Undiscovered by Tourists: Shibamata, the Hidden Face of Tokyo

In a city that’s the size of a French department, you can never claim to have seen and visited everything. The Shibamata district, located a twenty-minute train ride away from Tokyo Skytree, is a place that’s managed to retain its simplicity, charm and sense of history. The area, relatively unknown to tourists, is mainly known to the Japanese because it was used as the setting for the very popular Tora-san film series.

So, what will you find there? A village which looks as though it hasn’t changed in years, a Buddhist temple which is worth a visit, and scents which evoke a bygone era where tradition has refused to give way to the urgency of modern life. In fact, it’s more like being in the countryside than in a city. And that’s understandable: Shibamata is situated very close to the border with the adjacent prefecture, Chiba. It’s a breath of fresh air.