Nihonbashi, TŌKYŌ

Nihonbashi (The Bridge of Japan) refers to a bustling business and commercial districtat the heart of Tokyo. Nihonbashi gets its name from the Nihonbashi Bridge situated across a canal off the Sumida River, an important cultural landmark in itself. The original bridge was constructed in 1603 at the beginning of the Edo (former name of Tokyo) period (1603-1868). A stone and steel bridge designed by the famous Japanese architect Tsumaki Yorinaka, constructed in 1911, stands in its place in current day Tokyo.

A brass plaque representing the ‘zero-kilometer milestone’ is present at the center ofthe Nihonbashi Bridge, wherefrom the five major highways (collectively, the Gokaidos in Japanese), connecting Tokyo (or Edo) to the rest of Japan originates. The Nihonbashi region is also home to the first department store of Japan: Mitsukoshi, founded by Takatoshi Mitsui of the famous Mitsui family in 1673. Nagpur in comparison, is home to India’s very own ‘zero-mile milestone’ representing the geographic center of India, constructed by the British colonials in 1907 during the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India. Also, the Empress Mill, one of the first textile mills to be set up by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata (in 1877) to commemorate the declaration of Queen Victoria as the Empress of India, was started in Nagpur.

The lanterns lining the bylane at Nihonbashi, as seen in the photograph, are knownas chōchins (lanterns or carry-lights). These paper lanterns are for both decorative purposes and practical purposes (for illumination). Rooster and goldfish motifs can be found on the lanterns in the photo. While the rooster represents a popular brand of mosquito repellant, goldfish signifies summer. These paper lanterns form a part of the Obon festival (a Japanese Buddhist festival to honor the spirits of ancestors) in Japan.