Exploring the Arakawa Line

Tokyo is known for its complex train network, with 13 subway lines and two major railway lines serving the city centre. Just like any other new visitor to the city, I was overwhelmed when I first took a look at the train map back in 2007, when I was about to leave for my exchange in Japan.

In the smaller Japanese cities, however, residents are served mostly by buses, and some like Hiroshima and Okayama (which I have been to) have tram lines serving the city centre.

Many public bus services still run through Tokyo – I commuted by bus to my train station almost every day when I went to school there. They charge a flat rate of 200 yen and are incredibly punctual. (I believe it’s partly to do with good planning and a general lack of traffic on the bus routes.)

But did you know that there are still trams in Tokyo?

One of them is the Arakawa line, which opened in 1913 and now serves a few suburbs just north of the JR Yamanote line.

Last week, on the second day of my holiday in Japan, Joanne and I took the Arakawa line from one end (Waseda) to the other (Minowabashi). Earlier in the day, I’d brought Joanne on a tour of the Nishiwaseda campus where I’d studied, so actually it was a no-brainer to finally take the chance to explore the line.

Ready to board the tram at Waseda station? It’s located just behind the Nishiwaseda campus library. All adult passengers pay a flat fare of 160 yen, regardless of how far you go. The trams are also fairly regular, with a frequency of about 8 minutes in the afternoon. It got surprisingly packed after just a few stops though!

The Arakawa trams run on their own tracks and not on the road with motor vehicles, unlike those in Hirosaki and Okayama (and Hong Kong). In fact, they are very much like trains, except that each tram only has one carriage.

I wanted to alight at one of the stations to explore the surroundings, but wasn’t too sure where to drop. After about 20 minutes or so on the ride, we spotted a very classy looking cafe right on the platform of Koshinzuka (庚申塚) station. And that was where we decided to hop off for a little walk.

Koshinzuka station platform, from another angle. The cafe Ippukutei (いっぷく亭) is on the left.

The view from inside Ippukutei. They are famous for their ohagi (おはぎ), a Japanese dessert of rice wrapped in red bean paste. I ordered their 1,000-yen otoku set, which comes with yakisoba, a big ohagi and coffee.

Besides enjoying an afternoon snack at Ippukutei, we also explored the quiet neighbourhood around the station. Much like the tram ride itself, it felt somewhat like a trip through time.

An oden shop called Masudaya. Other than selling the items individually, they also sell them in special packs for 525 yen. I’m not sure how many pieces are inside, as it was not written anywhere. The shop owner also wasn’t around at the counter!

A bookshop and boutique.

The iconic Sato the Elephant! He and his sister Satoko (the pink elephant in the background) are mascots for Sato Pharmaceutical, a global medicine manufacturer. The little statues of him and Satoko are commonly only found in older pharmacies like this one.

Tachibana, a stylish desserts shop near the station. We’d actually seen this shop from the tram as well, which contributed to our decision to alight there.

A small shrine dedicated to Sarutahiko, a monkey god from Japanese mythology.

A taiyaki shop, with seats outside for customers. Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake typically with red bean filling inside. If I weren’t so full from my afternoon snack at Ippukutei, I would definitely have bought one because I’m such a big fan of taiyaki!

After spending a good two hours at Koshinzuka, we got on the tram to the end-point, Minowabashi. It was almost 6pm by the time we got there, and the sun had already set. From there, it was just a 5-minute walk to Minowa station, on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya line.

A tram parked at Minowabashi station. The LED sign says “Waseda”.

There were many roses planted around Minowabashi station. There was also a signboard describing some of the species found at other stations on the Arakawa line.

Retro posters sighted at Minowabashi station! Care to guess when these adverts first appeared?

As you would have noticed, the pictures posted here look like those taken by a toy camera – with super-saturated colours and darkened corners. I’d actually made use of the Ricoh GXR’s cross-processing function, which allows you to take such photos right out of the camera. It’s quite fun to use, though it makes “normal” pictures look extremely dull in comparison.

I was inspired to take the Arakawa line after reading a Japanese travel magazine featuring Tokyo’s suburbs. I wanted to take it last year during my previous trip, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time. Very happy that I found time for it this trip!

And perhaps on my next trip, I can explore the other Arakawa stations, or even check out the other tram line in Tokyo: the Setagaya line.