This Tokyo Hill Once Faced the Sea — Walking Historic Gotenyama

This morning, I walk through Gotenyama in Shinagawa — a quiet part of Tokyo whose landscape has changed again and again over the centuries. Today, railways, roads and modern buildings surround the area. But in the Edo period, Gotenyama was a hill overlooking the waters of Edo Bay. It became one of Edo’s most famous places for cherry blossoms, where people gathered beneath the trees while looking out toward Shinagawa and the sea. Ukiyo-e prints from the time preserve a landscape that is almost impossible to imagine here today. But Gotenyama’s history reaches even further back. Tradition connects this hill with Ota Dokan, the samurai commander later known for building Edo Castle. In the early Edo period, a shogunal residence was established here, giving Gotenyama — literally “Palace Mountain” — its name. Over time, the hill became known less for political power and more for its scenery. Cherry trees covered the slopes, and generations of people came here simply to enjoy the landscape. Today, Gongenyama Park occupies part of this historic area. Children now play where people once gathered beneath the cherry blossoms. Most of the old scenery has disappeared, but standing there, I found myself thinking about the families who must once have shared ordinary mornings and spring afternoons in this same place. It is difficult to keep the past from fading. But through these walks, I want to keep finding and sharing the stories that remain. Nearby, Gotenyama Garden preserves another kind of memory. Surrounded by modern Tokyo, its pond, trees and quiet paths offer a glimpse of the natural atmosphere that once defined this hill. By the Meiji period, Gotenyama had changed again. Leading businessmen built residences in the area, including financier Rokuro Hara, reflecting the transformation of the hill into a neighborhood associated with Japan’s emerging modern elite. The landscape itself was also changing. After Commodore Perry’s arrival in Japan, earth from Gotenyama was taken for the construction of defensive batteries in Shinagawa Bay. Utagawa Hiroshige later depicted a landscape that had already begun to change. Even the slope we walk today is gentler than it once was, altered further by roads, railways and the growth of modern Tokyo. At the end of the walk, I reach Yatsuyama Bridge. The first bridge here was built in 1872, when the old Tokaido road crossed Japan’s new railway between Shimbashi and Yokohama. For centuries, travelers had passed through Shinagawa on foot. Then the railway arrived. Here, the road of Edo and the transportation system of modern Japan literally crossed. Gotenyama has been many things to many people. A place of power. A famous landscape. A home. A symbol of progress. Standing here, I felt that the places we live in today are built on countless hopes, choices and memories left by people from different eras. We are living on top of all those stories. Thank you for walking with me. Morning Stories from Japan by K. One Morning. One Story. One Photograph. 📍 Places featured in this video Kita-Shinagawa Station Shinagawa-juku Entrance Gongenyama Park Gotenyama Garden Gotenyama Slope Gotenyama Castle Site Yatsuyama Bridge Historical Images Utagawa Hiroshige, Tōto Meisho: Gotenyama Hanami, Shinagawa Zenzu — National Diet Library Digital Collections / Public Domain Utagawa Hiroshige, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Gotenyama, Shinagawa — National Diet Library Digital Collections / Public Domain Filming Equipment DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Photography Equipment OLYMPUS PEN Lite E-PL5 M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14–42mm F3.5–5.6 Filmed & photographed by K. If you enjoy discovering the people, history and culture hidden beneath the landscapes of Japan, subscribe to continue the journey. Walk Guides and more: Visit the link on my channel profile. 人の思いと粋を、世界へ。 #Tokyo #Shinagawa #Gotenyama #JapanHistory #JapaneseHistory #Edo #OldTokaido #Ukiyoe #Hiroshige #JapanCulture #HistoricTokyo #JapanTravel #MorningStoriesFromJapan