Meguro

For an interesting walk around the Meguro area, make for the West exit at Meguro station.

When you come out, cross at the traffic lights then head down the slope between the ‘atre’ building and SMBC Bank with its green and white sign. This steep road takes you first past a temple, Daien-ji, dating back to 1772. The grounds here contain hundreds of small Buddha statues, including one wrapped in a red bib, singled out for special veneration; its melted face marking it as a survivor in a fire that destroyed most of the city during the Edo-era (1603-1867).

The Gajo-en hotel, at the bottom of the slope, is a bit of an oddity. The building itself is a thoroughly modern high rise affair, yet when you step inside, the emphasis is very much on the traditional. Part of the ground floor is occupied by a Japanese garden with a waterfall. A large glass-fronted shop displaying a row of white wedding dresses reveals the real business of the hotel and the reason for the unusual interior. After the wedding ceremonies, kimono-clad guests, or the newly weds themselves, can often be seen strolling through the garden, having their picture taken in front of the waterfall, or some of the man-made backdrops, doing what the hotel’s brochure describes as ‘love cruising.”

During the 50s and 60s it was love cruising of a different type that may have been taking place at Gajo-en, when the original building was used as an R & R facility for American servicemen.

Following the road down from Gajo-en, a large Disneyesque building with the words “Love” emblazoned on one of the towers continues the theme and welcomes you to Meguro River. Turn right at this love hotel and begin your journey along the bank that will eventually take you to Nakameguro.

The river is lined with cherry blossom trees and in early spring they come into bloom. Then, you may also be presented with something of an obstacle course as you try to avoid the drunken revellers celebrating the annual hanami ‘cherry blossom viewing’ parties under the trees. The only main road you will cross as you follow the river is Meguro-dori near the start of your walk which is itself worth the short detour. Turn right and walk along Meguro-dori, and soon and you will come to an interesting collection of old shops, cheap bars and restaurants, many specializing in noodles (ramen), that show a more earthy side of Meguro that existed before the trendy antique shops and Italian restaurants arrived. The lanterns that light the pavement give the old shopping street a distinct atmosphere at night

Walk along the left bank of the river and shortly after crossing Meguro-dori, an outdoor swimming pool, open from mid- July to early September will come into view. Entry is only 400 yen, and it’s a nice place to stop for a dip in the summer. On the path by the bank around here, a fruit seller with a good eye for a business opportunity can often be found selling peaches to the thirsty masses while behind the pool, you’ll find Meguro Art Gallery, with its community-related exhibitions often interactive and child-friendly.

It’s a pleasant walk along the river and for the most part you are shaded by the trees, a welcome relief in summer. It wouldn’t be Tokyo though without some hint of the surreal, however, and the huge white chimney that can be seen for miles around, provides it.

Up close, signs assure us of the non-polluting properties of the Meguro Incineration Plant, but you feel it may not be best to linger too long in its proximity! Nakameguro Park, a little further along provides a more comforting view.

There are a couple of old bridges that cross the river along your way which provide good views in both directions. Although there are not many cafes along the bank till you get to the Nakameguro area, the two-story Sakura Café and Gallery, about half way between Meguro and Nakameguro, is a good stop-off at which to sit and take in the peaceful atmosphere.

Except for during the cherry blossom season, the riverbank is rarely busy, and it’s a nice antidote to some of the more crowded areas. There are also a number of benches under the trees where you can sit, unravel a bento box and relax.

The walk from along the river to Nakameguro takes around 40 minutes and as you approach the Nakameguro area, you will have to cross to the opposite side to continue your journey or else face an un -welcome detour to the main road.

From this side of the river, you can see an open park area. In summer, this is often the venue for free outdoor concerts, usually Jazz or classical, so you may arrive at Nakameguro in some style, serenaded by music.

As you arrive in Nakameguro, cross the river again, go back on yourself a little, and you will find yourself in a cluster of restaurants and cafes whose location has made them popular among Nakameguro’s trendy young crowd. The Café Combine and the French Restaurant “Huit,’ both with seats facing the river are recommended; the latter showing its staying power by way of the ‘depuis 2005’ on its advertising board which tells something of the life-expectancy of restaurants here.

The river disappears at this point beneath the busy main road, and you will have to head to the , Yamate-dori, before returning to the river near Nakameguro Station. In Nakameguro proper, the river bank is much busier than elsewhere and it’s become the site for small boutiques, bars and restaurants.

Most of these, however, have made use of the original buildings and there is a nice contrast between the old, often wooden exterior and the modern, trendy interiors. In summer, the fronts of the cafes open out onto the river bank and there is a laid-back feel to the area, reminiscent to a degree, of London’s Camden Market. The evening is a good time to head here too, as the lanterns and lights from the stores light up the river – and there are always plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from.

The fish called ‘sanma’ in Japanese are full of bones, hard to eat, don’t contain that much meat anyway, but in each and every mouthful are absolutely delicious; more than worth the effort at getting at the flesh in amongst all the bones and scales.

Nothing really compares to charcoal grilled fish on a hot summer’s day and in recent years, the annual summertime gathering of locals and tourists to chomp down 5,000 fish caught that very morning off the coast of Iwate Prefecture to the north of Tokyo, along with more than a few cool ones has become something of a festival in this corner of South Tokyo.

In recent years, and 2008 will be the 13th time the festivities have taken place, up to 15,000 have attended making the Sanma Matsuri one of the more popular ‘niche’, if still quaint of festivals in Tokyo.

Added to the mix of late has been the addition of dozens of box loads of Tokushima Prefecture ‘mikan’ (satsuma / mandarin / tangerines in English), shipped into the capital specially from the Shikoku based prefecture.

Combine the tangy taste of fresh oranges from central Japan with delicious sanma from north Japan – grilled before your very eyes – only in Meguro.

