San'ya

This article is about the place in Japan. For the place in People's Republic of China, see Sanya.

San'ya (山谷, San'ya) is a place in Taitō, which is one of the special wards of Tokyo in Japan. It is a region with a distinct culture, an area of crowded, cheap rooming houses where day laborers live.

San'ya dates to the Edo period. Lower caste workers, butchers, tanners, leatherworkers, and the like, were forced to live in this undesirable region by the predominantly Buddhist authorities. It has retained its association with both lower class workers and with craftsmen. Within the past few years gentrification has begun to encroach on the area.

In recent years, many of the rooming houses have converted to provide cheap accommodation for foreign backpackers.

The name means "mountain valley".

References

• Halper, Jon, ed. Gary Snyder: Dimensions of a Life (1991) Sierra Club Books. ISBN 0-87156-616-8

External links

• Article on modern San'ya
• "Mysterious Past Meets Uncertain Future in Tokyo's Sanya District". Digital Journal, October 31, 2009. Blair McBride on Buraku status of North-East Tokyo area.

35°43′44″N 139°47′58″E (Namidabashi Intersection)