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Tokyo Suburban

Exploring Tokyo one subway stop at a time.

22/03/2024

Tamako station (多摩湖駅). Seibu Yamaguchi line, Seibu Tamako line. #222
I find something inherently interesting about border lands. The seemingly arbitrary line between one area and the next. This line is also a line for my own blog. Past it my blog no longer exists. Touching it physically feels exciting in a way. I still have many more areas to see but there’s something satisfying about visiting these spots.
I have to say that Tamako and the area around it was so interesting. The station itself was all but empty. The dust track leading to one side give an impression of a station far away from the most populated city on earth. The white paint peeling off the early spring wind. The concrete pavement ends and the gravel/dirt begins. On the other side the stairs which seems out of place in this area, leads you to, at the time, a closed theme park. Seibuen Amusement park looks massive and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen or heard of it, but then I am hardly the target audience.
Presumably on the weekends and when the park is open this station is thronging with families excited for a day out. There is something inherently melancholic about closed amusement parks. A sense that something is left behind once humans dwell in a place of fun. Just past the under bridge is the Tokyo border and so I could go no further.
To the west is the huge Sayama park, filled with large open spaces, trees and most obviously a gigantic lake. This reservoir presumably gives Tokyo it drinking water was really something to see. A lake like this within in Tokyo is well worth a visit. The windy weather making for an incredibly bracing afternoons walk.
I’ll leave more thoughts in the comments but do let me know if you’ve been here before!
#多摩湖駅 #多摩湖 #多摩湖自転車道

21/03/2024

Seibuen station (西武園駅), Seibuen line. #221.
I’ve reached the end. The end both physically and mentally. The train no longer of use. My project ends at this point. While I still have many more areas to visit this is about as far as I can go in this part of Tokyo. Just a few steps away are the delights of Saitama. The station is the last in the line and feels that way with the high grass embankments dotted with yet to flower cherry trees.
Not far from the station and which straddles the borderland is the huge Hachikokuyama park. Most of it is in Tokyo but a slither lies across the border. There’s something about border places, where an invisible line have have a positive or a negative effect on those that live near. For the most part though living round here feels largely positive.
Aside from the park there really are very few amenities in Seibuen. I didn’t see a single convenience store and much of it is well situated quiet areas of housing. It’s also surprisingly hilly and at times the space between the houses opens up into the vast terrains of the mountains that circle the city.
It also felt a very quiet place too. I saw on this cold blustery day perhaps a handful of people and a cat. It is not a place that one would happen to be in. Like all end-of-the-line places there’s a certain melancholy to the place. There is no earthly reason why I should be there. In truth it’s these places that really spark joy within me. The type to never get a mention in a glossy magazine, the type to never home a much talked about cafe. It is far both physically and mentally from what most consider to be Tokyo, and from what most would have you believe of Tokyo.
Live here? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
#西武園駅 #西武園

15/03/2024

Nakagawara station (中河原駅). Keio line. #220.
The bright green neon sign acts like a corporate lighthouse amidst the darkening grey. Even the station, with its warming light beckons the weary traveler. I am that weary traveler. I don’t really plan my walks or plan the length, stopping only when I get tired. The station I leave from I always feel I give short shrift. I have a good walk, but truth be told my mind is on the comfy train seat and some time for a nap as I steam through the suburbs of Tokyo.
Nakagawara is mostly suburban, with the towns activity focusing around the station. The station spreads out like an architectural octopus, the walkways carrying the residents above the busy traffic.
Most of the buildings blended into the low grey clouds, but occasionally colours popped out. The local pachinko popped with colour as dreams inside trickled down permanently into the black abyss of the machines. The wall of sound emanates from the sliding door as a slightly dejected figure enters.
There is a shopping street of sorts, highlight by the cheery shopping gates that straddle the street. There’s something slightly jarring about the relentless cheeriness of these shopping signposts.
Live here? Been here? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
#中河原駅 #中河原

