Institutions and Customs of Summer in Greater Edo

Exhibit Period

August 7 (Thursday) – September 7 (Sunday), 2003

Exhibit Times

9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
(last admissions at 4:30 p.m.)

Museum closed

Museum Closed: Mondays, and the day following a holiday (except when this falls on a Saturday or Sunday)

Admission Fee

Adults: 500yen High School, College Students: 300yen Elementary, Junior High School Students: 100yen (Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more, the handicapped and the elderly)

Overview

With the population of the greater Edo area surpassing the one million mark, Edo became one of the largest major cities in the world, on a par with London and Paris. In spite of such a large population, there was stability in public order, few epidemics, and a blossoming of the culture of the commonfolk who sang the praises of this peace.
A variety of events took place in Edo throughout the year, but in summer in particular there was the opening of river season at the Sumidagawa River in the Ryogoku neighborhood, the Kanjin Sumo Tournament, the Segaki and the Ryogoku Fireworks among many others. Running from east to west along the Ryogoku Hirokoji road, acrobats, storytellers and joruri shamisen-accompanied narrators presented their talents, and restaurants, barber shops and others set up shops in the area, which became known and loved as the number one entertainment district in all of Edo. Besides this, the Tanabata Festival, the Forty-six Thousand Day Festival at the Asakusa Temple, the Twenty-Six Night Wait at Takanawa, the Okiku Lantern Festival at Shin-Yoshihara, and the Hassaku Festival all took place in Edo during the summer.
At this exhibition, we target Edo's summer entertainment spots, and introduce the events which the commonfolk enjoyed.

Museum Talk

Presented by one of our curators
Saturday, August 9, 2003; from 1:30 p.m
Saturday, August 16, 2003; from 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 30, 2003; from 1:30 p.m.