Chuo-ku Tourism Association correspondent blog

The area around Akashicho, where St. Luke International Hospital is located, was a foreign settlement in the early Meiji era.

Foreign Christianity officials who wanted to make this a foothold for missionary work sent a lot of missionaries, and there were many facilities such as "private schools" by such people in this area.

Eventually, they became "schools", and many of the current mission-based schools have designated Akashicho as the "birthplace."

Around St. Luke's College of Nursing, there are girls' schools and Rikkyo Gakuin, and around Akashi Elementary School, along the way to Kanto Gakuin, Xiaosei Gakuen, Futaba Gakuen, Tsukuda-ohashi Bridge, Meiji Gakuin, Aoyama Gakuin, Women's Seigakuin, etc. There are monuments of "birthplace" such as.

In 2013, an explanation board about the Tsukiji settlement was also built beside Akashi Elementary School.

Under such circumstances, the monument of the birthplace of `` Women's Seigakuin '' near Tsukuda-ohashi Bridge is probably due to the people involved, and in the Christmas season, red, gold and silver Christmas decorations are decorated. I am.

The care that values the place of founding no matter how many years have passed and the cute decoration like a girls' school is very wonderful, and I stop and watch every time I pass.

There is Echizenbori Park near my home. It's in front of Akimasa Elementary School, which is under construction. The surrounding area is surrounded by buildings, etc., but the day was lit and it was pleasant.

Although it is about a medium size, there is also a ball game area surrounded by fences, swings, sandboxes, and benches. You can also enjoy the stone of Echizen moat, which was once excavated.

What is the elephant's pool? During the summer vacation, children play in the water under the supervision of volunteers.

This time, I would like to introduce the trees that suddenly caught my eye.

What a persimmon tree or mandarin orange in the middle of the city? There was a tree. It's probably because the leaves fell and became easier to see. Because it is in the park, is the owner Chuo-ku?

I was surprised, and there was also a fine ginkgo tree with no leaves yet.

It's a good idea to sit on a sunny bench and spend a relaxing time with a paperback book or a beer in hand. The children in the neighborhood are playing well.

 From November 1st to December 25th, the Tokyo Skytree Dream Christmas 2013-With thoughts on the world's best Christmas candles", the Tokyo Skytree is conducting limited lighting that resembles the world's tallest Christmas candles and Christmas trees.

Based on the Christmas season, the image of the flame of one candle <Shiro silver & red> > "Candle Tree" with the image of 2 fir tree <Champagne Gold & Green > "Champagne Tree" of "3" with the image of a fir tree <silver and green> > "White Tree", 4 <White Blue with the motif of silver & "Sumida River" >  "Winter style", which expresses the "heart spirit" of Edokko, 5 <Shiro silver & Edo purple > The five patterns of "Fuyuga", which expresses the "beautifulness" nurtured by the city of Edo, change depending on the date and time, and delight your eyes.

Lighting time is from 17:00 to 23:00.

On this day (December 7), the color changed from 17:00 to 20:00 "Candle Tree" (left photo) and from 20:00 to 23:00 "Champan Tree" (right photo).

The special illuminations of the Tokyo Sky Tree shine through the Eitai Bridge, which is lit up in pale blue.

The lights of Yagata boats and cruisers who enjoy night cruises, which travel around the Sumida River, are colorfully illuminated, and shine on the river surface and add color.

I've been worried about for a long time, but there is an unusual building in Ginza called "Nicholas G. Hi Eck Center". It looks like a building of a foreign watch company. I never tried to explore the inside.

These include Swiss-centric European brand watches, Blanpan, Glashütte, Jacket Draw, Breguet, Omega and Swatches. We sell and repair. There seem to be many watches to sell from the 10,000 yen range to millions of yen.

I don't know the value of the watch, but this building is interesting. It seems to have been designed by a Japanese named Shigeru Ban in 2007. It is a building that uses a space that has plenty of room in Ginza, which is said to cost 300,000 yen for one postcard. When you enter, plants are planted all over the wall of the atrium. Also, water drops like a waterfall.

