• 2023.6.30
• Local FoodSights

Take a walk around Senzoku Pond! I tried a carefree solo life

When you're busy at work and have too many events in your private life, it's easy to find yourself wanting to spend some time alone. In such a case, let's go to Senzoku Pond in Ota Ward!

I had heard of Senzoku Pond, but I had never actually been there. However, this time I went for a walk around Senzoku Pond for the first time, and it was very refreshing. This is the perfect place for solo activities! I have come to believe that.

So, what exactly is Senzokuike? I will tell you about my carefree solo career.

Senzokuike's solo career has started! Panoramic view of Senzokuike from the rooftop observation deck of Senzokuike Boathouse

The starting point for a trip around Senzokuike is the Senzokuike Boathouse. It is located right after exiting the ticket gate of Senzokuike Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line and crossing the pedestrian crossing in front of you, so even for first-timers, you could easily get there.
When you go to the back of the facility, there is a large pond! In order to get the full picture, I headed up the spiral staircase to the rooftop observation deck.

After climbing the stairs, you will find the rooftop observation deck space of the Senzokuike Boathouse. The Senzokuike Pond that spreads out below you will be surprised at how much bigger it is than you imagined! It's incredible how the scenery changes so much just by climbing a few stairs. Expectations for her solo performance on this day are high.

There was a rich natural environment that made you forget that you were near the station, and you could hear the occasional sound of cars driving on the road, making me think, ``This is what an oasis in the city should be like!''

First, we took a photo of the view from the rooftop observation deck and set off on a trip around Senzoku Pond!

The swan boat used in the filming of the movie!

Those lined up on the pond are swan boats! The swan boat at Senzokuike Pond has appeared many times in movies and dramas as a filming location.

Even if you are hesitant to go on a boat alone, the scenery with the swan boat itself is precious, and it might be a good idea to visit the sacred site of a popular movie or your favorite actor.

Take a photo at Ikezuki Bridge, which has a “Senzokuike-like” feel to it.

As you walk clockwise along the promenade along Senzoku Pond, you will see a bridge. This is Ikezuki Bridge.

I visited during the hot and humid season in late June, so looking at Ikezuki Bridge and the greenery of the park from a little distance gave me a refreshing feeling that soothed my soul.

The bridge can be especially slippery on rainy days, so we recommend wearing shoes with sturdy soles.

Following the view from the rooftop observation deck, this is a truly stunning photo spot. If you take a photo of Ikezuki Bridge, it would be a good idea to post it on SNS!

Let's stop by Katsu Kaishu Memorial Museum

Speaking of Senzokuike, it is a place connected to Kaishu Katsu. On the east side of Senzoku Pond is the Ota City Katsu Kaishu Memorial Museum. When you stand in front of the neo-gothic architecture that utilizes the former Seimei Bunko, which is a registered tangible cultural property of Japan, you will feel as if you have traveled back in time to a romantic era.

Kaishu Katsu worked hard to develop the navy. At the theater ``The Room of Time,'' which uses photos and videos to tell the story of his hardships when he came to the United States on the screw-type steam warship ``Kanrin Maru,'' you will be so immersed in the experience that you will lose track of time. In addition, the exhibition ``Kaishu Brain,'' which uses video and audio to express many of Kaishu's famous sayings that are filled with his philosophy of life, had something that deeply resonated in my heart even today.

In the center of the exhibition room is a chronology of Kaishu, which introduces his encounter with Ryoma Sakamoto, his meeting with Saigo Takamori, and the ``bloodless surrender of Edo Castle,'' in which he surrendered Edo Castle.

There is only a gentle route, and you can move around the exhibition rooms relatively freely, so it is a memorial museum where you can visit solo and enjoy learning at your own pace. Additionally, the exhibit, which focuses on Kaishu's accomplishments and the connection with Ota City, will be irresistible to so-called ``rekijona'' who love history, as there will be a lot of content that does not appear in textbooks.

The stairs leading to the second floor have a retro feel. I walked slowly up the stairs and carefully looked at the tiles on the floor, enjoying the feeling of being transported back in time.

Don't forget to buy original goods as souvenirs at the museum shop next to the entrance on the first floor.

The most popular item is the ``Bloodless Bandage,'' which has a catchy name after the Edo Bloodless Battle of the Castle. If you give it as a souvenir, it will make the person you give it to smile.

I feel that it is a place where you can come in contact with a wide range of information even if you visit alone, and you can take what you learned home with you, from geeky things about Kaishu and Ota City to things that anyone can be interested in, such as the history conveyed through video and the beauty of architecture. Ta.