08/03/2024

Nishifu Station (西府駅). Nambu line. #219.
There is something about being in a place in which you know other humans have lived their lives. History upon history, each layer testifies to the land and to the people that once called it home. Not far from Nishfu, tucked behind a much newer shrine, and amidst grey factories is a monument to our ancient cousins. It’s huge and feels rather out of place, which is funny because really it should be the other way around. The stone cladding a new feature, surrounded by artificial turf and a huge paved area. It is something to consider that it was the final resting place of someone considerably more important than me.
From the ancient we go into the modern. Most of Nishifu is a residential area, with lots of open space filled with vegetables and fruits. Outside the station you’re greeted with another man made structure, except the huge grey temple to capitalism isn’t quite as appealing as the burial mound.
It’s certainly not the prettiest first impression on leaving the station. The huge OK shop dominates. No windows but a steady stream of weary looking residents. The train tracks cut through the quiet suburban streets with a noisy road that goes through a darkened tunnel.
To the south there’s a huge NEC complex, which gives the area a sort of industrial vibe. There aren’t a great deal of restaurants, I perhaps counted three. In fairness I often feel it’s hard to judge places when the sky is a battleship grey. It does make things look oppressively depressing. That being said, the act of walking and thinking is still a release.
Live here? Been here? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
#西府駅 #西府

02/03/2024

Yaho station (谷保駅). Nambu line. #218.
There was something very appealing about the name ‘Yaho’, it played comically in my mouth when I said it out loud, followed quickly by a glance down to the pavement as a person was trying to hand me a free packet of tissues.
I’m not particularly interested in trains, but I do find some form of joy by admiring the varied stations I happen to disembark upon. Yaho feels like it hasn’t changed since it was first built. The station offering fantastic views over to the hills that surround Tokyo.
Yaho isn’t a particularly fancy area. These aren’t the gleaming new builds and polished metal that one finds readily as you move closer to the city. It’s a worn type of patina that adds a certain something. The town, which is mostly on the northern side of the station has everything that one might need. At around midday on a weekend there was a gentle hum of bicycles mixed in with the screeching sound of the vegetable seller miked up.
To the south is the rather nice shrine, which as you ascend into a sort of valley takes you away from the slightly busier town. At the point the cloud became heavier. The last remnants of the blue sky disappearing. Certainly not enough blue sky to make a pair of sailor pants.
Been here? Let me know your thoughts!
#谷保駅 #谷保 #谷保天満宮

22/02/2024

Higashi-Shinjuku station (東新宿駅). Oedo line, Fukutoshin line. #217.
“Always thinking that just behind some narrow door in all of his favorite bars, men in red woolen shirts are getting incredible kicks from things he’ll never know.”
The low monochrome clouds have enveloped much of Tokyo. The drizzle seems to be here for a while. A much needed soak after a long dry winter. In stark contrast to my last outing under the breezy blue winter skies.
I’m skirting around Shinjuku, saving it for when I finally read the end of this project. But there are stations that dot the periphery, like watchtowers into the city. Like most border places there’s an edge to the place. Behind the main thoroughfares that lead cars into and out of the city there’s a world lurking apart.
Once you venture away from the large roads you enter a world of love hotels. Hotels catering for the night. On a weekday morning the area was quiet and closed. Few people were around. Each hotel offering a different aesthetic to suite your tastes. Windows that look out but can’t look in and entrances covered. There was a secret energy to the area, not in a bad way, a feeling of being intrusive.
It feels like the remains of a night out, the time of the night where the drink has kicked in and the world is a mesmerizing blur. A part of the night where amorous feelings rise and the need to quench that first becomes as strong as the need to drink. Higash-Shinjuku represents the final moments. The crescendo of a night out.
As always let me know what you think in the comments!
#東新宿駅 #東新宿 #東新宿グルメ #新宿 #新宿居酒屋

