Shibamata: Straight Out of the Movies

Posted on 02/10/2022 Last updated on 04/12/2022

Top Image: By Takoyaki0815 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90807031

Previous Version: LERK licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.

Looking for a new place to explore? Are you a fan of visiting vintage-style neighborhoods around Japan such as those in Kawagoe? Ever wondered what’s on the very edge of Tokyo before exiting the city? Then Shibamata is the place for you!

A City Out of Time

Shibamata is a town on the east side of Tokyo, bordering Chiba Prefecture. This town has been around since the Edo Period. In those days, it served as an entertainment center for commoners. In more recent times (the late 1960’s) it was used as the filming location for a long-running movie series in Japan, “Otoko wa Tsurai yo” or “It’s Tough Being a Man” in English.

Shibamata isn’t a very well-known destination for tourists coming to Japan. However, it is a popular attraction for many local tourists who enjoy these movies.

But even if you aren’t familiar with the films, I think it is still a wonderful place to visit. Here, you can experience the beauty of Tokyo from a past era and so much more.

What to do in Shibamata

Just a little outside of Shibamata Station, you will find the shopping street, Taishakuten Sando. Here you can see a lot of the filming locations of the movie. The buildings all have a look straight out of the past.

On this street there are a lot of great restaurants to visit, as well as shops. At some of these restaurants, you can even try out carp (koi fish). It has a very interesting taste and is definitely worth a try. There are a lot of other different things to try here like a sweets shop and many other Japanese-style restaurants.

At the end of Taishakuten Sando is the temple its named after, Taishakuten Temple. Here, you can see a lot of wood carvings all along the shrine walls. On these wood panels, you can see scenes pull from different Buddhist scriptures.

If you are familiar with Nikko Toshogu, a lot of these wood carvings were made by the same artists who worked on the ones in Nikko.

Beyond Shibamata

Edogawa River is the natural border that separates Tokyo and Chiba prefecture. In Shibamata, you can board a small ferry to take a trip across to river to the Chiba side and back.

On the Chiba side, there’s a different view of Japan, this time more serene with less people and more nature. You can take a walk along this path an enjoy the area for a while before heading back on the ferry to Tokyo.

Shibamata is a town that has a lot of history behind it. It was once a town for entertainment in the Edo Era. In the Showa Era, it became a filming location for a popular movie series. Now it is a town preserving the beauty of the past.

If you want to experience a piece of Japan history, this is one of the places to do it.

Photo Credits:

Top Image: By Takoyaki0815 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90807031

Previous Version: LERK licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.