Ota Ward Katsu Kaishu Memorial Hall

Location: 2-3-1 Minamisenzoku, Ota-ku, Tokyo
Access: 6 minutes walk from Senzokuike Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line
TEL：03-6425-7608
https://www.city.ota.tokyo.jp/shisetsu/hakubutsukan/katsu_kinenkan/index.html

Right next to Katsu Kaishu Memorial Museum! Ota City Senzokuike Library

Feeling completely intelligent, I also stopped by the Ota City Senzokuike Library, which is a 3-minute walk from the Katsu Kaishu Memorial Museum.

The Ota Ward Senzokuike Library has a Kaishu Katsu corner where you can view related works. If you have become more interested after visiting the Katsu Kaishu Memorial Museum, why not satisfy your intellectual curiosity here?

On the road from the Katsu Kaishu Memorial Museum to the Senzokuike Library, we also found original tiles from the Katsu Kaishu Memorial Museum decorated with gorgeous designs such as camellia and plum blossoms!

Ota City Senzokuike Library

Location: 2-2-10 Minamisenzoku, Ota-ku
Access: 3 minutes walk from Senzokuike Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line
TEL：03-3726-0401
https://www.city.ota.tokyo.jp/shisetsu/toshokan/senzokuike.html

Is the origin of the name “Senzokuike” revealed? Goshoan Myofukuji Temple

On the way around Senzokuike Park, you will find Goshoan Myofukuji Temple. The pine tree planted on the premises of Goshoan Myofukuji Temple is the ``Senzoku Pond Kesagake Pine'' that appears in ``One Hundred Famous Views of Edo'' by Utagawa Hiroshige I, an ukiyo-e artist who was active in the Edo period, and a topographical map of the Edo area. It is called Kesagake-no-matsu because it reminds us of the ``Senzoku Pond Kesagake-no-Matsu'' that appears in a certain ``Edo Famous Places Zue.''

At this point, the word "senzoku" came up and I thought, "Huh?" When I looked into it, I learned that Senzoku Pond was once called the ``Big Pond of Senzokugo.'' However, it is said that when Nichiren stopped by on his way to Hitachi Province (present-day Ibaraki Prefecture) for medical treatment, he washed his hands and feet at the pond, so the word ``senzoku'' came to be used without realizing it. . I had no idea that he was really washing his feet...but there was a background behind it just as he said.

Knowing this historical background makes Senzokuike Park seem like a place where you can go back and forth between the past and the future.

I found it at Senzokuike Shopping Street! Cafe lunch at "cafe634"

As I was getting hungry, I decided to leave Senzokuike and look for a restaurant for lunch. Let's walk through Senzokuike Shopping Street on the south side of Senzokuike Station.

That's when I found "cafe634" (Cafe Musashi).

The owner, Mr. Kodama, had been operating the business in the Higashi Ginza office district for 10 years. However, he had a change of heart and decided that he wanted to do it in a place where people lived, so he chose Senzoku Pond as his next location.
Cafe634 aims to be a coffee shop, a restaurant, and a snack shop in the city. He also said, ``We want our customers to use it in their own interpretation.'' In fact, each person who visits the store has a different purpose, such as eating in for coffee and then taking out baked goods, picking up the weekly bento that they have reserved, or coming to eat lunch. The way it dives is impressive.

The cafe has an exquisite sense of balance, allowing you to feel the flow of people and the hustle and bustle of the shopping street, yet feel a sense of calm when you enter. This way, you can spend some time alone.

Since it was lunch time, I ordered the popular daily menu, ``Today's Plate (Drink Included)'' (1470 yen).
Because we have a direct contract with farmers in Chiba, cafe634 receives a wide variety of fresh vegetables in small quantities every day. The reason why they serve small portions is because they want people to eat what's in season, in its best condition, and deliciously.

Therefore, today's plate is limited in quantity. Some customers line up at the store even before the store opens in search of a special lunch.

The main dish of the day was fried chicken with green onion sauce, edamame and potato croquettes, and salted malt. The set includes 3 side dishes, side salad, and black rice.

You'll be intrigued by the menu's fun and slightly different flavors, such as the slightly spicy sauce on the fried chicken and the salted malt on the croquettes.

Cafe634's menu is decided through discussions between Mr. Kodama and his staff, as well as feedback from customers. Pudding a la mode (650 yen) was launched for the first time this summer.
The pudding decorated with colorful fruits and topped with fluffy fresh cream is so cute that you'll want to take a photo of it. I thought it would be the trendy hard pudding, but it had a texture that was right between fluffy and slippery, and it was so easy to eat and delicious that I could easily finish it even at this volume.

Using coffee beans roasted in-house on the second floor of the same building, we also had blended coffees with names such as ``Mountain'' and ``Sky'' that were inspired by the scenery that Kodama encountered while outdoors.

