Random photos of stations I have visited

[kuro68000]

 

These are the steps at the Akihabara terminal of the Tsukuba Express line. As you can see they have put the depressingly tiny number of calories burned with each step on there, presumably to encourage you to take them instead of the escalator. Incidentally some karaoke machines have this feature as well, at the end of the song they tell you that you burned 7 calories singing it.

 

 

 

Kichijoji Chuo line platform view of the town centre. Kichijoji is one of the nicest places in Japan to live. Again you can see that there are not many street lights, most of the light is from signage and decorations.

 

 

 

Finally here is a photo of a little garden at Shinjuku Station. Someone made this garden at the unused end of a platform, presumably the station staff. They must work hard to keep it tidy and keep the leaves from going everywhere. You normally find this sort of thing at smaller stations but even Shinjuku, one of the busiest, has these little touches.

[kuro68000]

16 hours ago, HankyuDentetsu said:

Just wanted to say I'm really enjoying this thread!! Something about the variety of locations and subjects just really draws me in. Keep it up!!

 

If people are interested then after I've finished doing the station related stuff I could post a few more of general Japan, various towns and cities. Could be useful for modelling references, or just for fun.

[cteno4]

That’s always very appreciated mojo! 
 

thanks

 

jeff

[kuro68000]

 

 

 

Rental layout at Pondetta (I think!) in Kawasaki.

[kuro68000]

 

 

 

 

Keikyu-Tomioka station. Another Hard Off trip. As usual I was more interested in the town than in the station, something I will correct next time!

 

 

 

Same town, a little way from the station. To note here, in the distance down the road you can see it says "school" (スクール) but then I'm not sure about the second word. Looks like "ソーソ" or maybe they are ン, but either way what does it mean?

 

I'm kinda surprised... How many drivers know the word スクール I wonder.

Edited January 18, 2021 by mojo

[kuro68000]

 

Guess where this is.

 

 

 

Kind of a run down town it seems, although still nice by UK standards. Here you can see the level crossing.

 

 

 

Looking out over the station from the hill. In the background of the first image you can see Yokohama (the skyscraper).

 

 

Maybe mopeds are popular here because of the hills.

 

 

Some detail of the station. Surprised they bothered putting that ladder to access to the roof there, but then again they rarely do things by halves.

 

 

The stairway up to the park on the hill, from the station.

[railsquid]

9 hours ago, mojo said:

 

Same town, a little way from the station. To note here, in the distance down the road you can see it says "school" (スクール) but then I'm not sure about the second word. Looks like "ソーソ" or maybe they are ン, but either way what does it mean?

 

I'm kinda surprised... How many drivers know the word スクール I wonder.

 

It says:

 

スクール

 ゾーン

 

i.e "school zone", and anyone literate enough to pass a driving test (often taken with the aid of a ドライビングスクール) will be able to read it.

 

[JR 500系]

11 hours ago, mojo said:

 

 

Some detail of the station. Surprised they bothered putting that ladder to access to the roof there, but then again they rarely do things by halves.

 

Loving these pictures! Thanks for sharing! This picture really does remind you of the Tomix overpass station.... 

[bikkuri bahn]

Regarding the "school zone" signage, this usage of "school" (スクール) is universally common, often for more informal educational institutions, such as swimming schools or tennis/golf schools, also language schools, or for International schools. Also used for "school bus"- many private schools contract bus companies to transport students from the nearest train station to their often inaccessible by foot/remotely located campuses. A reason for using the katakana "school zone" characters would be the equivalent in Kanji would be cumbersome, something like [交通安全対策重点地域] or "koutsuanzentaisakujutenchiiki" (traffic safety countermeasures focus area), a real mouthful. 

Edited January 19, 2021 by bikkuri bahn

[kuro68000]

On 1/19/2021 at 4:45 AM, JR 500系 said:

 

Loving these pictures! Thanks for sharing! This picture really does remind you of the Tomix overpass station.... 

 

Thanks. I thought twice about posting that one, thought maybe it was too boring!

[kuro68000]

 

Soubu Main Line bridge at Akihabara. Everyone has probably seen it before but still... So immaculately clean.

 

Akihabara has changed a lot in the time I've been visiting. Most of the electronic component shops are gone now, and recently Tsukumo closed as well. The pandemic has hit hard but even before that it was changing more towards computer and hobby stuff, and a lot of restaurants. There are still some good used gear shops, although I prefer Hard Off these days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kawasaki Station.

 

 

 

Kawasaki Odasakae. I sometimes get to bus to here to visit Hard Off. I snapped this nearby because of the mini vans. You often find vehicles parked neatly like this, carefully spaced to allow access.

[kuro68000]

 

 

 

 

A few shots of the Asakusa station on the Tsukuba Express line. I've had quite a few things from that vending machine over the years.

