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Jan 10 2023 10 Comments

An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system

Some of these photos have appeared on Tokyo Times before, but with the addition of several taken very recently, and others from quite a few years ago, it seemed like the right time to put them all together as a document of sorts. My little photographic homage to a part of Tokyo’s subway system that is genuinely unlike the rest of it.

There have been changes in the time I’ve been visiting. The bars have new owners and now look quite different. Also, the unusually located vending machine is sadly no longer there. But on the whole it’s pretty much still the same. Presumably the same as it has been for many decades too. A rare glimpse of how things once looked, and in regards these photos, how it has looked over the last 10 years or so.

An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system

An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system

An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system

An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system

An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system

An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system

An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system

An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system

An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system

An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system

An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system

Categorized: Food and Drink, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sean says

    1/10/2023 at 11:12 am

    Very cool shots. Gotta love the stares you get!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/10/2023 at 7:59 pm

      Cheers. Haha, not all them positive it has to be said. Do like eye contact in photos though.

      Reply
  2. Denise says

    1/10/2023 at 2:25 pm

    The vending machine! 😮

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/10/2023 at 8:01 pm

      That was definitely one of the more unique locations. I’d love to know what that kitchen type area was once a part of.

      Reply
  3. cdilla says

    1/11/2023 at 6:23 pm

    Great set of photographs. I wonder if the insulating footwear is a necessity when using such old appliences in a damp environment 🙂

    April! I promise myself I WILL take a trip to see this location in April, having missed the opportunity a few weeks ago.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/12/2023 at 3:34 pm

      Thanks a lot, and yes, quite possibly. To say it suffers a lot with leaks is an understatement to say the least.

      You really must. It truly is special. No matter how many times I visit, it still makes me smile.

      Reply
  4. Richard says

    1/11/2023 at 11:26 pm

    I can recall stations like this one back in the early 70’s when I lived in Tokyo. Even then they clearly needed an upgrade.

    When I was in Tokyo in fall 2019, I did not see any places like this. Where is it?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/12/2023 at 3:39 pm

      I’ve always imagined that a lot of the subway system looked like this, but over time it was gradually modernised, leaving just this last one section. A nice reminder of how it once was.

      It’s in Asakusa, but despite the number of people that visit the area, not that many pass through.

      Reply
      • Richard says

        1/12/2023 at 9:39 pm

        Aha, we used to think of Asakusa as ‘old Tokyo:’ a throwback to the days before the super growth of the 60’s.

        Thanks!

        Reply
        • Lee says

          1/13/2023 at 7:56 am

          Still pretty much the same when it comes to that side of the city. Definitely a different feel to it.

          Reply

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