21st & 18th is a time travel Newsletter on art, history and fashion that hits your inboxes twice per week. Written by Lauren Lynch Wemple (@lolynchwemple). Follow 21st & 18th (@21stand18th) on Instagram to peer behind the scenes.
Sometimes studying history, from the comfort of your Cesca chair, and the art and fashion created by those who came before us is simply not enough. Sometimes we need to actually get up and go and transport our present selves to another place entirely and submerge our ears, eyes and stomachs in the culture, language and energy of an unfamiliar place. Recently, I did just that, devoting a strong chunk of May to the exploration and enjoyment of Japan.
Luckily, my little sister, Beetle, has up and moved from California to Japan (that’s a story for another time) and her being there is a fantastic excuse for planning a trip across the Pacific.
Over the next few weeks the 21st & 18th Newsletter will be drip feeding you our Japan Guide, city by city beginning with Tokyo. Please note, this full article is only available for Patrons, paid subscribers, of 21st & 18th to read in entirety. If you would like to become a 21st & 18th Patron, subscribe at the button below.
A Brief History of Tokyo, Japan
Japan’s capital city of Tokyo, a town of 13.96 million inhabitants - that doesn’t even count Tokyo burbs - is a place we know, even if you have not visited, and are intrigued with through pop culture, films like Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation and hit series such as Shōgun. In 2024, Tokyo is clocking in at about 400 years old and was originally known as Edo. The age of Tokyo is fascinating to me given the country of Japan dates back to 400 AD, with legend making a case that Japan was actually founded in 660 BC, and the land mass that makes up this fascinating country was inhabited as far back as 30,000 years ago during the Paleolithic period. Tokyo came to be called “Tokyo”, meaning eastern capital, in 1869 when the Emperor of Japan wrestled a strengthening power away from the Tokugawa Shogunate who had made Edo their home while the imperial family, as it had for about 1,000 years, ruled from Kyoto. After this strategic move in the mid 1800s Tokyo has gone by “Tokyo” and the Emperor of Japan has resided within its city limits. What makes Japan so interesting is that is has been ruled, uninterruptedly, by the imperial House of Yamato, and that sort of stabilized rule is supremely excellent for the flourishing of culture and growth of a nation’s, hmm, soul shall we call it? Considering that the country of Japan as we know it today is almost 1,500 years old the question on all of our tongues is: How does a city that’s only existed for 25% of Japan’s history become a global leader in technology, the arts, commerce, craft, food and fashion?
Welcome to the 21st & 18th Guide to Japan, Part I. In Part I of our Tokyo Guide we will be covering: Where to stay and shop in Tokyo. Part II will air next week and covers eats, arts & how to pack a capsule wardrobe for Tokyo. If you have questions about topics covered here, write me at lauren@21stand18th.com.
Where to Stay
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