 

This station always struck me a bit odd because of the pillars you can see in the last photo. They are in a really inconvenient place. The platform area is a mirror image of itself so there is an identical one on the other side, with the block in the middle being the elevator. Looking at the first one you can see that the gap beside the stairs/escalator block is quite narrow too. It gets a bit packed at peak times with people lining up.

 

All the other underground stations on the Tsukuba Express are the same, i.e. could do with being 5-10m wider overall. There must be some reason why they didn't do that, and why they couldn't locate the pillar somewhere less annoying.

[kuro68000]

 

Park in Niiza. I was on my way to Hard Off. Google Maps often suggests walking a kilometre or two, you can tell it to reduce the amount of walking but it's often nice just to see the local neighbourhood.

 

 

Higashi-Tokorozawa, just outside the station on the Musashino Line. The line runs right under this point and along the dug out part. They must have excavated a lot to sink the lines that much, which I understand was due to the original plan to carry freight and wanting to reduce both noise and potential danger resulting from an accident. Previously there had been a fuel explosion at Shinjuku.

 

Hard Off is a short walk from here, you just follow the line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few random ones near Seibu-Tachikawa station. The speed limit here is 40 Kph or about 25 Mph. Speed limits in Japan are generally lower than Europe, although trains are usually a lot faster. Driving outside major cities in Japan is really nice, relaxed and easy and lots to see.

[kuro68000]

 

Railway bridge in Chiba. Many waterways in Japan are like this, hemmed in with concrete and carefully managed. Note how it is also very clean, no flotsam or jetsam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tsukada. Another thing I love about Japan is how businesses and residences are mixed. In Europe we have vast sprawling residential areas with a few small shops, and town centres where the high street is (or was, some of them are almost dead now). In Japan it's much more mixed.

[railsquid]

On 1/20/2021 at 9:25 PM, mojo said:

 

Soubu Main Line bridge at Akihabara. Everyone has probably seen it before but still... So immaculately clean.

 

Akihabara has changed a lot in the time I've been visiting. Most of the electronic component shops are gone now, and recently Tsukumo closed as well. The pandemic has hit hard but even before that it was changing more towards computer and hobby stuff, and a lot of restaurants. There are still some good used gear shops, although I prefer Hard Off these days.

 

Umm, the Tsukumo shop I walked past earlier was most definitely open, and there are currently 3 stores in Akihabara:

 

https://tenpo.tsukumo.co.jp/#tokyoBlock

 

These kind of places do tend to move around a bit over time, I'm pretty sure at least one Tsukumo store I've previously bought stuff in is no longer there.

[kuro68000]

21 hours ago, railsquid said:

 

Umm, the Tsukumo shop I walked past earlier was most definitely open, and there are currently 3 stores in Akihabara:

 

https://tenpo.tsukumo.co.jp/#tokyoBlock

 

These kind of places do tend to move around a bit over time, I'm pretty sure at least one Tsukumo store I've previously bought stuff in is no longer there.

 

I read on Akiba PC Hotline that apparently Tsukumo is planning to close all its shops soon, and move entirely online.  Maybe I misread it and not all are going.

 

I'll miss them, had a fair few bits from there. I like the music they use in the shops, it's some CD of BGM you can buy with a licence to use it as you see fit, but the CD is really expensive. You can hear it at the start of this video:

 

 

The CD is here:

 

https://shop.tsukumo.co.jp/goods/2340101306662/401070023020140?is_mobile=off

https://www.system5.jp/products/detail6129.html

[kuro68000]

 

Higashi-Kurume

 

 

 

Shimo-Kitazawa. A trendy place with lots of small, independent shops. And of course a small but decent Hard Off.

 

 

 

Not sure what you would call this, should have paid more attention. It's donburi (rice bowl with meat on top) and cheese, so probably something like cheese & beef donburi. It was delicious.

 

 

 

Musashi-Koyama shopping street. There are lots of these long, covered shopping streets in Japan and this one is pretty long. This was taken half way down it. I love these streets, great mix of shops with chain stores and independents. Lots of used goods shops here. Mode Off is fashion, if you were wondering.

 

Random aside: for some reason Google Maps likes to call used goods shops charity shops. Some strange quirk of their classification system.

 

 

 

 

Tamagawa park. I was on my way to Hard Off when I saw this from the train and decided to stop for a look. Later I found that there is a much bigger one just a stop away so next time I'll visit.

 

 

 

Hiyoshi, this is some kind of school, maybe a technical college or university? Lots of students when I passed though, just changing trains.

 

 

 

Tonkatsu. This is the basic set, you get the pork cutlets, some shredded lettuce, rice, condiments, miso soup and green tea.

 

 

 

 

Kichijoji, getting maximum utility from this utility pole.

 

 

This mural is on the back of a department store wall.

 

 

 

 

 

The back alleys of Nakano. I'm sure this area will come up again because it's a great spot for an evening out or a meal, and very photogenic.

 

 

 

View from one of the hotels I was at. Unfortunately I couldn't open the window so there is a lot of reflection.

