Shigure-den 【West Area】
Shigure-den is a Kyoto theme park that opened in 2006 in Arashiyama. The region contains several historical landmarks and sights of scenic beauty. Shigure-den also boasts the mountain villa where the Ogura Anthology of One Hundred Tanka by One Hundred Poets first appeared. This anthology, produced between the 10th and 11th centuries by poets and nobility from the House of Fujiwara, is a collection of "waka" (syllable poems) from over a hundred different writers. In the Edo Period (1603-1868), a poetry game called "Utagaruta" quickly spread throughout the country. Even today, Japanese children play "utagaruta" on important holidays like New Years.
The theme park uses the latest technology to offer visitors a hands-on experience. On the first floor, in the center of a 350 square meter exhibition room, stand seventy 45-inch giant liquid crystal television monitors that span a full 70 meters. These display CG representations of Kyoto as it is today as well as during the Heian Period (794-1185). With screens this large, you can enjoy the sense of walking through the city in both eras. Moreover, by using one of the individual terminals, you can play the "utagaruta" game with pictorial representations of poets, try your hand at a quiz, and browse a digital version of the Ogura anthology.
* Address: 11 Susukinobaba-cho Saga Tenryuji, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto
* Tel: 075-882-1111
* Access: 5-minute walk from City Bus Stop Arashiyama
* Hours: 10:00-17:00 (admission 16:30)
* Closed: Mondays (if the Monday is a national holiday, the museum closes the following Tuesday), New Year's holiday
* Entrance Fee: Adults 800 yen / Elementary and Junior High School Students 500 yen
