Woke up sick a couple of days ago. Spent all day in my pajamas. Made pitiful attempts to write, but ended up crawling back to bed. After a busy week, I think my body just wanted to slow down (that, or it was telling me not to accept any more assignments requiring tasting and ingesting 14 kinds of milkshakes).
I did spend an unhealthy amount of time (there I go again) looking at old vacation photos. And one of the things I have always wanted to post in here are some photos P and I took of the trains and train stations back in Tokyo. They’re not a lot since most days, by the time we reached the stations, we were just too tired or too cold to whip out the camera and shoot.
But I love trains. I love it that we at least have three (soon, four) rapid transit lines running within Metro Manila (Update: This isn’t counting the PNR lines, which go all the way from Manila to Bicol), providing commuters like me a faster and more convenient way to get from point A to point B minus the horrendous traffic on some of the city’s congested roads (Rizal Ave., EDSA, Aurora Blvd). So when faced with a massive and efficient railway system like the one in Tokyo, I can’t help but get some sort of inanimate infatuation.
It can be confusing–the many stations, exits and platforms–but once understood, oh the happy rewards. (Plus, this post I made on planning a trip to Japan also covers how to make sense of the Tokyo transit system.) The heated seats. Listening to the Japanese and English announcements made by a lovely Japanese voice. People watching in a crammed morning subway or in an almost deserted car of the last train (around midnight). And, of course, finding your way from point A to B (with a few transfers, of course) in one of the biggest cities in the world. I feel a little better now.
Catching the early morning train. Not a lot of salarymen yet.
Finding our way to Tsukiji Market
On the JR Yamanote Line, one of the most important train lines in the city. Included in its many stops are some of the city’s more popular areas: Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinagawa, Tokyo, Akihabara, and Ueno
Taking the train from Asakusa Station to Azabu-juban (with a transfer at Kuramae) to have dinner
Some things you can find in a Tokyo train station: a giant stuffed panda…
…and the more common sight, a vendo machine
Heading out of Tokyo via the shinkansen. It was a gray morning.
One of the best views I saw in the shinkansen–a family sharing a bento meal
Waiting for the train on a late Friday evening
this is an awesome post. i heart trains too! (and looking at old vacation photos.) hope you are all better now!
Thanks, B. If I can do a blog just about trains I would. But I don’t have a lot of material yet 🙂 (I would like to gather some pretty-looking ones though and contribute it to your future allthingspretty–or some other name–blog. hehe)
lemme look for my favorite train photos then too, and gather them for a future post on my so-called blog. 😛
We loved the Tokyo Metro and the JR Yamanote line (free with your JR pass — winner!). After getting the hang of it on Day 1, we were (or felt like) experts on Day 2 with our happy Suica pass (thanks to your tips).
Didn’t you love how train-riding didn’t discriminate? You could see Bottega-toting fashionistas side by side with a homeless person (we saw very few of them though). Majority were dressed so well too, right? I felt like the homeless as I seemed like the only woman in jeans and sneakers.
The people in our government should travel more to Japan and HK and less to the U.S. because this kind of train system is what we need here!
Hey Kris 🙂 Nice of you to drop by. I think it was by the 3rd or 4th day for us when Peejo and I felt like we were no longer like lost puppies in the train stations. Hehe. Great observation on the train-riding public. I especially loved watching the nicely dressed women in Shibuya and Ginza stations, with their coats and boots; and the salarymen and students reading manga all the time 🙂
Yeah, that kind of rail system is something we could really use here in Manila… I think it can be done if many of the govt officials don’t pocket the money supposed to be for infrastructure. Tsk, tsk.
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