Kita Senju – Part 1
I went out to Kita Senju a week ago to help a friend with project that took the better part of the day. In the afternoon when we finished, she offered to drive back home, an hour across town, by train or car, as she was going that way. I decided to stay in the neighborhood and take some photos for the sunset and catch the train back later in the evening.
I had first become interested in Kita Senju after seeing a photo in Daido Moriyama’s book, “Stray Dog.” I’ve searched for the photo everywhere but can’t find it. I believe it is of this woman, who was maybe some sorta underground Japanese B actress who never became the Kabuki actress she may have aspired to be. In the photo I am talking about, she is between performances, playing a Japanese card came called Hanafuda with Moriyama taking her photo from above. I vaguely remember the story behind the photo being that Kita Senju was where the underground bohemian art and theatre scene was in the early 60′s and was the location of many student riots. Many of the people hanging out there, maybe this woman too, were sorta outcasts from the Ginza Art and Kabuki scene. There allegedly was a drug scene as well as a gay scene and I also heard that this is where Butoh was born. Somebody told me that in one of the many small theatres of Kitasenju, an early butoh performance involved a chicken getting humped or strangled or both, which emblazoned Kita Senju as the counterculture outpost of Tokyo in the 60′s. I guess I heard most of this stuff by word or mouth and I have no idea if any of its true…
Anyway, after seeing that photo and hearing those stories, my curiosity about the area has remained piqued despite only having visited twice. And though I was told these stories some 5 years ago, it wasn’t until about about 3 months ago that I went for the first time. That time I wondered around the south side of the stations and found lots of wonderful nooks and crannies, and met some very interesting people.
Last Friday, I explored the north side of the station and think I may have found a few remnants of its bohemian past. I took lots of film and will tell the rest of the story with those photos. But for now here are a few odds and ends…
A funky camera shop specializing in Chimpanzee, Cat, and Skydiving photography…
And the local Soap King…
June 27th, 2009 at 4:04 am
Kita Senju is a great spot- but I think you’re confusing it with Shimokitazawa- – Shimokita is where the counter culture scene moved after Shinjuku became an office tower part of town, from what I’ve been told.
The south side of the station is also thick with more little shops and good food.