Sunday 3 November 2013

Tokyo Night Walk: Bundle of Tracks in Hamamatsu-cho

EMU Tokyo Monorail 1000 series (left) and EMU JR Central N700 series (right)
 
The weather has become cooler, giving Tokyoites a sense of the upcoming mid-autumn. Currently, the daytime maximum temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius every day. It is the best season for a stroll not only in the daytime but also in the evening. I visited the World Trade Center Building near Hamamatsu-cho Station after office hours, and enjoyed a night view of the urban area. My destination was the observatory deck on the 40th floor.

Look at the top photo. It is the railway tracks threading their way through the cluster of high-rise buildings. You can see a bundle of tracks such as the JR Central's Tokaido Shinkansen, the JR East's Tokaido Main Line, the Yamanote Line and the Keihin-Tohoku Line. Furthermore, you can also see the elevated tracks of the Tokyo Monorail Line, crossing the JR tracks obliquely. The EMU Shinakansen N700 series and the Tokyo Monorail 1000 series were just heading North. These trains were beaming their frontal lights into the night.

The advantage of this observatory is its photographer-friendly services. For instance, the indoor lighting is modest. Use of a tripod stand is allowed. As you may know, there are many competing night viewing spots in Tokyo, such as Tokyo Sky Tree and Tokyo Tower.

For your information, this observatory has a special viewing spot for couples. It is perhaps the best spot to view Tokyo Tower (see the following picture) in Tokyo.

 
Special spot for couples in World Trade Center Building near Hamamatsu-cho Station