[HankyuDentetsu]

Kichijoji is a wonderful part of the world.

 

But I've spent a great deal of time in Nakano and absolutely love the place. Probably not a hidden gem anymore, but still a very underrated area of Tokyo to live in. (I realise that being on the Chuo-sen and "underrated" don't really go together, but for many years that's exactly what Nakano has been!)

 

Keep up the pics! I'm a sucker for west Tokyo (aren't we all?) so the more the better!

[kuro68000]

10 hours ago, HankyuDentetsu said:

Kichijoji is a wonderful part of the world.

 

But I've spent a great deal of time in Nakano and absolutely love the place. Probably not a hidden gem anymore, but still a very underrated area of Tokyo to live in. (I realise that being on the Chuo-sen and "underrated" don't really go together, but for many years that's exactly what Nakano has been!)

 

Keep up the pics! I'm a sucker for west Tokyo (aren't we all?) so the more the better!

 

I think Nakano is a hidden gem for anime/manga lovers. Everyone knows about Akihabara but it seems like few know about Nakano Broadway.

[kuro68000]

 

Another Nakano for you. I love how Japanese streets can be very visually busy and interestingly lit, but also very clean and tidy at the same time. Everything stacked neatly.

 

 

 

 

Some interesting vehicles at Hachioji.

 

 

 

Tokyu Hands in Shinjuku. This is one of the larger shops in the chain. I needed some nail clippers. Another thing I love about Japanese shopping is choice. Here they might have one or two types of nail clipper, they are seen as commodity items. In Japan they have 100 types, cheap to expensive, and shops will stock a selection. It's fun to choose one, comparing all the types and features, and then you feel like you bought something substantial that you can enjoy using. Maybe I'm just weird but I now look forward to my nails getting long because cutting them is so satisfying.

 

I have too many nail clippers now... The most expensive were about 10,000 yen.

 

 

 

Shinjuku Station from the Times Square building.

 

 

Shinjuku.

 

 

 

Sensou-ji temple complex in Asakusa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some more of Kichijoji. The little alley ways where I found this restaurant have an interesting history. The area is known as Harmonica Yokochou (ハモニカ横町). After the war the government was planning to redevelop the site. Some locals waited until all the building materials had arrived on site, then overnight used them to build themselves a market. Eventually the local government allowed it to remain and it thrived, with around 100 small establishments all piled in.

 

Kichijoji has everything. Big department stores and high end shopping, cheap shops like Daiso and CanDo, unique one-off shops, loads of great restaurants, a lovely park, right on the Chuo line...

[kuro68000]

 

Sign at Akihabara station (Tsukuba Express line). Like many stations they embrace the local culture and specialities, in this case manga/anime.

 

 

Curry and soba at a restaurant by the Showa-dori exit. Not quite eki-soba but close, and very cheap.

 

 

 

 

Asakusa.

 

 

 

Some roadworks in Kichijoji. Only in Japan do you get little  things like this to hold up the temporary barriers.

 

 

[kuro68000]

 

 

Asakusa again.

 

 

 

Bus in Musashi-Koganei.

 

 

 

Keikyu train.

[kuro68000]

 

 

Inokashira Park, Kichijoji. One of the most famous parks in Tokyo. It's lovely to walk around. Adjacent to the Ghibli museum. I took an really great photo here long ago but only have it on film (that's how long ago it was). Need to get a digital copy somehow.

 

 

 

 

Yokohama. A very walkable city, there are lots of nice places to see. Walking from Yokohama station to China-town, via Minato-Mirai, the seafront and Motomachi is a good way to spend a day.

 

 

 

 

A couple more of Minami-Makigahara.

 

 

 

 

Minami-Nagereyama.

[kuro68000]

 

Aeon Lake Town EV chargers. I should have had a closer look, I have a feeling they might be CHAdeMO (the Japanese standard) only and not support the European CCS type.

 

Naturally there are 3 Nissan Leafs charging since they were the only major EV in Japan at the time. The Mitsubishi one didn't sell many. I had two Leafs, my favourite cars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behind Aeon Lake Town there is the lake. What a beautiful place to live.

 

The shopping mall itself is huge. LaLa Port used to claim to be the biggest in Asia or something but this must give it a run for its money. It's split into three sections, one of which is purely outlets and the others which are a mix. Some of the restaurants are fantastic.

 

Hmm, maybe I should say something about mall restaurants in Japan. They are often top notch. Normally the top floor or two of malls or even just big shops like Yodobashi Camera or Marui department stores are restaurants. It works really well, you went to the shop expecting to spend money and another thousand yen or two on a lovely meal is hard to say no to. There is always a good selection too, various styles of food, at least one selling alcohol.

 

I kinda wish I had some photos of one, but I'm a bit too self conscious to take them...

[cteno4]

Mojo, loving your pictures, nice shots of interesting scenes and details that help keep the modeling wheels turning!

 

thanks!

 

jeff