A perfect 10 for matching patterns, but a considerably lower score for colour coordination.
The sad, silent beauty of an abandoned Japanese train platform
Tokyo’s train system is both efficient and convenient, but using it is often anything but pleasant due to the network’s truly monstrous number of daily passengers. Outside the capital, however, train travel can be a very different beast altogether, and this is particularly true in rural areas, where the journeys are often slow and peaceful, making them an enjoyable part of the day, rather than a necessary evil one simply has to endure.
The only trouble with such a relaxing experience is that a key part of the peacefulness is down to a distinct lack of other travellers, making many routes financially unsustainable. This being Japan, the majority continue to run at least a limited service, as they provide essential transportation for students and the elderly in smaller, less well connected communities. But inevitably there are limits, and over the years a large number of lines have already been closed. For a couple of examples, earlier this year I photographed an abandoned route and its environs just north of Tokyo, and prior to that, the lovely old stations of a disused line in Hokkaido.
In fact, Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido is at the sharp end of this issue, as the perfect storm of a shrinking population and urban migration have already resulted in a multitude of line closures, with many more set to follow. Not that this is a particularly recent problem, as one that disappeared just over 30 years ago was the Shibetsu Line. It opened way back in December 1933, but the service sadly ended on April 30th 1989. The tracks are now overgrown, but the platform where its branch line started from is amazingly still intact due to the station also being part of another, somewhat busier route. Understandably it’s a little forlorn looking, especially so in the rain, but at the same time it boasts a quiet, melancholic beauty all its own.
The Tokyo quiff of all quiffs?
A glimpse of old Tokyo, in modern Tokyo
An old, cluttered and dirty Japanese inn
The traditional Japanese ryokan, or inn, is usually portrayed as a place of minimalist charm and old school tranquility. An ideal location to escape the stress of the modern world and luxuriate in beautiful surroundings, hot baths and elaborate meals.
Now, no matter how romanticised some aspects of Japanese culture can be, there’s a lot of truth in that image, and they genuinely are lovely places to stay. Just as common and far less expensive, however, is the similarly timeless but much less exclusive variety of ryokan frequented by the likes of travelling salesman and construction workers. Cheap and cheerful lodgings that are there to serve a practical purpose rather than pander. And just like when it comes to bars, it’s the grubby, back to basics variety of inn that I purposely seek out, as at the end of the day, they are simply more interesting. So the rougher looking the better, and the worse the reviews, the more tempting they become, although invariably it’s the exterior on Street View that turns out to be the deciding factor, as websites for such places are few and far between. In fact mostly it’s just a simple listing with the address, price and a telephone/fax number for bookings.
Below then is one such business. Accommodation that may well have ample reading material, a genuinely varied array of stuffed animals, and clutter one can do little more than marvel at, yet it’s still unlikely to get much coverage in any of the ‘best places to stay in Japan’ articles.