this post has been long over due and i am very sorry for the delay. i have been into urban walking usually at night: dubbed myself as a nightwalker because of that. and one of my illustrious plans has always been to walk around the yamanote train line, tokyo's busiest and arguably its most important train line.
here is where we have been so far.
| strolling around the yamanote | stations |
|---|---|
| urban walking along the yamanote : August 17 2024 | nippori (日暮里) to ikebukuro (池袋) |
| along the yamanote down south : August 22 2024 | nishi-nippori (西日暮里) to tokyo (東京) |
| yamanote and lady luck : September 3 2024 | tokyo (東京) to takanawa gateway (高輪ゲートウェイ) |
| nostalgic sections of the yamanote : November 15 2024 | takanawa gateway (高輪ゲートウェイ) to shibuya (渋谷) |
| the entertainment districts of the yamanote... part 1 : December 14 2024 | shibuya (渋谷) to shinjuku (新宿) |
this post was actually concluded last december 14th but has always remained in my drafts, the photos that is. i took so many photos that night that i had to cut the last blog for it was running too long. no one wants a long post, right? so without further ado, here is part 2 of that fateful december 14 nightwalk adventure. we have just passed by shinjuku, the busiest station in the world.
shin-okubo (新大久保)
just a short 5 minute walk northwards from the "entertainment" district of kabukicho (歌舞伎町) lies another entertainment district. this time, the entertainment is very much imported. shin-okubo is tokyo's koreatown.
the 95th busiest station in the kanto area, shin-okubo station opened in late 1914. but the influx of korean identity started around 1995 with the increase of korean tourists coming to tokyo and the rise of korean popular media consumption in japan. when i told my boss at work that i would take a vacation leave to visit korea back in october, my boss jokingly said, "so shin-okubo is not enough, i suppose". this is how "korean" this area was.
the streets were lined with korean restaurants even on the very tiny streets which are very common in the area. the "korean wave" has totally infiltrated with shops related to kpop idols and korean pop culture popping here and there. and who would forget kbeauty skin care lines? yes, these shops are also many and centered around this station. bars, clubs, karaoke, name it and they probably have it.
the station itself has undergone heavy renovations recently making it very crowded at times. but with the growing passenger volume, the station these renovations are very much needed. this one exit station can get very congested so having more exits or more area widening would definitely help.
takadanobaba (高田馬場)
it immediately got awfully quite when i left shin-okubo. i was passing by lines of apartment complexes but the greenery was quite good. it was refreshing to be in silence after two succeeding entertainment areas. i did not even notice that i have reached the district center, it was that silent.
but the jr train statistics shows different, this station built in 1910 is the 12th busiest. this could be because this was the intersection of 3 different train lines, the busyness was possibly confined only in the station itself. i also happened to reach the station from the south, the city center just happened to be eastward with the station at the far end side. in short, i missed all that the area has to offer.
mejiro (目白)
from one quiet station, the next one was even more quiet. apartment buildings were very stylish i must say, and the trees on this street were very lovely but very quite. this street was on the perimeter of gakushuin university, a school founded in 1877, no wonder it was very silent at night. i wonder if it was still this silent in daytime when all the university students are loitering everywhere.
123rd in the busiest ranking, that is quite understandable. although built in 1885, the station only serves the yamanote. and the area is full of schools at least on the eastern part. the kawamura junior and senior high school was also just nearby. the station would then be busy in the mornings and late afternoons for sure, and that is probably it.
surprisingly, mejiro is also home to the very wealthy and they are mostly on the west side which i did not pass by. what i did pass by were these very tiny alleys in the quiet residential neighborhood. i was quite concerned at this point, it was just so quiet and stayed like that for around 15 minutes more.
at one point, a long stretch of wall had poster like designs of japanese letters and a corresponding word. a child was guessing the words with his mother across one section of the wall. good for him, i still don't know what these words must have been till this day. this tunnel seemed to magically transport me from the quiet to a much lively area. this only meant that i was near the next station.
ikebukuro (池袋)
ikebukuro was another lively entertainment filled area. built in 1903, the station has become a major hub, the 2nd busiest station not only in japan but in the world as of 2023. this station is situated in a commercial area and has become the gateway for people north of tokyo. tall buildings and bright lights were everywhere, this all took place in the christmas season after all. but why is this part of town so new to me?
apparently, i was on the opposite side of the station, the opposite of the exit i usually went to. i was immediately drawn to this circular thing on this park, ikebukuro nishi guchi park. the circular thing on top was certainly a design choice they made. the area was also crowded at this time, queues were so long. there was a tv show earlier and these people were lining up for autographs.
this area was really somewhere i was not familiar with. there were street decors, and shopping streets full of happy shoppers. it must also be the season but everything in here seemed happy and lively. but i was still from the usual area i frequent in ikebukuro. and i was kind of lost to be honest, the map was very confusing at this point.
i finally reached this area with an underwater theme, or looked like it. people were gathering there, it was a public toilet, but the map was leading me to that place. was there something wrong? nearing the area, there was an underpass below it and i was supposed to pass through that to reach the other side.
this finally is the more familiar side, that structure across the street leads closer to the usual exit 35. this was the normal "ikebukuro" for me, the crowded street filled with shops which leads to sunshine city, the shopping mall. and this right here finally closes the loop of this great yamanote trail walking journey.
this was the whole path i took that fateful night. quite a boring northward path it may seem, but that path passes through major entertainment districts of tokyo.
now that the yamanote train loop has been closed, i wonder what major trail to do next?
as always, AMPING KANUNAY!
all content is by yours truly unless otherwise specified
all photos are taken with a galaxy s23 ultra