Welcome to Yamanote.
Tokyo’s JR Yamanote line is a loop with 29 stations. One by one, I’m going to visit every station in sequence, and photograph whatever I see. Along the way I’ll try and meet some locals and find out a little of what makes each area unique.
So here it goes, I hope you enjoy!
I’m kicking off the project with Mejiro. Nice, quiet, green and uncrowded.
Mejiro station has one exit. Three stops prior is Shinjuku station, I think they stopped counting the exits there at 200.
Tokyo doesn’t really have an abundance of trees and plant life outside of the city parks, but Mejiro is an exception. Especially on the north side of Mejiro-dori where the wealthier types live in actual houses… with driveways, and back/front yards. This may prove to be more common along the way, but it’s a refreshing change from the big city life.
Fruit, veges and flowers. Mejiro has no shortage.
Creativity and simplicity.
In the neighbourhood
Plenty of green.
In Tokyo, it’s not uncommon to see people sleeping in parked cars, trains or, like this guy, on the job.
A homage?
Tokyo has a distinct lack of graffiti on the streets and public transport. Mejiro had some prominent pieces both in the back streets and on the Mejiro-dori. I’m guessing I’ll see a lot more of this on future stops.
South-side. It’s mainly apartments, but there is no shortage of mid-range European cars parked out front.
Moving closer to the train tracks, the gardens are more sporadic and the apartment buildings become a little shabby.
Drug Ozone. Or ‘Doragu Ozon’
In my initial research of Mejiro, I came across The Castle Tintagel. “We are Tokyo’s one and only medieval Western martial arts and cultural center.”
As it happened, they were having a tournament on the day. So I headed inside to catch some of the action and speak to Jay, the man in charge.
Jay has been running The Castle Tintagel for over ten years. While the school predominantly teaches medieval fighting styles, both with and without armour, students can also take classes in Renaissance dancing, costume making and calligraphy.
The armoury.
Armouratomy.
Preparing for armoured battle.
Round 1 is a fight to the death. Round 2 is a zombie fight, to the death.
Frenzied attack.
The master and the apprentice.
The young one could actually fight. Using his height advantage to score the 1 point leg hits.
Not just a man’s sport.
MC Style. Gearing up for the end of session 5 on 5 melee.
Many thanks to Jay for allowing me to photograph the tournament.
Back out on the streets of Mejiro.
Pride and joy.
The Yamanote line.
So ends my day in Mejiro.
I hope I’ve managed to give at least a vague impression of this quiet little neighbourhood. It’s a small start to some much bigger destinations. From here on, I hope I can improve on this set with more detail, better photography and also some more chats with locals along the way.
Next stop: Ikebukuro.