URAYASU-A port city that developed from a small fishing village-Walking Tour-Immersive Sound [4K HD]
The city of Urayasu is known around the world for being the home of Tokyo Disney Resort, but this city’s story extends much further back to a time before Mickey Mouse was even known in Japan. When Urayasu was officially incorporated in 1889, this small fishing village located along Tokyo Bay－the name Urayasu means “peaceful bay” in Japanese－had a population of less than 6,000 people. After the turn of the century however, the fishing and seaweed harvesting industries, along with a modernizing Japan, transformed Urayasu into a thriving seaside hub. The nation experienced further development during the second half of the 20th century, and Uraysu was once again transformed along with it. Perhaps most notably, the fishing grounds gave way to reclaimed land, and the ferry routes that once linked Urayasu to Tokyo were replaced by railways and freeways. Although the city of today is more a reflection of this modern Japan, a piece of the old fishing community still remains at the Urayasu City Folk Museum. The fences are also designed in the shape of cute fish, reminding the city’s history as a fishing village. The river on the left was once an important transportation line for Urayasu, but has now been replaced by a highway. Although bustling Tokyo is very close and the world-famous Disneyland is also here, welcoming a large number of tourists every year, Urayasu itself is still a peaceful city. In many ways, Urayasu museum is a hidden gem of antiquity located within the sprawl of urban Tokyo. The museum sits on a spot that was once on the shoreline, but decades of land reclamation projects have pushed the bay away as much as over two kilometers. The main exhibition hall focuses on the development history and characteristic industries of Urayasu. The museum also has a specially set up aquarium to show the main fish living in Tokyo Bay. Sitting beside the main museum building is an open-air recreation of the old fishing town as it was around the year 1952. The museum offers not only a learning experience, it also gives visitors a chance to transport themselves into a world from a bygone era. Walk along the seashell streets, wander through the old wooden buildings, and immerse yourself in a living,breathing model of old Japan. The exhibits inside the main buildings also help you get an understanding of what daily life was like in old Urayasu. For the local fishermen, their fishing boats were their lifeblood, and here you can see models of these boats and the tools used to make them. You can also see the equipment used for harvesting food from the sea and preparing it for consumption. After leaving the museum, I passed by a Buddhist temple called Kezou-in, and its architecture attracted me. The year of construction is unknown. It was originally located in a different location, but was later moved to its current location. Finally rebuilt in 1914 (Taisho 3) Kaishozan Kazoin is a temple of the Shingi Shingon sect, which is said to have existed during the Kamakura period and has the longest history in Urayasu. The precincts include the main hall with Dainichi Nyorai as its principal image, Koshin-do, Jizo-do, and Fudo-do, as well as the Urayasu City Tangible Cultural Property Public Prosecution Shellfishing Hall, which was built to commemorate three dignitaries who greatly contributed to the development of Urayasu. There is a pagoda of prayer and many stone Buddha statues, which tell us the long history of Kazoin. Kaishozan Kazoin is the 30th temple of the Urayasu Gyotoku Sanjusanshō Kannon Sacred Site. I ended our tour at Urayasu Station, I had virtually no knowledge of Urayasu City before this trip. However, I left feeling that residents are warm people who have a strong connection to both their history and the sea.
Urayasu City lies adjacent to Metropolitan Tokyo right across the old Edo River and is known in Japan as ‘the town of Tokyo Disney Resort’.
While having the aspect of a modern cosmopolitan city along with its urban resort zone, the atmosphere of Edo period remained intact. This culture rooted in the interaction with river and sea which was developed through the ancient time.
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