Toden Arakawa Line: Isa sa mga natitirang streetcar sa Tokyo

*Orihinal na inilathala sa May 2016 issue ng Pinoy Gazette

Ang Toden Arakawa Line ay isa sa dalawa na lamang na natitirang street car sa Tokyo. Ang isa ay ang Tokyu Setagaya Line na nagsisimula sa Sangenjaya at nagtatapos sa Shimo-Takaido. Ang Toden Arakawa Line naman ay tumatakbo mula Waseda hanggang Minowabashi, may habang 12 kilometro at tumatagal ng 50 minuto ang byahe. Mainam gamitin ang Toden Arakawa Line tuwing spring dahil marami itong nadadaanang magagandang lugar na puno ng cherry blossoms. Kung summer naman, nalilinyahan ng malalaking mga rosas ang dinadaanan ng tram mula Arakawa-nanachome hanggang Minowabashi.

           

Ilan sa mga madadaanan ng tram ay ang mga sumusunod na pasyalan:

Asukayama Park. Ang Asukayama Park ay puno ng mga cherry trees na sinasabing ipinatanim pa ng shogun na si Tokugawa Yoshimune nang unang magbukas ang park noong 1873. Pero hindi lamang “hanami” ang maaaring gawin sa loob ng park, mayroon din itong tatlong museums – Ang Kita City Asukayama Museum, ang Shibusawa Memorial Museum at ang Paper Museum. Makikita rin sa loob ng park ang dalawang lumang tren, isang tram car at isang steam locomotive train na minsang ginamit sa Japan. Maaaring bumaba sa Asukayama Station ng Toden Arakawa Line upang mapuntahan ito.

Arakawa Yuenchi. Sa halagang ¥200 sa matatanda at ¥100 sa mga bata, maaari nang makapasok sa Arakawa Yuenchi at sumakay sa iba’t ibang rides dito. Siyempre hindi mawawala ang carousel at ferris wheel. Bagama’t maliit lang at walang masyadong iikutan, mainam pumasyal dito kung gustong iwasan ang matao at magulong bahagi ng Tokyo. Tamang-tama ito sa mga pamilyang gustong mag-bonding tuwing araw ng Linggo. Sa gilid ng daan papunta rito ay makikita ang maliliit na mga lumang tindahan na nagbabalik ng mga alaala ng Showa Japan. Nagbebenta ang mga ito ng “kakigori,” choco banana at ilang mga maliliit na laruan at pagkaing pambata. Arakawa-Yuenchimae ang pinakamalapit na istasyon ng tram dito.

Sugamo. Kung ang Harajuku ay kilala bilang fashion street ng mga kabataan, kilala naman ang Sugamo na tambayan ng mga “obaachan.” “Obaachan’s Harajuku” kung tawagin nila. Makikita rito ang isang mahabang kalsada na nalilinyahan ng mga tindahang nagbebenta ng mga goods na tiyak na patok sa mga obaachan tulad ng mga tungkod, mga bag na may gulong, mga maluluwag at makukulay na damit at mga murang rain boots. Makikita rin na ibinibenta rito ang mga pulang panloob na karaniwang isinusuot ng mga obaachan bilang pampaswerte. Sa dulo ng mahabang shopping street ay makikita ang Koshinzuka Station ng Toden Arakawa Line. Sa kabilang dulo naman matatagpuan ang Sugamo Station ng JR Yamanote Line.

           

Zoshigaya Cemetery. Bagamat hindi ordinaryong pasyalan ang sementeryo, maraming dumadalaw sa Zoshigaya Cemetery hindi lang para dalawin ang kanilang mga mahal sa buhay kundi para silipin na rin ang libingan ng ilang kilalang tao na nakahimlay dito. Isa na rito si Natsume Soseki, isang kilalang nobelista na nagpasikat ng mga nobelang “Kokoro,” “Botchan” at “I am a Cat.” Dati rin nakalagay sa likod ng ¥1,000 bill ang kanyang mukha bago ito palitan noong 2004. Nasa tapat lamang ng sementeryo ang Toden-Zoshigaya Station.

Minowabashi. Dito matatagpuan ang Joyful Minowa, isang mahabang shopping street kung saan tila makakabili ng kahit ano – mula sa mga murang gulay at prutas, tinapay, tsaa, at mga Japanese snacks, hanggang sa mga damit, sapatos, gamit sa bahay tulad ng mga pang-luto at plato, mga sariwang bulaklak at marami pang iba. Hindi kalayuan sa Minowa matatagpuan ang estatwa ni Yabuki Joe, ang kilalang boksingero na bumida sa manga na “Ashita no Joe” na isinulat ni Ikki Kajiwara at iginuhit ni Tetsuya Chiba. Nagkaroon din ito ng live action noong 2011 kung saan gumanap ang kilalang idol na si Yamashita Tomohisa, mas kilala sa tawag na YamaPi, bilang Joe. Mayaman din sa kasaysayan ang lugar na ito dahil dito matatagpuan ang dating execution grounds noong Edo Period na ngayon ay natabunan na ng sala-salabat na riles ng tren. Minowabashi ang huling istasyon ng Toden Arakawa Line.

