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Osamu Dazai Literature Salon

Stroll through the places connected to Osamu Dazai in front of Mitaka Station

In front of JR Mitaka Station is where Dazai Osamu's workplace was located. Dazai would come to Mitaka Station almost every day from his home near Inokashira Park, carrying his lunch box, manuscript paper, dictionary, and writing implements wrapped in a furoshiki cloth. Let's take a stroll around these spots associated with Dazai

An overpass connected to Dazai Osamu that remains as it was back then

overpass

From the south exit of Mitaka Station, walk along the tracks towards Tachikawa for about five minutes and you will come across an overpass. This is the Mitaka Electric Railway Overpass. Completed in 1929, it remains as it was back then. This overpass was one of Dazai's favorite spots, and he would often come here with his children to watch the trains

Information board in front of the overpass

This is a signboard just before the overpass. The photo was taken in March 1948 (Showa 23) when Dazai was guiding photographer Tamura Shigeru around. Three months later, on June 13th, Dazai and Yamazaki Tomie drowned in the Tamagawa Canal in front of Mitaka Station. Incidentally, Dazai apparently rented a secret workspace nearby, where he wrote the latter half of "Shayo."

View from the overpass

In addition to the photo on the signboard, there are also photos taken on the overpass. The scenery of Mitaka has changed completely since Dazai was alive, but this is the only place that still conveys the atmosphere of that time

Mitaka Electric Railway Overpass <Information>

  • Name: Mitaka Railway Overpass
  • Address: 1-10 Kamirenjaku, Mitaka City, Tokyo

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Dazai Osamu's workplace and Yamazaki Tomie's boarding house

Tamagawa Canal

The photo shows the Tamagawa Aqueduct. It flows near the Kichijoji side of the Mitaka Station South Exit rotary. It used to be a rough-flowing river with a lot of water. It is said that Dazai Osamu and Yamazaki Tomie committed suicide by drowning around the area shown in the photo. In fact, this is only a two-minute walk from Dazai Osamu's workplace and Yamazaki Tomie's boarding house

Honmachi Street

I stood with the Tamagawa Canal behind me, which is said to be the site of the suicide by drowning. The street in front of me was Honmachi-dori. As soon as I entered the street, on the right, was the studio that Dazai rented. And Yamazaki Tomie's boarding house was diagonally across from it

The remains of the &quot;Small Restaurant Chigusa&quot;
The remains of the &quot;Small Restaurant Chigusa&quot;

There is a monument on the left side of the photo. This is the site of the small restaurant Chigusa, where Dazai rented a six-tatami room on the second floor from July 1947. Dazai would come to work in the morning from his home, carrying manuscript paper, dictionary, writing implements and a packed lunch wrapped in a furoshiki cloth, and work at his desk until around 5pm. His editors and friends would wait on the first floor for him to come downstairs after work, drinking alcohol. Most of the customers were people connected to Dazai. Chigusa was, so to speak, a salon where Dazai played a central role. One of Dazai's favorite foods was boiled tofu, and he would always have a block of it here as a snack with his drinks

Former site of the small restaurant Chigusa ＜Information＞

  • Name: Former site of Chigusa small restaurant
  • Address: 3-24-3 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka City, Tokyo

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The remains of Yamazaki Tomie&#39;s lodgings
The remains of Yamazaki Tomie&#39;s lodgings

This is the former boarding house of Yamazaki Tomie. She lived on the second floor. She was a hairdresser working at a nearby beauty salon. Originally from a family that ran a beauty school, she worked to rebuild it. The two became close friends because her late brother attended the same high school as Dazai. Dazai's workplace was on the second floor of "Chigusa," but as he grew closer to her, he began working here. Then, on the night of June 13, 1968, Dazai and Yamazaki Tomie left a suicide note here and committed suicide by drowning in the Tamagawa Josui Canal, a two-minute walk away. This was shortly after the first serialized installment of "No Longer Human" was published. Their bodies were found on June 19 in Shinbashi, near Myojo Gakuen, on what would have been Dazai's 39th birthday. A grave was later built at Zenrinji Temple in Mitaka, and since then, June 19 has become known as "Cherry Blossom Memorial Day," a day when Dazai's fans gather

Nogawa Family Ruins <Information>

  • Name: Nogawa family ruins
  • Address: 3-15-15 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka City, Tokyo

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Learn everything about Dazai!? Dazai Osamu Literary Salon

The Road to the Literary Salon

If you continue walking along Honmachi Street, you will see a sign for the "Dazai Osamu Literary Salon" on a telephone pole. It is about a 3-minute walk away

Osamu Dazai Literature Salon

The Dazai Osamu Literary Salon opened in 2008. When Dazai was alive, the Isemoto Sake Shop, a liquor store that Dazai and his wife used to frequent, was located here. This is also a place associated with Dazai. Let's go inside

A map of Mitaka from when Dazai lived there

The panel on the left is a map of Mitaka when Dazai lived there. There is also a detailed explanation of the spots related to Dazai. The panel on the right explains the relationships surrounding Dazai. Also on display in a glass case is the brazier that Dazai used

Inside the Literary Salon

Inside the museum, there is a timeline of Dazai's footsteps, photographs of his daily life in Mitaka, and various items related to Dazai on display. The counter on the left, where goods are lined up, and the stools were designed with the image of Lupin, a bar in Ginza that Dazai frequented

Inside the Literary Salon

The central panel shows Dazai sitting on a stool at the Ginza bar "Lupin." To the left of him are a row of magazines and books about Dazai. On the right side of the shelves and at the counter are original goods from the Dazai Literature Salon. These goods include T-shirts, postcards, and note cards

Osamu Dazai Literary Salon <Information>

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The crape myrtle tree at Dazai's former residence still remains to this day

crape myrtle

The tree in the center of the photo is a Crape Myrtle tree that once stood in the garden of Dazai Osamu's home. It has now been moved to the garden of the Ishintei facility in Mitaka City. Dazai's home actually stood across the street. He and his wife, Michiko, began living there on September 1, 1939. The house was a single-story building with six tatami mats, four and a half tatami mats, three tatami mats, a veranda, and a kitchen. He wrote works such as "Run, Melos," "Tsugaru," and "The Banquet Lady" there. This is a quiet residential area with narrow roads and frequent traffic, so please be careful when walking around. When Dazai had guests at his home, he would take them to Inokashira Park, a 15-minute walk away

Mitaka Ishintei <Information>

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summary

We have introduced some spots in front of Mitaka Station that are associated with Dazai Osamu. There are many other spots in front of the station that are associated with Dazai Osamu, so be sure to visit them. We especially recommend the Dazai Osamu Literary Salon, where readings of Dazai's short stories are held regularly

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