...when I wondered why I didn't do this sooner (4/365, 4 Jan 2022)
I'm making every effort to get out and about while I can, and today was the same. Yesterday a local-ish historical park, today, I caught the train in the other direction, almost to the end of the line. Today's adventure was Ogawamachi in Saitama because it is somewhere I have often thought I should go and until now I just haven't got around to it (which is becoming a bit of a theme here isn't it...).
Anyway, a bit of a back story. Ever since I was here as a student, and in the intervening years when I visited and now that I'm back, the Tobu Tojo line has been basically the area I have lived, or stayed. It's a nice familiarity I suppose. It is often the butt of jokes, 'the country bumpkin line', the oldest train stock, and more recently, sadly, because of the high number of level crossings, the highest number of delays as 'accidents' occur along the line. Well, those of us who live here. we kind of like it. The line starts at Ikebukuro in Tokyo, and goes deep into Saitama country where I headed today. As a student, our first-year campus was (and still is) out along this line so I used to travel once a week to Sakado/ Higashi Matsuyama to attend class. In more recent years, I have gone a little bit further to Shinrin Koen, another large park and I may venture there again one day. But today, Ogawamachi, even further out. It is famous mostly for traditional Japanese paper crafts (uh-oh, did someone say crafts?) and also local sake breweries and more recently the craft beer trend is taking off here too (uh-oh, did someone say craft?).
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Feeling like like a train otaku however...this blue and white stock was the one we used to catch
back in the olden days. Nowadays it does the rural run |
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| The station |
There is always a bit of a danger in heading out in the first week of the new year that some places will not be open (as was the case, including the famous donut shop...next time) and that was largely the case today but a few spots were open, and indeed it was the streetscapes I was mostly interested in (OK, and maybe the crafts and craft beers).
Amazingly, just an hour by express train from my station, which, funnily enough, is about how long it takes to get to work when I travel in the other direction on a typical morning. But, as you know, if you have come this far, I am trying to do as any untypical things as I can over the next few days.
If Kawagoe (also along this same train line) is sometimes known as 'Little Edo' (the pre-modern name of Tokyo) for its streetscapes, apparently there is a hint of 'Little Kyoto' around Ogawamachi. Hmm, not sure about that, but it has its own charms, as these few pics show.
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| Modern urban architecture |
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These old 'kura' or storehouses are fascinating. In many places they are being renovated and used
in all sorts of interesting ways |
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As I was busy photographing this, a local gent asked me what I was doing, intrigued. 'What's it called?'
he asked me. Hmm, not really sure, I said. 'Ah, I don't know either, never mind', he said and went on his way. 😊 |
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| Fence decoration... |
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| Late lunch, local sake |
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| The 'omakase' set lunch (rather late in the day)...leave it to the chef. Too big to fit in one pic. |
Back home, with some of my efforts to help the local economy...little samples of all the little town is famous for...paper, sake and new trending craft beer (which works on a reservation basis...I'll have to make a reservation and return).
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| The beer and sake part of the tour |
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| Handmade paper goods, a brooch and bookmarks. |
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| A tray, and small paper container which now hosts the lego flowers (from day 2/365) |
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| Have always wanted some of these, rarely find them in my size... |
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Three pieces of the most gorgeous handmade paper...and now just to think about what to do.*
*I have some ideas. |
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| More paper goods, all handmade, cards and book covers |
Local pottery, of course, somehow it finds its way into my basket...
Today's exploring with the Canon EOS 90D and again with the 24-105mm lens, great accessory for this type of work; and the trusty iPhone 12 mini. Some 10,400 steps in today's workout.
There won't always be quite this many photos...some days it might be just one, but that's for when I return to work, for now, I'm having too much fun getting out and about. Now, where to tomorrow?
