One of the old merchant houses (Photo: Masato Kitamura)

Edo Style Theme Park

Surprising parking area along the Tohoku Expressway

Masato Kitamura   - 1 min read

The Hanyu parking area (link in Japanese) on the Tohoku Expressway in Saitama Prefecture reproduces a real Edo style feel. It was opened only in December 2013 and is maybe the most surprising parking area I have seen so far.

The concept expresses the world of Onihei Hankacho, a popular series of Japanese dramas. The stories were written by Shotaro Ikenami, a popular historical novelist. The main character is a special police officer looking after arson-robbery during the Edo Period. Especially Japanese males like the Edo style detective dramas, and it seems indeed that male visitors outnumber female ones. In any case it is a fantastic place to take a rest from driving and go for a little walk!

Masato Kitamura

Masato Kitamura @masato.kitamura

I was born and grew up in Nagano city. After that I lived in Osaka nine years. Later years I live in Kanto plain. I worked for 36 years as a programmer and related business in a software company. I was retirement of 60 years old. Now I’m doing a part-time job at near my house. I like personal ...