16/02/2024

Shinjuku-sanchome station (新宿三丁目駅). Fukutoshin line, Marunouchi line, Shinjuku line. #216.
The best laid plans. The spring winds have arrived early this year, another climatic change. The winds which bring a literal and metaphorical sense of warmth also proved rather a hazard for my laundry. Hoping on leaving that my laundry would remain intact and not cast away with the spring winds.
As a rule I try to avoid Shinjuku as much as possible. It is a nightmarish warren of confusing signs and connections. While some connections are easy, there are others that send you in literal circles. I had attempted to use the Seibu-Shinjuku line, but on getting completely lost and frustrated I decided perhaps this was the gods way of sending me in a different direction.
I managed to emerge into the bright blustery streets of shinjuku-sanchome. Like much of Shinjuku this is a mix of party, eating and work. On a Friday morning it had the feel of the morning after. Empty sake bottles waited to be collected, long queues of tourists waiting for their morning ramen.
It’s a vibrant bustling area. I had hoped to be out in a more gentle environment, so this was probably the opposite of that. That being said it was nice to wander, and look from the outside into a part of Tokyo that has an edge to it. One can tell that at night this place comes to life. As one can imagine the area is criss-crossed with large roads, but there are areas that are filled with tight streets packed with bars and restaurants.
I am perhaps not the target market for this sort of area, while I find a sort of joy admiring the debauchery of this rough around the edge area, I don’t particularly like to dwell or come here of an evening. During the day though it has a very different feel to the place.
As always, I’ll leave more thoughts in the comments below. Please do let me know what you think of the area!
#新宿三丁目駅 #新宿三丁目 #新宿三丁目グルメ #新宿三丁目ランチ #新宿

01/02/2024

Nerima-Kasugacho station (練馬春日町駅). Oedo line. #215
When you have nothing the days vanish into a blink of en eye. Influenza B completely knocked me out, and found it far worse than covid. Now, feeling somewhat normal I’m just about able to put some thoughts down on a virtual paper.
Like the station early this is very much suburban territory. Although it feels slightly less busy, the town is small and huddles closely to the station. The station being underground means there isn’t necessarily an obvious central area. Perhaps the busy crossroads and the large supermarket is the nearest thing.
There’s something about exploring areas in Tokyo winters. The never ending blue light. The sun that shines a different shade making Tokyo have its own special hue. Much like how Rome has that certain special light. It’s this light that makes even the most mundane piece of architecture look like a well lighted piece of sculpture.
The temple, not far away from the station, is a gentle, very quiet temple. The long road leading to it had a number of cosy looking soba shops. The bare branches of the trees framed the opaque windows, with the low winters sun. I was alone.
I looked up through the branches, the birds rising and falling, the sun casting its long shadows. The sound of the small Japanese car as it trundle by and the owner with their dog. I was alone, the lone observer on a piece of time to never happen again.
Been here? Live here? Let me know your thoughts in the comment!
#練馬春日町駅 #練馬春日町

19/01/2024

Hikarigaoka station (光が丘駅). Oedo line. #214.
I woke up today with an urge to move. To see beyond the rooftops of my humble abode. The weather, with the clouds as if painted by Monet himself, beckoned me to venture and be in the midst of the city I call home.
Hikarigaoka is the last stop before you hit Saitama. A true piece of suburbia. Much of the area is now relatively modern with high rise apartments being the predominant building of the area. The uniformity of these sleeping giants reminded me of Seoul, a city I also called home, and former Soviet republics. There is a certain level of beauty to them, that they’re so utilitarian that they are almost pretty in their blandness.
As is often the case with these areas the planners thought it was important for residents to have access to open spaces. The park which is only a few minutes walk from the station is huge. The wide paved areas imply a sort of military training ground, but there are large spaces filled with grass and trees. On a warm winters day the park was gently busy, mostly with older residents pottering about.
Aside from a shopping center and park the area is primarily residential. A soothing balm and a lovely place to just be. It’s been a while that I’ve been able to walk and since I’m in a better space both physically and emotionally it was filled with joy and optimism. The Camellia flowers showing their full beauty beside a busy suburban road.
Live here? Been here? Let me know what you think in the comments below!
#光が丘駅 #光が丘 #光が丘公園

