The Tsukiji fish market has relocated, but most of the vendors remain, so Tsukiji is still the best place to get a simple, fresh fish meal in Tokyo. And now that the fish auction has moved (to Toyosu) there’s really no need to arrive a 4:30 am except to beat the crowds. Even at lunchtime, things are busy. Just don’t plan on going for dinner unless It’s a specific place that you know stays open. (Note that some places are closed Wednesdays).
Lunch at Tsujiki. My hand for scale.
Years ago while walking to the market–lost, as usual–I came across an Art Deco hospital. It looked like a typical institutional type place with some decorative trim. Since I prefer to look at hospitals from the outside, I took some photos and went on my way. This was a big mistake, because hidden in St. Luke’s is a small but extraordinary Art Deco chapel.
The history of St. Luke’s has interesting parallels with another Art Deco wonder, the Daimaru store in Osaka. St. Luke’s was founded by a Christian missionary and surgeon, Rudolf Bolling Teusler in 1901. The Great Kanto earthquake destroyed St. Luke’s so a new Art Deco version was built and opened in 1933.
In 1945, U.S. military took over, ultimately returning St. Luke’s to the Japanese in 1956. And all the while, the chapel sat, untouched and as far as I can tell, mostly unknown. In 1988 a pipe organ arrived from France, completing a project started many years before.
A dramatic yet simple vestibule. A gorgous purple glow comes from the stained glass above.
These wonderful lamps flank the entrance.
A closer look. Fish is a theme that runs though this post.
Decorative plates set in the floor, but I confess I’m not sure what these symbolize.
The walls have panels depicting insects, and I know what they symbolize. They are reminders of diseases that have been conquered. They’re actually rather creepy so I’ll show just one. When you’ve seen one parasite, you’ve seem ’em all, right?
The chapel has no regular events except on Sunday mornings, but people do come in to pray, so if you visit, please be respectful.
As if this wasn’t enough, as you leave, you’ll see these peacocks.
A vast new St. Luke’s opened in 1992. These days, things seem pretty quiet in the old building. There are a few Art Deco details outside the chapel that remain, like these sloped walls and this light.
This is one of the front-facing rooms you can just make out in the photo of the front of the hospital.
I said this post would lean heavily on fish and since I don’t know where else to put this, I’ll end on a less somber note.
And yes, you absolutely can get a Phileofish (TM) for breakfast.