Where to catch a glimpse of the lords, ladies and daily life of Edo Era Japan
The reign of samurai lords who spent money with legendary abandon in the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter came to an end in 1868, but it’s still possible to catch a glimpse of the courtesans’ sumptuous robes, feel archers aiming at your heart as you pass beneath castle ramparts, and stroll through a garden where poetry competitions and firefly-catching parties drew the crème de la crème of Edo society.
Where to see samurai armor, the opulent robes worn by first-rank courtesans, and what daily life was like in 1700s Japan
Yoshiwara was a walled city-within-a-city that could only be entered through the Great Gate, which was guarded day and night to make sure no weapons came in and no women went out, so let’s start at the Edo-Tokyo Museum, where we can meet all the players. Just over the bridge inside the ticket gate, let’s spend some time at the magnificent model of Edo Era street life.
See if you can find…
Now let’s admire the intricate suits of samurai armor worn by the major clans of Japan, whose warring was brought to an end when the Tokugawa family and their allies vanquished all the other warlords, and the first shōgun was installed at Edo Castle in 1603.
When The Samurai’s Octopus opens in 1784, the Tokugawa shōgun still rules Japan with an iron fist, but long years of peace have brought prosperity, and a different kind of strife. The warrior class at the top of the social pyramid was rich in land and influence, but the merchants at the very bottom controlled all the gold. As we move on to the next galleries and marvel at the dizzying variety of goods being ferried by cart, boat and foot across the amazingly detailed scale model of the Nihonbashi Bridge, we can see why.
But the only place merchants were allowed to flaunt their wealth and rub elbows with their samurai overlords was in Yoshiwara, where money and sake flowed like water. And much of it flowed to the first-rank courtesans known as oiran.
In the late 1700s, geisha were just dull sparrows playing background music. The peacocks of the pleasure quarter were the celebrity idols known as oirans, who wore seven layers of riotously patterned kimonos, dressed their hair in towering confections that make Marie Antoinette’s hairdo look like Casual Friday, and promenaded down the boulevard in thonged platform sandals that made them three handspans taller.
This display is an example of the kind of outfits and glittering hair ornaments worn by White Pearl and her “twin” child attendants, Birdie and Flower.
Where to see netsuke carvings
The tiny exquisite carvings that kept a man’s tobacco pouch from slipping through his sash play a key role in The Samurai’s Octopus, and if it’s netsuke that pique your interest, the Tokyo National Museum has an eye-popping display of a collection formerly owned by a prince, displayed like jewels in their dedicated second floor gallery.
The players of Yoshiwara could impress with less by wearing miniature sculptures like this octopus, carved by famous artists from precious stones and rare woods.
Where to walk through historically accurate, life-sized, samurai era towns
If you’d like to feel what it was really like to walk the streets in 1700s Japan, let’s hop over to the Fukagawa-Edo Museum, where they’ve recreated an indoor, life-size samurai era town.
This is a great place to immerse yourself in samurai era life, because you can actually meander the streets and alleyways, and go into the shops and houses.
If you’re up for an even more hands-on experience—one that delivers numerous opportunities to see professional actors portraying courtesans, warriors and ninja—let’s take a day trip to Nikko and visit Edomura, the samurai theme park.
This is no Disneyfied version of Japanese history—the town itself and numerous shows included in the price of admission are historically accurate portrayals of what life was like in the Edo Period, even though they’re also immensely entertaining.
There are shops where you can see artisans making and selling traditional crafts, a ninja trick house where you can take photos to amaze and delight your friends, and plenty of demonstrations showcasing swords and riding techniques.
You can also rent a wide variety of costumes authentically portraying characters from all walks of life, so you can wander the streets dressed as the crafty merchant or courageous warrior of your dreams.
Where to see samurai castles
Edo (Tokyo) Castle didn’t burn in the Great Meiwa Fire of 1772—where the crime that sparked the events in The Samurai’s Octopus takes place—but it was destroyed in 1883 and never rebuilt. You can still cross the Imperial Palace moat, though, and as you pass beneath the tall stone walls leading up to the foundations of Edo Castle it’s easy to imagine unseen archers stationed up above, ready to put an arrow through your heart if you make any trouble.
If you want to actually go inside a meticulously restored samurai castle, Odawara is an easy day trip from Tokyo.
In addition to looking just as impressive as it did in the 1790s, Odawara Castle also houses one of the best all-about-castles museums in Japan. They also have a Samurai Museum, where you can rent authentically detailed costumes for strolling the grounds and taking pictures.
Where to see the best example of a 1700s Japanese stroll garden
And finally, let’s relax by strolling around the magnificent pond at Rikugi-en Garden, which invites visitors to discover the 88 views from famous waka poems hidden in its scenery.
Built in 1702 by the shōgun’s chamberlain, this is the garden that inspired the moon-viewing party thrown by Tokyo’s most extravagant lord to display his latest toy in The Samurai’s Octopus. It’s everything an ideal Japanese garden should be—gorgeous in every season, it presents a new, exquisitely composed view around every turn. There’s even a teahouse where we can rest our weary feet and sip a bowl of matcha for ¥500.
But what about the REAL Yoshiwara? Does it still exist?
It does. The actual streets of Yoshiwara are shockingly unchanged since the 1700s—if you search with your map app, due north of Sensō-ji Temple you’ll see the Yoshiwara Shrine on a corner of Nakanocho-dori (Center Street). Oiran processions made their stately way down this street to long-ago patrons awaiting them at the elite teahouses on Ageya-dori. The square of streets surrounding Center Street is unchanged since the 1790s, but the nine-foot-deep moat that surrounded Yoshiwara’s walls is now buried under busy boulevards, and the elegant teahouses and brothels that lined its five streets and avenues have been replaced by grimy “clubs” and apartment blocks that sadly fail to echo its past glory. If you look hard, though, there are a pair of historical markers on Center Street at Yoshiwara’s old northeastern boundary, where the Great Gate once stood.
Where the Edo Period lives on in daily life
Even if we don’t visit any of these places where we can see the past brought back to life, we can still feel the legacy of samurai rule and the oiran entertainment industry all over modern Japan. People still practice a rigid code of honor in their everyday lives, but forgive anything said or done after two hours of pouring each other’s beer. And the oiran business model of attracting devoted patrons continues not just through traditional geisha entertainment, but in every host and hostess bar in the red light district. But that’s a tale for another day.
Jonelle Patrick is the author of The Samurai’s Octopus and five other novels, as well as being a regular contributor to Japanagram, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had, and Only In Japan. A graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Language Institute, she’s a member of the Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, and the Historical Novel Society. She lives in Tokyo and San Francisco.