05/01/2024

Sengawa Station (仙川駅). Keio line. #213.
My first station of the new year. I had hoped to get out more, but a combination of finances, mental health and holidays conspired to not having the time to wander. The end of 2023 was a particularly difficult period, loss of a job and the resulting drop in confidence and self worth, but ended on a wonderful break in Hakone.
And so to my first station of 2024. The large open skies, the mild weather conspiring to make one feel that spring is just around the corner, and in fact some plants are beginning to bud. The low sun makes certain buildings look almost paint like. The shadows sharp. The straight lines that contrast so cleanly with the winter sky.
Sengawa is a surprisingly busy station. The hustle and bustle under the sleeping cherry trees was something quite different to the suburban feel of the place. The streets around the station are narrow and filled with people getting back to normal after the joys of New Year.
Sengawa has a relatively large shopping and leisure area, with a gleaming mini shopping mall, which feels a bit soulless compared to the more compact confines of it older streets.
Once you move away though, Sengawa becomes quickly residential. The streets long and straight, seemingly never ending. The Sen river feels somewhat lost here, as is most rivers it’s hidden with high concreted sides.
Let me know what you think! I love reading your comments!
#仙川駅 #仙川 #仙川カフェ #仙川グルメ

21/12/2023

Shinagawa Seaside station (品川シーサイド駅). Rinkai line. #212.
“I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul.”
I quite like how the name implies a wonderful spot to soak up the rays, watch the waves as they gently lap the shore. A spot to feel free from the city confines. Except it’s not quite as idyllic.
On leaving the station, which has a strong feeling of a nuclear bunker, you enter a huge monolith of a shopping center, offices and restaurants. The winter sun made the polished stone sparkle in the bright low light. When you break free it’s not a long walk till you get to some water. A piece of water that feels forgotten amidst the tall buildings and factories.
Across the river lies the Shinagawa incineration plan, a small park and a skatepark. The bridge, which seemed few people ever walk upon was a great way to just be for a moment.
Otherwise the area, despite its name, is probably far away from the interests of most Tokyo residents. A mere moment as the train rushes by. Filled with buildings dreamt up in dreary offices. Buildings that serve a purpose but do not have any connection to aesthetics. You feel even more anonymous, there is a disconnect.
As always I’ll leave more thoughts in the comments! But do let me know what you think!
#品川シーサイド駅 #品川シーサイド 🇯🇵

18/12/2023

Aomono-Yokocho station (青物横丁駅). Keikyu Main line. #211.
December seems an apt month to look back on one’s year. A year that feels as short as the winter days. The vibrancy of youth, with their eternal optimism soon fades into a slow realization that time is indeed finite. I have lived another year blessed with the simple pleasures of life. I live for the now, with the future an unknown world.
Aomono-Yokocho feels a tucked away place. The tall yellow gingko acts as a sort of beacon beckoning you to see it. The station and its rails toil above. I look up at the tree. Wondering about its own thankless toil during the hot summer months. I have taken to just watching recently. Before I use the camera I want to look at something with my eyes. Too often I find myself viewing the world through the inadequate camera. A life lived through the phone.
There are a number of small temples that dot Aomono, the shopping street nice paved with attractive looking shops. Much of the shops and restaurants cloister to around the station. The temple nearby part of a pilgrimage route. Or at least it was. Perhaps these days not so much.
As always I’ll leave more thoughts in the comments below. But as ever, do let me know what you think!
#青物横丁駅 #青物横丁

13/12/2023

Oimachi station (大井町駅). Keihin-Tohoku line, Tokyu Oimachi line, Rinkai line. #210.
When time stretches out in front of you, and days are limitless it’s hard to know how to fill them. The days swirl by in a blink of an eye. Time seems to go quicker when one is trying to fill their days with meaning. A temporary pause.
It’s been a while where I have chosen to go for a walk. Partly finance, I overindulged on some books, which in hindsight probably wasn’t the wisest of decisions and so December has turned into a rather frugal month. I have my partner, my books, TV shows and my MA to keep me firmly ensconced in the confines of my suburban dwelling. I can feel myself slowly becoming indifferent to other humans.
Oimachi a terminus or start to the Oimachi line was surprisingly busy and hectic. It feels very city in the sense that you have large buildings, crowded footpaths and a nightlight element. Although the latter very much in slumber through the mild low sun.
Oimachi is a large town with everything that one might need. A shopping mall and plenty of restaurants to try. In fact there were a number of alleys that bore a resemblance to the very famous Omoide Yokocho, but this one in Oimachi is more ‘authentic’ in the sense that it is still a local place.
I’ll put more thoughts in the comments, but please do also let me know your thoughts too!
#大井町駅 #大井町 #大井町グルメ

