Ryusen-ji & Meguro

Backyard Tourism Vol. 1

It’s the middle of August right now and that means I have family from back home visiting (not that I can really refer to the United States by that moniker anymore). Seeing as I have to escort them around while they’re in town, I’m fresh out of new destinations to cover for the moment. Still, rather than take yet another week off of writing, I want to take a crack at a type of article that I’ve been wanting to try for a real minute now. You see, I’m of the belief that just about anywhere in Japan can be attractive to foreign tourists if those in charge simply craft their messaging well. To prove this, I’m going to highlight a number of rarely explored areas in and around Tokyo to show how they too can be appealing to overseas visitors if marketed right.

Now, those who follow me closely are already well aware of this but one of my major pet peeves is how poor many of the prefectures in Japan are at telling their amazing tales. Frankly put, this country is nothing short of a treasure trove for storytellers and crazed history buffs like myself. Alas, so much of it gets utterly lost in the process of translocalization for non-Japanese audiences. What’s more, there’s an unfathomable amount of juicy morsels strewn about the nation that are all but entirely neglected. I mean, how is it that more people aren’t aware that the only surviving bits of Edo…