Timings: September 7th – all day near the main station area (look for the smoke from the grills) of JR Meguro Station.

Access: JR Meguro Station on the Yamanote Line

This temple is near Fudo-mae station (one stop from Meguro on the Tokyu line) The temple was established for the protection of Edo Castle, then the centre of feudal government and business in Japan. The temple pays tribute to the wrathful Buddhist deity, Fudo, adopted from Hinduism. A major Buddhist priest, Ennin, made a carving of Fudo (now preserved here) after seeing him in a dream that he had in Meguro.

There is a festival around the temple on the 28th of every month in honour of Fudo and this is the best time to visit. Stalls are set up selling everything from Buddhist artifacts to local food and drink, as well as providing amusements similar to those found in Western fairgrounds: there’s a shooting range, lucky dip, a goldfish stall, among others.

Throughout the day and early evening, there are fire rituals, where talismans consecrated by holy smoke are offered for protection against various ills. The early evening when the sun goes down and the light is provided by the lanterns is particularly recommended and gives you the feeling that you have stepped back in time.

The temple itself is one of the five great Fudo temples in Tokyo. Climb up the steep stone steps and you’re rewarded with a great view of the large temple roof and altar. After visiting the altar, follow the wooden steps around to the back of the temple to see the huge Buddhist statue, Dainichi Norai.

Meguro’s image has changed in recent years and it has now become a very popular night spot for Tokyoites. Today the areas has something of an international feel, as attested to by the variety of pubs, bars and restaurants from all corners of the globe represented on the streets around the main station.

The 2nd floor, Meguro Tavern, is a short walk from Meguro Station along Meguro-dori, on the left by the first overpass-cum-footbridge you come to.

The owner is himself British and the interior is as near to a British style pub as you’re likely to get in Tokyo with beer and Guinness going for a little under 1000 yen, per pint. 

About 20 minutes walk further along the same street, but on the other side, is the tiny Seamus O’ Hara, run by a friendly Japanese woman who once worked as a barmaid in Ireland and does a nice stew.

If British/Irish pubs are not what you came to Tokyo for though, Meguro-dori gets really interesting after the Meguro Tavern and offers plenty more. Small restaurants and bars are clustered together; especially recommended are the noodle shops with dishes such as miso ramen and sha-chumen for around 500 yen a-piece.

The Okinawan Nanchichi restaurant on the right just after the overpass is a good place to try food from the exotic south of Japan. The dishes served here tend to use a lot of pork and the bitter vegetable known in Japanese as ‘goya’; The dish Goya Champlu a great introduction to Okinawan food.

Among the non-Japanese restaurants the Indian, Tandoor, is recommended (East exit of the station, turn left and it is on the same block), as is the Spanish Case De Fujimori, just a few doors down. Perhaps the most exotic of all non- Japanese places is the Thai/ Italian Fusion restaurant.

A 10/15 minute walk from the East exit along Meguro-dori in the opposite direction, the Tuk Tuk restaurant is situated just in front of the Metropolitan Teien Museum and for around 1500 yen per head, you can experience this culinary union of East and West in a very pleasant atmosphere surrounded by palms, statues of Buddha and fairy lights. Oh, and the food’s not bad either!

There are few places quite as relaxing in the Japanese capital as Meguro and Nakameguro.

Cafes and restaurants line the streets as is mentioned over in Ian’s piece on the cafes, bars and restaurants of the area, locals and visitors alike mingle at all times of the day and night in the cosy little offerings alongside the river or on many of the streets branching off, and time passes at a slower pace than it seems to elsewhere in the city.

Time to take it slow? Head to Meguro and sit down at a café or in a restaurant. Many serve up a combination of quiet, darkened corners or open air terraces making the actual choice of place often as difficult as the choice of beverage or dish to idle over.

For those heading to Meguro in the daytime, be you one of those ‘latte-cum-frappacino’ types that likes lounging around being seen, or a more simple person to please for whom an espresso or regular coffee or tea will suffice, the streets truly are your oyster in and around Meguro.

Famous Japanese TV star / musician / chef / sports commentator (yep, a right proper Jack-of-all-trades), Takuya Kimura* lives in the area with his only slightly less famous spouse, Shizuka Kudo.

Nobuyo Oyama and Keisuke Kuwata, famous in the worlds of animation voice acting (Doraemon)and pop music (Kuwata is the lead singer of Southern All Stars) respectively, are other names and faces you could always see out for a stroll, as are, reportedly, Danjuro Ichikawa and his son Ebizo – perhaps the most famous father / son duo currently active in the Japanese theatrical form - Kabuki.

Ebizo in particular is considered something of a heartthrob by many young women, but even if you don’t see the future Danjuro (kabuki positions being hereditary), or another of the star’s of screen and stage calling Meguro home, there will be more than enough wannabes out walking their designer pooches, posteriors wiggling, as men and women look to be noticed. Similar to Omotesando (look for Omotesando in the October Issue of TE) in this regard, Meguro is as close as Tokyo comes to the Champs Elysees in Paris or perhaps Oxford Street in London for the adult crowd.

The older generation will be more than content zipping about on bicycles equipped with little motors and the obligatory bells to warn those ahead of their approach – to help them traverse the numerous slopes in the area, and, unlike the northern and many eastern suburbs of the capital, foreign faces are never far away, tongues from all over the world spoken by folk of all shades.

Meguro, like the rest of Tokyo is what you make it, but whatever you make of it – do so at leisure.

Access: – Meguro Station is best accessed via the JR Station on the Yamanote Line. Subway lines do access the area but can be a little confusing for visitors in getting their bearings.

* names in Japanese are usually surname first, followed by given name, but here we use the standard Western order.