Composed mostly of apartments and other residences, Koganei feels like most of Tokyo’s outer areas that I’ve experienced. Every day people sleep in these residential districts and then commute to the center in hordes. For a year I’m living in Koganei, so for a year I am a member of the Koganei Horde. Allow me to begin with the heavy metal that unites us peons.
Koganei (小金井)
The approaching train is bound for Tokyo Station.
Orange stripes for the Chūō Line.
Koganei’s purpose: trains & apartments (or condos).
Musashi Koganei Station has two platform levels.
Yes, this train will leave at 11:58 exactly.
Woosh!
The road that leads to my gym at night.
The tripod that allows me to take these night shots.
My post office! And some dangerous traffic lights. ;)
The beginnings of maybe a house.
Construction sites are later covered like this.
Tall buildings, all residential.
Trying to make the ugliness less ugly.
I’ll call this street Apartmental Avenue.
Apartmental Avenue from farther back.
A.A. again. A little funky because of a passing car.
Do I want a jagged, flat, or round balcony wall?
Power lines always get in the way!
There, that’s a bit better.
Interesting patterns amongst plainness.
This could make a fitting Koganei postcard.
One last look at A.A. from the other direction.
It’s just hard to make anything look good here.
But there’s my best effort, anyway.
The construction cranes here seem huge to me.
Looking south from the 8th floor of Seiyu.
The full length of one train (10 cars).
Tall building foreground & tall building background.
Like a metal-and-concrete sandwich.
Another view of the scene in “fool’s folly.”
Now looking to the left (southeast).
Off we go to a section of A.A. south of the tracks.
This has a main-street kind of feel to it.
The road is lined with storefronts.
And it has a rare overhang for rainy days.
Yay! A little Engrish!
