When people think of Tokyo they think of areas like Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, etc. The glittering, neon-lit areas of affluence. They don't think about the slums. Me being me, I decided to research the downtrodden areas of Tokyo so I could do some exploring. As much as I like the glitz and fast pace of the more famous areas, I am equally drawn to the areas where people are not as well off.
Turns out that the hotel we selected is pretty much smack dab in the middle of one of these areas. The part of town is called Sanya. It has historically been the worst part of town.
In olden times (1600s or so) it was believed that all the evil spirits entered the city via that area. The poor and downtrodden who were considered below contempt were forced to live there. All the slaughter houses and tanneries were located in that area because that was work that proper Buddhists weren't allowed to do so they forced the people with no other options to do their dirty work.
One of the cities most prolific public execution grounds was in the area. The condemned were executed via one or more of the following: Boiling, Burning, Crucifixion, Decapitation, Sawing and Waist-cutting. Fun! The bodies (approximately 200,000 of them) were buried in a graveyard right near Minami-Senju station. Apparently this graveyard is little known and not taken care of. It's considered a bit of a blight on Tokyo's past.
This looks like it might be the most interesting part of my trip.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
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