The shores of Tokyo Bay are more or less concreted. Since Tokyo became the center of Japanese politics in 1600, people has continuosly engaged in massive civil engineering projects such as reclamation and changing the course of rivers. Now the look we have for the Bay is as such. Even though, there remains few spots where we can experience the remnants of original ecosystem. The previous Tone River and Arakawa River poured in the Bay from the east. The east shores of Tokyo Bay were a low land delta of these rivers. The remaining natural shores of the Bay for Chiba Prefecture are tidal flats of shallow sea. The west shores of the Bay, i.e. Kanagawa side, were the continuation of such flats until around Kan‘nai business district of Yokohama where in the 19th century many ships from overseas arrived. When Japan ended national isolation in 1854 and decided to have the Port of Yokohama in 1859, the first thing people thought was how to supply flesh water for longhaul ships. Yokohama at that time was a tiny village floating in a muddy swamp. Well water was/is salty. And so, there was the construction of the first modern water supply system in Japan for Yokohama, blah blah blah (; my post for January 12, 2018).
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| Concreted Port of Yokohama |
The current Yokohama Chinatown is more or less the end of tidalflats. To the south from Yokohama Yamate (neighboring town to the Chinatown) to the tip of Miura Peninsula, the shores were created by plate techtonics. When the Philippine Plate crawled underneath the Eurasian Plate about 20 -15 million years ago, the earth‘s energy pushed up the deep sea sedimentary mass above water which is the origin of Miura Peninsula. Especially the south of the Miura Peninsula is coastal terraces where small but steep hills are tumbling down to the Tokyo and Sagami Bays, i.e. deep and rocky. That‘s the reason why the US 7th Fleet with an aircraft career uses the Port of Yokosuka. As its geological feature gives nice condition for humans to build ports, Miura Peninsula has lots of harbors, and so concreted. Even though, there are several natural seashores where we can enjoy the sea. One of such place is Tenjin-jima Marine Biological Garden 天神島臨海自然教育園 for the Yokosuka City Museum. It has a curious forest.
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| This is
also Yokohama, in Nojima Island of Kanazawa Hakkei (; my post for September 2, 2022) which is the south end of Yokohama. Geologically, this place shows one feature of coastal terrace. |
The easiest access to the Garden is by car. It has an ample car park. You command your Car Navigation System to Tenjin-jima Marine Biological Garden, Yokosuka, and all set. I guess during summer, this parking MUST be very congested ... Using public transformation is another fun to go there. For this method, please go to the terminal station Zushi-Hayama of Keikyu Zushi Line. Leave the station from the South Exit and you immmeidately notice there is a Convini 7/11 over there and a bus stop in front of it. From there, please take Keikyu Bus Zu-71 逗-71 that brings us to Sajima Marina Entrance, the terminal stop. It‘s about 40 minutes bus ride, passing the gate of Imperial Summer House in Hayama, 葉山御用邸. I you remember our bus ride from the foot of Mt. Ogusu (; my post for April 24, 2024), this is the way we took from the opposite direction. Now we see Sagami Bay on our right from the bus. This time, the commuter service turn right before reaching the bus stop we used from Mt. Ogusu. The bus goes into Sajima housing area and reach the top of the hill, then descend down to Sajima Fishing Port. The final stop of this service, Sajima Marina Entrance, is next to the Fishing Port.
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| This is the bus which brings us to Sajima Marina Entrance, |
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| and the terminal stop of Sajima Marina Entrance. |
Get off at the terminal stop, and you‘ll find a cafe Portland‘s on your left. Take the road to the cafe‘s direction and turn left to a road in front of Portland‘s. Along the road, on your left is a Japanese restaurant Hikonoya, and on your right is a Italian restaurant AzzurrA Mare SAJIMA. I tell you both are at the high-end. There’s a reason for it. Passing AzzurrA Mare, there is a small bridge named Tenjin Bridge, and beyond of it on our right, there is an elegant white house with a large garden. It was a summer house of Prince Takeda … Explaining this princely house is a bit complicated … The Prince was a descendant of the 102nd Emperor Gohanazono (1419-1471). Emperor Meiji, Great-Great Grandfather of the current Emperor, had only one prince who came of age, i.e. Emperor Taisho, the Great Grandfather of the present Emperor. Japanese government at that time was afraid of the end of Imperial Family. Er, well, Meiji Emperor had 15 kids with 5 ladies (none the Empress). Among them 4 princesses survived and became adult enough to be a bride. So Meiji people did not have to worry if they were more female friendly. This way of thinking still continues for the current succession issues of Emperor in Japan … Anyway, the government at that time dug up the old documents to find a guy who had some blood relation to the Imperial family. They found and let him marry the 6th Princess of Emperor Meiji. In this way, the new Imperial family man became Prince Takeda and a younger brother of Emperor Taisho for the just-in-case scenario. Such thing did not happen, and the son of Emperor Taisho became Emperor Showa who met General McArther in 1945 after the defeat of the Pacific War. Prince Takeda returned to be a common man under the occupation by the US commander. Until that 1945 the graceful white house beyond Tenjin Bridge was the summer house of Prince and Princess Takeda. The princely family thought they should have such place near Hayama where their elder brother, Emperor Taisho, loved. Also, they secluded the place beyond the Tenjin Bridge as their private garden. That’s why now we had Tenjin-jima Marine Biological Garden, escaping concreat except the foundation of princely house. Next week, let‘s enter this nature reserve.
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| Portland‘s Cafe |
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| Take the direction of the arrow. |
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| Hikonoya |
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| AzzurrA Mare SAJIMA |
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| Tenjin
Bridge. It‘s small. Over there on the right is a former Imperial Summer House. It is now a private property of a commoner. Oh, by the way, the place for Prince Takeda‘s principal residence is now Takanawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo. |
Tenjin-jima Marine Biological Garden 天神島臨海自然教育園
3-7-3 Sajima, Yokosuka, 240-0103
〒240-0103 神奈川県横須賀市佐島3丁目7-3
Phone: 046-856-0717
Fax: 046-856-0717
Open 9：00 - 17：00 (April-September), 10月〜3月 9：00 - 16：30 (October-March)
Closed: Every Monday (or if Monday is National Holiday, Tuesday) and December 29 -January 3
Admission Free
You can send an enquiry to m-bes@city.yokosuka.kanagawa.jp
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