"Yurakucho Izakaya & Tachikawa Views"

I visited Tachikawa recently - the first time I've been there in some time. Some views of the station area and nearby streets follow a couple of Yurakucho area videos:

"Izakaya Search Under Shinkansen Tracks in Yurakucho" (100108-1849)

Heading under the Shinkansen tracks near Yurakucho Station in search of old-style izakayas. It used to be that places under the tracks were never expensive, due to noise and vibration from the overhead trains, and so they've always been popular with people looking for economical places to eat and drink who don't mind the noise. But with better tracks and smoother running trains, combined with a tidal wave of overpriced luxury stores and restaurants all over Tokyo, places under the tracks have been getting (shudder) trendy, and the trendiness could be the death of the area's low-priced small shops as expensive restaurants and drinking establishments move in, pushing up rents and driving out the smaller, more atmospheric, lower priced establishments. But for now, there are still remnants of the old Yurakucho if you look hard enough.... 新幹線のガードの下の居酒屋、有楽町辺り (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 6:49 p.m.)

"Trendy Izakaya Shops Along Tracks in Yurakucho" (100108-1852)

With quick access to Yurakucho Station, quieter rails and trains, and new, larger shops, there are many popular trendy shops under the tracks now. It's too bad in a way, as almost all of Tokyo is plagued with new trendy stuff, so it's easy to find yourself wishing for a continuation of some of the funky old stuff. Anyway, even the new places aren't bad, and some of them are reasonably priced.... 京浜東北線のガードの下のトレンディ居酒屋、有楽町の辺り (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 6:52 p.m.)

"Evening Inbound Chuo Line Train Arrives at Kokubunji" (100105-1827)

Chuo Line train comes into Kokubunji Station on a weekday evening. 中央線が国分寺駅に入る 東京 (Recorded on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010, at 6:27 p.m.)

"Walking Towards Monorail at Tachikawa Station" (100108-1141)

Walking towards the monorail station at Tachikawa after riding in on a Chuo Line train. 中央線の立川駅からモノレール向きに歩き出す 東京 (Recorded on Friday, January 8th, 2010, at 11:41 a.m.)

"Outside Down Escalator in Tachikawa" (100108-1143)

Looking around while riding an outdoors escalator towards street level from the overhead pedestrian walkway on the south side of the station. 立川駅南口の外のエスカレーター 東京 (Recorded on Tuesday, January 8th, 2010, at 11:43 a.m.)

"Tachikawa Bipedal Street View" (100108-1233)

Walking along a January street in Tachikawa at lunchtime. In the middle of the video is a hamburger place playing fifties music. After walking by with the camera recording, I shut off the camera and went back for a hamburger. It was quite good I thought. And since it was between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., it included free French fries (or "fried potato[es]" as they are locally known). In addition to the retro-music, they had advertisements from old magazines on the wall that were interesting to check out. The only one I could put a specific date to was an ad for a 1960 car. I asked when they were from, but the shop-keeper didn't have any idea. Late fifties I would guess, from the content and from the ad for the 1960 car. 立川の道の歩きながらビュー 東京 (Recorded on Tuesday, January 8th, 2010, at 12:33 p.m.)

"Tachikawa Station Bound on January 8th, 2010" (100108-1302)

Walking under the monorail... (track? concrete road?) on the way to the entrance to Tachikawa Station. 立川駅の近く 東京 (Recorded on Tuesday, January 8th, 2010, at 1:02 p.m.)

"Tachikawa Station & Running for Chuo Line" (100108-1303)

Walking past a bakery as I enter Tachikawa Station, I take a quick look at a rest area and then proceed through the ticket barrier and into the central part of the station. As I realize there's a Chuo Line train about to leave, I break into a run in order to catch it. I run down the stairs and then walk up the platform a little before climbing aboard. Looking out the still open door from inside the train, there is a view of a freight train just coming to a stop on a neighboring track. 立川駅 中央線に乗る為、走る 貨物列車 東京 (Recorded on Tuesday, January 8th, 2010, at 1:03 p.m.)

"Leaving Tachikawa via Chuo Line" (100108-1305)

As the train pulls away from Tachikawa Station, you can see a stopped freight train on a neighboring track. Further along, there is a quick view of new tracks under construction. (Only the outbound rails are elevated here now, next they will elevate the inbound rails as well. 中央線の立川駅からの出発 貨物列車 東京 (Recorded on Tuesday, January 8th, 2010, at 1:05 p.m.)

"Chuo Line Construction between Kokubunji & Tachikawa" (100108-1306)

In this stretch, only the outbound tracks are elevated, so the newly elevated part is seen from ground level in this view taken from the right side of an inbound Chuo Line train. (It was a similar situation with the stretch between Kokubunji and Mitaka, but they've got both inbound and outbound elevated there now.) 中央線の国分寺と立川の間の工事 貨物列車 東京 (Recorded on Tuesday, January 8th, 2010, at 1:06 p.m.)

Lyle (Hiroshi) Saxon
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~LLLtrs/
http://youtube.com/lylehsaxon