Galaxy Express 999

I was riding this train back to Tokorozawa the other day. I was riding on the very front train car and it was completely empty. I've noticed that the train cars on the end of either side of the train tend to be less crowded.

Anyways, I can't imagine why I didn't notice this when I got on...but it was a design train!

These are the famous characters of the manga and anime series Galaxy Express 999 (銀河鉄道999). It seems that the creator of the series, Leiji Matsumoto (松本零士) grew up along the Seibu Line, which led to this collaboration with Seibu Railways and Nerima Ward.

The blond lady you see below is Maetel, one of the main characters (and one of the only characters I actually know of) in the series. The design really stood out and everyone passing by was staring at the train. Some were even took photos, like me!

Overhead

We're all getting used to the sight of this crane looming above the station these days. I'm quite fond of construction sites, especially when they use cranes and other unbelievably huge machinery.

I didn't get a picture...but during the holidays this crane was actually lit up with Christmas lights. I thought it was hilarious for some reason and it gave me a reason to smile every time I walked toward the station!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

The corner booth at Tokorozawa Station that shows the new station model after the renovations has new years decorations, too.  The station is scheduled to be completed in spring 2013.

Wishing everyone a wonderful year in 2011!!!

History Walk

This is part of the wall surrounding the construction site of the Ever Sky Tower, one of the Kotesashi Towers (there are two being built).

I don't know about construction sites in other countries, but here in Japan the construction company usually decorates the outer side of the wall. Some draw trees or flowers and sometimes they show old pictures of the area and have information about the history of the area.

Around the Ever Sky Tower, there are pictures and dates of events related to Kotesashi Station. It was fun seeing old pictures and leaning about how the station came about.

(1970 - Kotesashi Station Opens)

(1977 - The 2000 Type Train is Introduced on the Seibu Line)

(1976 - Construction of Kotesashi Heights Starts)

Beyond Tired

I can almost hear these men muttering "Thank god it's Friday..." as they ride the train home. I'm sure you can imagine their faces, too. Pure exhaustion.

But whether it's from work or just too much drinking, I can't be sure.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Crossing the Rails

It's already November? Cannot for the life of me figure out how that happened so fast.

Well, it's theme day again at CDP. This month the theme is "Public Transportation." Here in Tokorozawa we don't really use anything unusual. Mostly trains, cars, and buses.

There are two train lines that go through Tokorozawa Station. As these train lines are on the ground, we have many railroad crossings like this one. During the rush hour we can be left standing there for almost 10 minutes.

But I don't really mind because I like watching the trains go by as all sorts of lights and sounds warn people of the passing train. It's quite a show.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Akitsu Bridge

Akitsu Bridge is a very old concrete bridge that passes over the Seibu Shinjuku Line. As there is only space for cars to pass over the bridge, another footbridge was built alongside this one for pedestrians.

You can see the railway below and many train-lovers use this bridge to take photos of trains!





Click below for photos of wonderful bridges around the world!

Sunday Bridges hosted by Louis

Sudden Rain

It's been raining a lot lately. And there are many people waiting for someone to come pick them up at the station exit, like she is.

But then there are others, like me, who walk home in the rain with their umbrellas. Because at times, I like getting all wet and rained on!

Oh The Horror!

This is Mutsumi Bridge, a pedestrian bridge that crosses over the Seibu Line near Tokorozawa Station. It's also quite a famous bridge.

Have you ever heard of the movie series "Ju-on (呪怨)?"

It's a Japanese horror film that was a big hit in Japan. After the first "Ju-on" film, it was so popular, another film, "Ju-on 2," was released. This also lead to a remake in Hollywood called "The Grudge" in 2004. I nearly died of fright just from seeing the trailer for this movie (which they kept on playing on TV...at night!) so I haven't seen it. But I hear it's pretty scary!

Anyways, so you may wonder what all this has to do with this bridge...well, Mutsumi Bridge was used in one of the scenes! More specifically, the very last scene in "Ju-on 2!"

