I went to Toshima Ward Office last Monday afternoon to collect a family registry, which is one of the must records to furnish with a pension office. Toshima Ward Office is within walking distance from JR and Metro Ikebukuro stations but I don’t like that stations and still more dislike Ikebukuro streets, and therefore I chose a circuitous and more time taking route, by tram. It seemed to be enjoyable and to offer travel mood.
Tokyo has only one tram line, Toden Arakawa Line, which runs between Waseda and Minowabashi, covering 12 kilometer with 30 stops. It is not a street car line because it runs on street only one segment of 30 stops, between Oji JR station stop and Asukayama stop (pictured). The remaining line has dedicated double truck railway for single car one man tram.
I got on the tram at Machiya stop and got off at Zoshigaya stop, it was 40 minutes trip for ￥170 and no discount for 65-year old healthy man.
Arakawa Line runs the north-west to north-east crescent of old Tokyo, which has not yet been fully urbanized. So I easily became nostalgic by observing old business streets (shoten gai), narrow alleys and low raise houses on both side of the railway.
The second picture is old trams parking at a shed at mid- point.
