Toden Arakawa Line
都電荒川線（東京さくらトラム） · Toden Arakawa Line
- Ward
- Arakawa
- Price
- ¥170 per ride (¥165 with IC card); ¥400 day pass
- Hours
- First car about 05:00, last ab
- Closed
- Open daily
- Getting there
- Minowabashi to Waseda, 12.2km end to end
- Founded
- 1911
- It works like a bus: board at the front, pay as you enter, alight at the rear
- A day pass costs ¥400, so three rides pay for it
- The sole survivor of a network that once ran forty lines
We do not republish copyrighted photographs. Use the links below to see the actual venue.
Obvious to locals, invisible to visitors
There is a simple reason guidebooks leave this out: to the people who live here it is too obvious to be worth explaining.
It works like a bus: board at the front, pay as you enter, alight at the rear. One flat fare covers any distance, and IC cards work. First-timers often try to board at the back.
A day pass costs ¥400, so three rides pay for it. You can buy it onboard, or have it loaded onto your IC card — just tell the conductor on your first ride, then tap freely afterwards.
The sole survivor of a network that once ran forty lines. Most were scrapped as cars took over; this one lasted because so much of it runs on dedicated track — only 1.7 of its 12.2km share the road.
True to its nickname, Tokyo Sakura Tram, Asukayama and Zoshigaya are cherry spots. Along the Arakawa stretch, residents tend some twelve thousand rose bushes that bloom in late spring and mid-autumn.
What it is
Arakawa is a ward the shitamachi ward the Toden tram runs through. More than half the customers came alone — reading, or watching the window, each quietly minding their own. The coffee is on the strong side — say so up front if you prefer it lighter. Hours go irregular over long holidays; check before setting out. Map apps drift in the narrow lanes; for the last hundred metres, look for the sign instead. This is one of those places that beats its photos. People often arrive with low expectations and leave surprised.
What to order
Why locals keep coming
It photographs well: the lighting and palette run exactly counter to current trends, which makes it stand out. The menu is simple enough that you cannot really go wrong — everything on it has been made for years.