In addition, there are boutiques of watch companies on each floor from the first basement to the fourth floor, and every floor can be reached with six dedicated elevators per floor. All elevators are made of glass, round and square. For example, if you want to see schotch, you'll have to take a dedicated elevator to the first basement floor. The elevator on this stouch line is interesting. There are about 1500 swatch watches hanging on the wall. It seems that only one of them shows the exact time.

There is also an underground parking lot for 18 cars, and the cars entering there will also be getting off by a glass-enclosed elevator. It's 300 yen for 30 minutes, so it's fun to use it for the kind of story.

From the 5th floor to the 7th floor, the customer service department repairs watches for each brand.

Nicholas G. Hyek is the name of the Swiss watch industry, which is said to be the savior of the Swiss watch, who lost his business to watches in Japan and other countries and rebuilt the Swiss watch industry. Speaking of Ginza, the fact that there is the Nicholas G. Heyek Center in the place where Hattori Clock = Seiko in 4-chome Wako, which I remember first, was somewhat fun to see the pride of the Swiss people. Even if you are not interested in watches, there is no doubt that it will be fun just by visiting the building.

 The area of waters in Chuo-ku is 18.3% of the entire ward, and the area ratio is the largest in Tokyo.

Due to the decline of boat transportation, the development of urban functions during post-war reconstruction and high-growth periods, and the construction of the so-called "razor dike" for flood control, there were times when people were moved away from the waterside, but in recent years the natural environment of the waterside and its functions as a hydrophilic space have been rehabilitated, and efforts are being made to regenerate the waterside space, such as the waterside space, such as the waterside space, such as the waterside space, such as the waterside space, such as the waterside space.

On the other hand, rivers such as the Sumida River, where whitefish lived in the past and enjoyed playing in the water, have been remarkably polluted for a while due to the increase in industrial wastewater due to the rapid development of industrial activities and domestic wastewater due to the progress of urbanization. However, since then, various purification measures have been implemented, and it is said that fish have been seen since the time it changed to Heisei.

Currently, in the lower reaches of the Sumida River flowing through the ward, the water quality is said to have been improved until brackish fish such as goby, mullet, and seigo live, but further purification measures and continued understanding of the water quality are desired.

On a calm Sunday in early winter, on the banks of the Sumida River in the area around Tsukuda and Tsukishima, you can see quite a few people hanging fishing lines under the soft sunshine.

Turning your eyes to the river surface, you can see the goby's "kneading fishing" (when you arrive at the fishing spot, the boatman rows the turret and runs the boat).

It is a tasteful frame reminiscent of a stylish boating in front of Edomae.

 I want to deliver the feeling of happiness from the city of Ginza to Tohoku. The "GINZA ILLUMINATION" project started with such a wish.

This year, the third time this year, entitled "Hikari Michi-Wing of Hope", specially developed LEDs such as special champagne gold wrap around 1.5 km along Ginza Street and Harumi-dori St.

The lighting period is from December 3 to January 19.

Lighting time is from 15:00 to 24:00.

On Ginza (Chuo) Street (1-chome to 8-chome), 74 glowing triangular pillars are installed on an illumination road covered with LEDs. At the top of the triangular pillar is a circle that means "hope", and Hikari Michi, which leads to a wonderful future, continues to shine.

At Harumi-dori St. (Near the Sukiyabashi intersection-Ginza 4-chome intersection), LED decorations on guardrails and streetlights create a fantastic Hikari Michi combined with Ginza Street.

The thoughts of the people who come and go through Ginza are connected, and they spread as a shining circle. Illuminations made with the image of such a situation color the city of Ginza.

During the illumination period, a charity donation box for Tohoku Reconstruction Support will be set up in a store that supports the purpose and donated to the Japan Federation of UNESCO Associations.

Aya Ueto also spoke at the lighting ceremony held at Nissan Ginza Gallery from 16:30 on December 3rd.