.

Earthquake is really annoying and scary thing....

My first impression was that this building is little looks like Tokyo station.

Getting inside, stairs and window frames were made with woods.

Going upstairs, shapes of roofs and door frames were exiting to me, feeling going to roof spaces.

The hall was larger than I thought, and there were some organs were displayed.
They might be kept since Meiji-era, too.

It takes lot's of times and moneys to go Europe from Japan, so it maybe good to go this place if you want to feel the European atmosphere.

Thank you for reading!
Have a nice weekend!

明治村, 教会, オルガン

Meiji-mura museum 3: Classic hotel which watched modern times of Japan (Teikoku hotel TOKYO / 帝国ホテル)

In the year 1890, Teikoku hotel (帝国ホテル) had opened in Tokyo.
The time period in Japan was Meiji, Japan was coming near to western world.

Teikoku hotel was built next to Rokummei kan (鹿鳴館), which used for hosting state visitors from abroad. Teikoku hotel worked together closely, those visitors stayed there.

In the year 1919, one of the most famous architect in the world, Frank Lloyd Wright had invited and designed new building.

As he held uncompromising thinking to make high quality hotel, the cost had expanded so much.
The cost had expanded 6 times larger than the budget, the top managers become against him.




The general manager of this hotel, Aisaku Hayashi (林愛作), was good friend of Lloyd and convinced other managers for long time, but an accident lead Lloyd removal of direction.

The fire occur to old building and had to use the new building earlier than the plan.

When hotel was preparing for opening, the huge earthquake struck Tokyo. The great Kanto earthquake in 1923.

Lloyd was in U.S., but heard that building which he designed survived the disaster with no damage. It is said that he felt honest when he knew the news.

During World war 2, the hotel was destroyed about 40% by bombings.
After the war ended, U.S. condemn the building and repaired them. Not only repairing, new building also had built.

Until 1967, the building which Lloyd had designed were used as hotel.
I found old picture of the past hotel.

Now, the entrance hall was rebuild at Meiji-mura village.

In the hall, there are several furniture and household equipment still stored.
You also can see the garnishes which Lloyd designed there.

The pillars had little exotic atmosphere.

Other side were like these.

The tiles of the walls.

Chairs and table sets.

The lights of the halls.
Large and small lights, they each were designed beautiful and splendid.

Entrance and door were like this.
In the record, Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe had also visited the hotel.

They also had passed these doors, too.

I felt like I may can see the good old days of Tokyo, if I close my eyes.

I really regrets that I didn't visit hotel Okura before the old building had gone...
I thought I must go to see these kinds of good old, antique buildings as I can.

Thank you for reading!
Have a nice weekend!

明治村, 帝国ホテル, フランク ロイド ライト, クラシックホテル

Meiji-mura museum 2: An instrument brought to Japan, tracking silk road. (Biwa / 琵琶)

Walking around in the park, I heard a sound of an instrument.
Going inside of a famous author's house, I met an old man playing instrument called "Biwa (琵琶)".

Not only playing them, he was also teaching it.

I searched about this instrument, Biwa, and knew that it came from Persia going through Eurasia continent using silk road.

In the history, the instrument was called "Barubattto" in Persia.
The instrument traveled to east going through the Silk road.

When it reached to Vietnum, called "Tipa".
When it reached to China, called "Pipa".

It is also said that become guitar when it went to western world.


I picked this picture up from Wikipedia.
In wikipedia, this man lived thousand years ago, playing Biwa.

The old man told me that he is playing Biwa since he was little boy.
He said that he is over 90 years old, so he must be playing it neary 80 years!

He told me that there are no musical scores for Biwa.
Instead of scores, the players wrote poem, and sing it with sounds of Biwa.
The poems are written on the papers in front of him.

His voice was also beautiful.

Sound of the instrument and the songs made me feel the depth of history.

Stepping outside, I saw a cat's figurine on the sunny warm porch.
If the real cat came here, he or she may sit on same place.

Today's theme was Japanese side culture, so I will introduce western side next time.

Thank you for reading.
Cheer up and get through one more day for weekend!!

Good night!

明治村, 琵琶, 夏目漱石

Meiji-mura museum 1: Meiji era, the time when Japan met western world (Meiji-mura museum / 明治村)

Japan uses special chronogram.
When emperor of Japan pass away, one era ends.

Now we are living era named "Heisei (平成)".

The era was "Meiji (明治)" when Japan met western world.
Meiji era started in 1868, ended 1912.
After Meiji era, the time changed to Taisho (大正) 1912-1926, next Showa (昭和) 1926-1989, and now Heisei.

Meiji and Taisho were good bright era.
Japan and western culture mixed and beautiful buildings and arts had created.

In Aichi prefecture, there is an park named "Meiji-mura museum (明治村)".
This park has lots of buildings which relocated from every where in Japan.




In this summer, I heard a classic hotel will get rebuild. The hotel's name was "Hotel Okura".

I heard about it in the last day when the hotel get closed, so I lost a chance to see the building forever.

It is to be shamed, but these things happens often in Japan.
Sometimes business takes priority to the culture.

Meiji-mura, located an hour from Nagoya station, has lot's of old buildings, houses, and machines.
Some of them where relocated before tear down.

Some of them were more western, some of them were more Japanese.
Today's picture is a introduction, and will introduce some of them which I liked in few days.

Thank you for reading!
Good night!