Are you curious enough to watch it?

Click below for photos of (probably) non-horror-related bridges around the world!

Sunday Bridges hosted by Louis

Every Morning

Rush hour can be quite crowded.

I took this photo a little before rush hour, when people start gathering on the platforms, waiting for the next train. A lot of people get on the train at Tokorozawa Station.

Night Falls

I'm ready to head home and relax. What about you?

Happy weekend to everyone!


Take a look at more beautiful skies all around the world here.

Making an Exit

This is Tokorozawa Station's east exit. We have a bookstore, convenience store, flower shop, and a couple of cafes and restaurants along the arcade.

This is the quiet side of Tokorozawa Station. The busy commercial street and supermarkets are mostly all on the otherside. But on Fridays, both sides are pretty busy. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Take a look at different skies all around the world here.

Look Up Then Down

This is another angle of Tokorozawa Rikkyo. And below is a view of the Seibu train that regularly passes under it.

The Seibu Line is famous for their yellow trains. But they actually have several types of silver trains with blue lines, too.


Click below for more lovely photos of bridges around the world!

Sunday Bridges

Seibuen Station

A view of the rails below from a bridge that crosses over from Seibuen Station to the residential area behind the trees.

Seibuen Station is the last station on the Seibuen Line. Actually, it is one of two stations on the Seibuen Line. I'm not sure if you can actually call that a "line" but it's been called that since 1952. That's a pretty long time for someone not to contradict this, so I'm guessing the length doesn't matter.


To tell you the truth, this station is not technically in Tokorozawa. The border is right next to the station so it's really in the neighboring Higashi Murayama-shi. But I wanted to use it so I've added this old sign below that says "Seibuen Station (left), Seibu Yuenchi Station (right)."


Click below for more lovely photos of bridges around the world!

Sunday Bridges

Easy As 1-2-3

You can see from the dust that this public phone hasn't been used in awhile. Probably because everyone has a cellphone these days.

Lately many of the public phones have been taken away. I don't see these green public phones as much as I used to anymore. These three are at the Tokorozawa Station, patiently waiting for someone in need of a public phone.


As of last year, it's said that there are 105 million cellphone users in Japan, which has a population of about 127 million. So that's..what...80 percent? I have to wonder how this compares to other countries.

I've had a cell phone since my first year of high school. How about you?

School Girls

These girls were probably on their way home from school after some kind of practice or after school lesson. They seemed really tired...but still had the energy to chatter away.

Oh, to be young again!

Over the Station

We had a very pretty sunset the other day.

I'm glad I looked behind me while walking home from the station. Or I may not have noticed this pink sky!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!


Take a look at different skies all around the world here.

Measure the Bridge

This is Tokorozawa Rikkyo, a bridge that crosses over the Seibu Ikebukuro Line railroad.

There used to be a railroad crossing right around the same place until this bridge was built in the early 70s. Many cars use this bridge that leads on to the Tokorozawa Rikkyo North intersection.

I'm not too sure what that sign on the bridge means...maybe that the bridge is 2.2 meters high? Does that sound right?


Click below for more lovely photos of bridges around the world!

Sunday Bridges

Super Mom

The west exit of Tokorozawa Station was packed with people.

They were there to see Ryoko Tani, who is a famous Japanese Judo athlete. She's won one bronze, two silver, and two gold medals in the last five Olympics. Pretty amazing, right?

She is also known for being a mommy athlete, as she had a son in 2005 before the Beijing Olympics, and her second son just last year. Her husband is also a famous baseball player.


But now, apparently she's up to not only juggling judo and motherhood, but also politics, too. It was announced in May that she would be running for the upcoming Upper House election.

And this was her making her campaign speech in Tokorozawa. You can see her on the campaign car below. I'm not really sure how she's going to handle being a mom, an athlete, and a politician but the election is next week!