Virtual Edo beckons! Slip back in time via a short walk around one of Edo’s busiest neighborhoods: Nihombashi…. On the banks of the Nihombashi River, you will find Edo’s fish market, supplying the freshest catch to the Shogun and all of Edo’s residents.
Traffic on Nihombashi
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Nihombashi was also the starting point for the five Great Highways of Edo – one direction put the traveler on the Tokaido, the road that led to Kyoto. Going over the bride in the opposite direction, a traveler set foot on the Nikko Kaido, heading to the north and ending at the Toshogu in Nikko.
Along the roads running from Nihombashi (which was also “Mile Zero” for all of the Highways and so this sense also, the center of Japan – Ground Zero) were the shops of merchants from all over Japan and many of which were to become Japan’s largest department stores. In fact, Mitsukoshi Department store is the direct descendant of Echigo-ya, founded in 1673 right next to Nihombashi.
We take you back to the hubbub of that centered on the bridge: the crowds on their way to shop, the arrival of a daimyo’s procession on the way to Edo Castle, the crush of vendors and porters trying to get to their clients, and the armada of boats bringing their catch to the market.
The Virtual Tour starts with a panorama over the area and then walks us from the south end of the bridge, across it, and circles around the north end before flowing along the river.