Sa halagang ¥400 ay maaaring makabili ng one-day unlimited pass sa Toden Arakawa Line na magbibigay ng pagkakataon sa pasahero na bumaba sa kahit anong istasyon at tuklasin ang sulok ng downtown Tokyo na tila nagbabalik ng mga alaala ng Showa Japan.

Where to Eat in Tokyo: Cafe Chopin

Counter seats at Cafe Chopin

Cafe Chopin is a small cafe near the Tokyo Sky Tree. It is five minutes away from the station by foot. It is easy to miss the cafe even though it is along a main road because it is a small place amidst a residential area and its window blinds are often down because of the scorching sun in the afternoon. 

An piano organ on display inside the cafe

As the name suggests, it is music-themed cafe. It got it's name from (surprise!) Chopin, a Polish composer and pianist. The staff told us that the owner of the cafe is a big fan of Chopin. You can hear classical music playing when you enter the cafe. On the second floor of the same building is a music school where the owner teaches piano. The interior of the cafe is simple yet stylish. It has black and red for its theme - tables and chairs and things on display included. There is also an old piano organ on display on the far end of the room. I wonder if someone plays that sometimes. The place is kind of minimalist but even without its elaborate decorations, it is able to provide a relaxing and calm ambiance for people who are looking for a place to chill and relax, may it be in the middle of the day or in the late afternoon.

Green curry lunch set with potato salad

Though the cafe mostly offers coffee and tea, they also have a lunch menu that costs around Y1000. They have a green curry lunch set for people who would like to eat rice for lunch and a pasta set for those who would prefer otherwise. 

For those who would like to shun the crowds at the Tokyo Sky Tree, try roaming around the streets outside the station and you might surprisingly find small cafes like Cafe Chopin who could offer an alternative to the crowded cafe inside the mall. 

Fujigaya Taisuke Leads the Cast of Take Five 2

Take Five 2 is the sequel of the Take Five franchise, which ran at the Akasaka Act Theater from May 4 - 25, 2016. The first stage play was staged in 2015 with Fujigaya Taisuke (lovingly referred by his fans as "Taipi") in the lead role. This play was based on a drama that was first aired in 2013 with Karasawa Toshiaki as Homura Masayoshi. This year, Taipi reprised his role as Homura and also portrayed another character, Mamiya, who came from the future to save the former from impending harm. This year's production was top billed by other experienced TV and stage actors such as Yamamoto Yusuke, Suruga Taro, Shinkawa Yua, Asakura Aki, Kozuda Yasuto, Nekoze Tsubaki, Yasoto Yuichi and Aran Kai. 

The Akasaka ACT Theater after the show

My thoughts after the curtains closed and the lights on stage turned off: I had so much fun watching Take Five 2! Though I cannot really say that it was a GREAT show because of the bland acting, it had its moments too. Yusuke was so hilarious especially when he was imitating Kisumai's dance steps! Taipi did not stand out but at least his performance was consistent - not awkward, not overacting, just calm and cool the whole time, enough to send a fangirl home with a smile.  For the first half of the play, I thought it was "okay" but not amazing, but when Taipi did his short dance sequence in the middle of the play, I thought, "Okay, I already got what I came for." I almost screamed and cheered for him, almost forgetting that I was watching a play, not a Kisumai performance!

Promotional poster with the cast

If there was anything that amazed me that night, it was probably the stage production. The interactive screens were so cool I felt like I was watching a stage play one instant and spying on the whereabouts of the "real" Taipi the next. It was the first time that I watched a play that successfully merged traditional sets and interactive screens, not to mention a hologram in one of the scenes where Taipi was talking to himself! It created a "believable" world within an unbelievable one

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The stage after the show

The stage before the show

Take Five 2 was a play worth watching for the entertainment value it offered. It was the kind of play that did not require a showcase of acting prowess, but rather targeted the satisfaction of the audience. And yes, it did a pretty good job in staging lovable moments with satisfying fan service. After watching this show, I finally ticked my bucket list to see Taipi on stage. I even saw him after the show waving goodbye from his car. So I guess, I got more than what I have asked for.