Tram tours backstreets of Setagaya
TOKYO —
Where can you dine atop a carrot, ride a rickety old train, and pray to the feline god of mercy? On the Setagaya line, snaking through Tokyo’s second largest and most populous ward.
Your first stop should be the Carrot Tower perched atop Sangenjaya station, which, at 124 meters, is Setagaya’s tallest building. From the observation deck on the 25th floor you can take in serious views of the urban sprawl while listening to the ward’s very own radio station (FM 83.4) — broadcasting from Studio Carrot, of course. There’s also Sky Carrot, a restaurant with a fine view of Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Midtown and Tokyo Tower.
Next, hop on the Setagaya line — one of Tokyo’s only two remaining trams (the other is the Toden Arakawa line), snaking along the northern edge of the city. This is all that remains of the 1907 Tamagawa tram network that once stretched from Shibuya out past the Tama River, but was dismantled in 1969. The Setagaya line makes the 5 kilometers, 10-stop journey from Sangenjaya to Shimo-Takaido in 17 minutes, winding its way at a leisurely pace through quiet backstreets.
Detrain at Shoin Jinja, where you can pray to the god of learning at the shrine that gives the station its name. The hallowed grounds are dedicated to the spirit of Yoshida Shoin, a bright young man who, in the Edo Period, became a master in military arts, which he subsequently taught to a local lord. Shoin was a freewheeling spirit and actually tried to board one of Commodore Perry’s warships in an effort to see more of the outside world.
On Boro-Ichi Dori in Kamimachi, two more stops down the line, you can visit Setagaya Daikin Yashiki, an Edo-period farmhouse — the only one of its kind remaining in Tokyo. The property was formerly owned by a magistrate that oversaw 20 villages in the area, but is now open to the public (free entrance; open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.). Boro-Ichi Dori is also the location of one of Tokyo’s oldest flea markets, dating back 430 years.
Gotokuji temple, a short walk from the next station, Miyanosake, is said to be where the ubiquitous “maneki-neko” good-luck charm originated. (A local folktale tells the story of a cat that saved the life of a local lord.) The spacious grounds house a pagoda and a temple dedicated to the feline god of mercy. To the right of the temple is a shelf full of cat statuettes of various sizes, placed there by worshippers whose prayers were answered.
Make a wish and you might get lucky — but exploring one of Tokyo’s best-preserved neighborhoods on a railway that time forgot, you may already feel blessed. The 320 yen for a one-day ticket that allows unlimited rides.
This story originally appeared in Metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp).
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sk4ek
Sounds like a bucolic way to spend a sunny winter's day! I've never gotten around to riding either this or the Arakawa line...
The restaurant in the Carrot Tower is unfortunately a frighteningly generic experience (and about 20 years behind the times), but the views are nice, and the Setagaya Public Theater, also in the Carrot Tower, is one of Tokyo's great urban cultural assets.
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YangYong
The restaurant does serve one of the largest dai jokki's in town. The 'trams' unfortunately aren't as old as made out in this article, there were, up to about 5 years ago, wooden framed trams still running on the line but all have been replaced.
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gaijintraveller
Tonino, the pizza restaurant that can be seen as train pulls in to Shimo-Takaido, is one of, if not the, best pizza restaurants in Japan. It is the best I have been to anyway.
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Yelnats
I love the trains here. My favorite is the Enoden line running on the water near Kamakura. They replaced the wooden floor ones though which was a shame.
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zaichik
Perfect timing JT - I'm just translating the Tokyu Railways website and this is most handy for the section on the Setagaya Explorer Ticket!
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