Arakawa

The Toden Arakawa line that crosses this ward is the only tram left in Tokyo. The network that once covered the city was pushed out by cars, and this single line survived. It now carries the nickname Tokyo Sakura Tram.

It is used for living, not sightseeing. Stops come close together, and residents ride it to do their shopping or reach the hospital. In the daytime the passengers skew elderly and the carriage is quiet. On some stretches you look out at laundry hanging outside houses and into narrow lanes — the line itself becomes a window onto ordinary Tokyo.

Along part of the route the tram runs alongside road traffic. There are only two places in Tokyo where trams and cars share the same surface, and one of them is near here. It draws railway photographers accordingly.