Shitamchi is the old town in Tokyo. It was formed during the Edo Period (1603 - 1868) in the downtown area, which was located east of Edo Castle (present Imperial Palace). Generally speaking, the people in the Shitamachi area are folksier than those of the other areas in Tokyo, and cherish their own tradition. Shitamachi was a town of the merchants. You can glimpse how the people in Shitamashi used to live, if you visit Shitamachi Museum near Nippori Station on the JR lines. This museum used to be a liquor shop until the Taisho Period (1912 - 1926).
For rail-fans, one of the must-see spots in the Shitamachi area is the ex-Ikenohata-shichikencho Stop, where an old streetcar, number 7506 of the Toei 7500 series is preserved. The 7500 series was launched in 1962 to replace the decrepit 8000 series. A total of 20 units had been manufactured by Nippon Sharyo and Niigata Tekko. It originally had a rounded body and a bow electric collector on the roof. The 7506 was, then, renovated into the more square-shaped body with a pantograph and two air conditioners on the roof in 1984. The new body is cream colored with light green stripes. The 7506 had two 60 kW direct current motors. After 46 years operation, the 7506 was retired from the track, and preserved at ex-Ikenohata-shichikencho Stop in the Shitamachi area.
The old streetcar and the traditional merchant's house... there are a lot of interesting spots in the Shitamachi area of Tokyo.
For rail-fans, one of the must-see spots in the Shitamachi area is the ex-Ikenohata-shichikencho Stop, where an old streetcar, number 7506 of the Toei 7500 series is preserved. The 7500 series was launched in 1962 to replace the decrepit 8000 series. A total of 20 units had been manufactured by Nippon Sharyo and Niigata Tekko. It originally had a rounded body and a bow electric collector on the roof. The 7506 was, then, renovated into the more square-shaped body with a pantograph and two air conditioners on the roof in 1984. The new body is cream colored with light green stripes. The 7506 had two 60 kW direct current motors. After 46 years operation, the 7506 was retired from the track, and preserved at ex-Ikenohata-shichikencho Stop in the Shitamachi area.
The old streetcar and the traditional merchant's house... there are a lot of interesting spots in the Shitamachi area of Tokyo.
