Natsume Soseki Memorial Museum

Why Did Natsume Soseki, Famous for I Am a Cat, Love Kagurazaka, Tokyo? Exploring Kagurazaka Through the Eyes of Natsume Soseki, Famous for Works like I Am a Cat The internationally renowned author Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) is famous for works like I Am a Cat and And Then. He often featured Kagurazaka, Tokyo, in his novels. One major reason for this was the presence of the popular “Yose theater” called Ushigome Waradana-tei, which was located between Zenkokuji Temple and Kagurazaka Ue along Jizo-zaka. The Yose were traditional Japanese theaters where performances like Rakugo (comic storytelling) and Kodan (narrative storytelling) were held. Kodansha, the second-largest publishing company in Japan, also derives its name from ‘Kodan,’ reflecting the past popularity of Kodan performances. Today, only four Yose theaters remain in Tokyo: Shinjuku Suehiro-tei, Asakusa Engei Hall, Ikebukuro Engeijō, and Suzumoto Engeijō in Ueno. Soseki had a great fondness for Rakugo and Kodan and frequently visited Waradana-tei. In his later years, Soseki lived just a 10-15 minute walk from Kagurazaka, at what is now the Shinjuku City Natsume Soseki Memorial Museum. Kagurazaka was the closest entertainment district to his home, and his novels describe dining in various restaurants there. A Kodan Performance atread moreWhy Did Natsume Soseki, Famous for I Am a Cat, Love Kagurazaka, Tokyo?

21Jul, 20242024年7月21日

Experience

The Best 19 Things to Do in Shinjuku (A Stroll to Reminisce About Natsume Soseki)

By ninjakotan

The Best 19 Things to Do in Shinjuku (A Stroll to Reminisce About Natsume Soseki) A Stroll to Reminisce About Natsume Soseki: Things to Do in Shinjuku “The Best 19 Things to Do in Shinjuku” includes “Enjoy a Soseki Stroll in the Waseda Area Loved by Literary Giants,” a tour we also offer as “Kagurazaka Walking Tour.” Let’s take a stroll to reminisce about Natsume Soseki in Shinjuku. Natsume Soseki once lived in Kagurazaka, and many shrines, temples, and restaurants from his novels appear there. Recently, we started offering Geisha experience tours at Shimakin, Kagurazaka’s oldest restaurant, established in 1872 (Meiji 2), which is also featured in Soseki’s novels. Shimakin was Japan’s fourth restaurant to open, specializing in beef hot pot. During the Edo period, eating beef was prohibited, making beef hot pot a symbol of the end of the samurai era and the advent of modernization. Natsume Soseki was born in Kikuicho, Shinjuku Ward. His father, a village headman, named the town after the Natsume family crest. The site where Soseki spent his last nine years has become the “Natsume Soseki Memorial Museum.” It’s a 7-minute walk from Waseda Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line and an 11-minuteread moreThe Best 19 Things to Do in Shinjuku (A Stroll to Reminisce About Natsume Soseki)