Sora Blend (550 yen) is refreshing and won't make you tired of drinking it. I felt that it was a blend that wouldn't interfere with any sweets or meals, and that I wouldn't get tired of drinking it every day.

cafe634

Address: 2-31-11 Kamiikedai, Ota-ku, Tokyo
Access: Approximately 2 minute walk from Senzokuike Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line
TEL：03-3727-6368
https://www.instagram.com/cafe_634/

Snack at 15pm is baked sweets from “Double Tall Minamisenzoku”! Relax at the Senzokuike Park rest area

As I was walking around looking for a snack to soothe the fatigue of walking around Senzoku Pond, I found a shop that caught my attention.
Double Tall Minami Senzoku is a direct sales store for baked goods located about a 5-minute walk from the Senzokuike Boathouse. As I approached the store, a gentle, sweet scent wafted through the air, and I immediately knew it was a candy store.

Double Tall Minamisenzoku originally only manufactured and sold baked goods for wholesale to restaurants and department stores. Meanwhile, with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, we decided to sell baked goods to the general public as a take-out specialty store because we wanted people in the area who had more time at home to enjoy delicious sweets. that's right.

The storefronts were filled with beautifully shaped, flavorful chiffon cakes and canelés.
The shop is run by the owner, Mr. Ogata, and his daughter. Basically, we sell sweets from recipes that we make to sell wholesale to our business partners at this direct sales shop.

Among them, canelé is a menu that was born from my daughter's idea. After deciding to make canelés, Ogata went to about 20 restaurants in Tokyo and tried them out. We worked on prototyping for three months. They are proud of their creations, such as ``Burnt Butter Canelé'' and ``Black Tea Canelé'' (3 yen each), which are simple and have a strong alcoholic effect.

Before working as a wholesaler of baked goods, Mr. Ogata worked at a restaurant. The service spirit we cultivated back then is still alive and well today, and we are constantly expanding our menu variations to please our customers.

During the spring and summer seasons, we offer a wide variety of cold drinks such as Mango Lemon Juice, Berry Cream Soda, and Coffee Float (350 yen each). During the fall/winter season, the menu switches to hot drinks.

The flavors of the baked goods on display at the store change daily. From this day's attractive lineup, we chose "Summer Orange Chiffon Cake" (300 yen) and "Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake" (200 yen)!

We headed to the Senzokuike Park rest area, which is the halfway point of our trip around Senzokuike Park, and had some food.
At first, the walking paths around Senzokuike Park felt tough due to the concrete ground, overgrown plants, and humid temperatures, but once you get used to them, you'll feel more comfortable walking along them. Another new discovery was that it is used by a variety of people on a daily basis, depending on the time of day, including people walking their dogs and elementary school students returning from school.

The summer orange chiffon cake is fluffy and full of volume, but it also has an exquisite moistness that doesn't take away the moisture in your mouth. It was an authentic sweet that even adults were surprised by, with the exquisite bitterness of the orange.

The salted caramel chocolate cake has the brown flavor of the original caramel and the sweet saltiness of the rock salt used on the side as a secret ingredient that will permeate your tired body.

Every baked confectionery has a distinct personality, so I'm starting to get more interested in the types I didn't choose this time. I'm looking forward to seeing baked goods with different flavors when I visit again.

Being able to enjoy walking around Senzokuike Park with such freedom is unique to solo activities. The best part of traveling is the time you have to buy and eat your favorite foods and drinks whenever you want.

Double Tall Minamisenzoku

Location: 1-18-5 Minamisenzoku, Ota-ku, Tokyo
Access: Approximately 5 minutes walk from Senzoku Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line
TEL：03-3728-5508
https://www.instagram.com/double__tall/

How do you feel about visiting horse pond washes as a solo artist?

If you have some time left after going around Senzokuike Park, you might want to consider visiting other spots in Umaikeike.

Umaikearai is the collective name for Magome, Ikegami, and Senzoku Ponds located in central Ota Ward, Tokyo. This time we introduced solo activities at Senzoku Pond, but Ota City has many other attractive spots, such as Magome, where the Ota City Local Museum is located, and Ikegami, where the Ikegami Honmonji Temple is located.

Senzoku Pond was a wonderful place where rich nature coexisted with the liveliness of the surrounding shops and people. The more I walked, the more I found my favorite places to take a break, places to learn, and delicious restaurants I wanted to visit.

Of course, you don't have to go solo, but you can enjoy it in a different way with friends, couples, or family. Please take a walk around Senzoku Pond at least once.

Writer of this article: Nana Iwai

profile:
During his university years, he traveled alone to Australia, America, France, and Thailand. He has an eye for beautiful architecture, whether it's new or historical. For this reason, I spend my days off staying at fancy hotels and visiting museums and libraries.
Currently, as a reporter and interview writer who lives between Tokyo and Toyama Prefecture, he is mainly active in travel media and regional information media. She loves cute characters, and her favorite is Ota City's official PR character "Hanepyon."

Supervision: Satomi Matsumoto/Jun Miyoshi