06/12/2023

Kudansh*ta station (九段下駅). Shinjuku line, Hanzomon line, Tozai line. #209.
“That mysterious play which extends from love of a body to a love of an entire person has seemed to me noble enough to consecrate to it one part of my life.” (Yourcenar)
The twinkling lights of a Christmas tree and the low grey clouds on a midday twinged a sense of deep nostalgia. The cold the type that seems to permeate to the bones. Still I can’t complain, walking in the cold is far superior to the heat.
My dreaded tri-monthly dental check, a time of great dread and anxiety, was due and so I thought I’d take a slightly longer stroll to the hospital.
Kundansh*ta on the northern edge of the palace is a relatively hilly area, probably it’s most famous landmark is that Yasukuni Shrine, a shrine with a certain notoriety. That aside the Gingko trees were looking resplendent. The grey backdrop setting them off so as to be the sparkle amongst the grey. Also another notable resident is the Nippon Budokan, a sort of sporting arena.
Aside from that the area is a mix of offices, schools and a smattering of apartment blocks. Packs of school kids intermingled with regiments of salarymen. All huddled against the chill of early December.
I’ll leave more thoughts in the comments! But do let me know what you think too!
#九段下駅 #九段下 #九段下ランチ

01/12/2023

Shin-koshinzuka (新庚申塚停留場). Toden Arakawa line, Tokyo Sakura line. #208.
“I was willing to yield to nostalgia, that melancholy residue of desire” (Yourcenar).
It’s December which seems to be a month to always look back through the opaque glass of time. Life moves on in a way that one rarely ever notices, until that is, you look back. The days are shorter and so the light feels precious not like the gluttonous days of summer. Soon however, the days will be filled with gluttony that spurs one into resolutions.
Shin-koshinzuka is a small stop on a line that snakes around much of northern Tokyo. The platforms look capable of holding only a handful of people. The trams trundle along in an unhurried fashion. A distant cry from the packed carriages of commuter trains.
The area is mostly residential, it feels like a quiet backwater, but in reality it’s within walking distance to many temples of interest. On visiting the weather was inclement. The low heavy clouds, the fine rain that never seems to settle induces a sort of weather nostalgia.
As always do leave your thoughts and comments below!
#新庚申塚停留所

26/11/2023

Ogawa station (小川駅). Seibu Hajima line, Seibu Kokunbunji line. #207.
The temperature has dropped over the last few days. The drop sparking a primal instinct to hibernate. The sky filled with a type of grey that feels homely. The golden leaves of the ginkgo are both a visual and oratory sensation. A beacon of colour in a monochrome palette.
Ogawa lies in deep suburbia. Parts of it hark back to its agricultural past, with rice vending booths, open fields of green tops and dark dark soil. The station with the low autumnal sun is lighted in a way to give the impression of an Edward Hopper painting. The town quietly toiling away at the fields of life.
Most of the town, by which I mean the shops and restaurants are bunched, huddled close to the station itself. Like a distant outpost of a far flung empire. Just to the east are some Bridgestone factories and I believe a dedicated tire museum. Not a purveyor of tires I opted not to visit it, but it should surely count on any list of Tokyo’s unique museums.
A line of school children followed the stressed looking teacher towards the museum. Followed by a pack of salarymen here to do business, or at least one presumes so.
On the western side there is much development. Whether houses or something else it was hard to see, but perhaps in a few months or years the area will have changed. Much of the area remains residential. There is a train line but it feels a long way from places that most people would want to work or visit. A house with a long gone owner stands on a corner of a nondescript street. The amber fronds of an autumnal grass frame the once loved house. Now forgotten. I do often wonder the stories that dwell in these abandoned homes. The lives lived. The arguments, the love making, bad news on a Tuesday afternoon. There might even be someone still clinging on in there. Unable to fight the growing tide of nature. Or family members long since gone, or ensconced in their own families.
As always please do comment, I love reading your thoughts and comments!
#小川駅 #小川

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