Where the name Kumanomae comes from, what stood here before the station, and what you can still spot on a walk today. Then the events near the station that we have checked on the official pages.
Kumanomae means In Front of Kumano Shrine, but the shrine disappeared before the railway arrived. It once stood in what is now Higashi-Ogu 8-chome. In 1878, it was merged into Ogu Hachiman Shrine, leaving the old location without its original shrine buildings. The station and shopping street now preserve the name of a vanished religious landmark.
Walk north from Kumanomae Station into the narrow shopping street. This was originally a farm road passing the shrine, with fields spreading out on either side. During the early Taisho period, a handful of shops opened along the route. These gradually developed into the Kumanomae shopping district. The road still follows the old neighborhood corridor, although shopfronts have replaced the farming landscape.
Continue north toward the Sumida River. Before modern bridges crossed the water, the Kumano ferry connected Ogu with the opposite bank. It continued operating until 1950. The ferry landing and shrine once helped give this rural road its local importance. Today the station, shopping street, and Ogu Bridge tell the story of a neighborhood that developed around religion, river crossings, and everyday travel.
→ From Kumanomae Station, follow Happy Mall Kumanomae, once a farm road leading past Kumano Shrine. The shrine stood in present-day Higashi-Ogu 8-chome. Continue toward the Sumida River to see the waterfront where the Kumano ferry once operated.
Sources (in Japanese): 荒川区・荒川ゆうネット「熊野前商店街の歴史」, 国立国会図書館レファレンス協同データベース「旧熊野神社の所在地について」
Happy Mall Kumanomae began as a quiet agricultural lane. Fields stood on either side, and the road passed Kumano Shrine before continuing toward the Sumida River. A small collection of shops appeared during the early Taisho period. The nearby Kumano ferry connected the district with communities across the river, bringing people through what was otherwise a farming neighborhood.
In 1947, local merchants formed the Kumanomae Shoseikai association. As factories expanded and the population grew after World War II, the shops became an important source of daily necessities for workers and their families. The association developed into a formal shopping-street organization in 1963. Meanwhile, the old Kumano ferry had ended its service in 1950.
Transport infrastructure reshaped the area again. Ogu Bridge opened across the Sumida River in 1968, followed by Ogi Ohashi across the Arakawa in 1979. These crossings turned Ogu-bashi-dori into a major road linking northern Tokyo with the city center. The Nippori-Toneri Liner arrived in 2008. Walk from the tram stop through the shopping street toward the river and you can follow the transformation of a farm road and ferry landing into a modern transport corridor.
→ Walk north from Kumanomae Station along Happy Mall Kumanomae, then continue toward Ogu Bridge. Notice how the old shopping street connects with the much wider Ogu-bashi-dori. At the Sumida River, imagine travelers once waiting for a small ferry rather than crossing by bridge.
Sources (in Japanese): 荒川区・荒川ゆうネット「日暮里・舎人ライナー開通でさらに活気づく熊野前商店街」, 東京都交通局「都電荒川線のあゆみ」
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We list events we could confirm on the official page or official Instagram of the venue or organiser. Details can change, tickets sell out and venues close, so check the official page before you go. Distances are straight-line and travel times are rough estimates. Photos show the venue or its surroundings, not the event itself. Titles and descriptions are our own translations from Japanese. This site contains affiliate links (ads).