All aboard Tokyo's last surviving city streetcar

The tiny Toden Arakawa line streetcars crisscross the northern Tokyo wards.

Would you think we were stretching a point if we said that it’s possible to travel through space and time in Tokyo for just a few hundred yen? Probably, but that’s the tingly feeling we got last time we climbed aboard the city’s only surviving streetcar.

All aboard the Toden Arakawa express (not that it picks up much speed anywhere) to find out where we went and what’s worth seeing down the line.

Streetcar lovers -- a very demanding breed of transportation otaku -- are likely to be a little disappointed when visiting Tokyo. Alas, the once extended tram system (more than 600,000 passengers per day at its peak in 1955) has long gone. Luckily enough, though, the Arakawa line -- whose oldest section was built in 1913 -- has survived the slaughter.

Free to roam

It’s a very peculiar line, to be sure, because even though it’s labeled as a streetcar, it almost never ventures into the heavy Tokyo traffic, being confined to an independent railway that cuts through the streets at just one point, thus freeing the trains from red lights and traffic jams.

Part of the Arakawa appeal for hardcore urban explorers is that the 12.2-kilometer, 50-minute trip on this unassuming little train takes you way off the two main beaten tracks of this labyrinthine metropolis -- the ultramodern shopping and business districts on one side and the fake folkloristic neighborhoods on the other.

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Even better than riding the train from start to finish is getting off at least two or three times along the line and following the tracks on foot for a while.

This is no easy task because the streetcar often runs very close to the walls of the houses that crows the line in many places.

A walk along the Arakawa line plunges the curious urban explorer into a maze of backstreets and old wooden houses.

However, these detours are what make the whole experience worthwhile. Leave the tracks and you will step into an older, long-gone Tokyo made up of small, family-run factories and tiny shops full of dust and strange objects most people don’t even remember how to use. And trees. That’s a peculiarity that sets the line apart, in a city that is not very tree-friendly.

A few stops from its Waseda Station start, the train reaches Zoshigaya, one of the most fascinating neighborhoods along the line. On the right side of the tracks you will find the Zoshigaya cemetery.

Though it may sound creepy, many cemeteries are quite charming, and the ones in Tokyo are among the most beautiful and quiet places you will find in the city. Zoshigaya is no exception.

Walking its grass-covered uneven paths, surrounded by trees and the pervasive fragrance of incense, one can easily forget that the huge and ugly Sunshine City high-rise complex sits on the other side of the tracks.

Resting residents

This cemetery, by the way, is home to many celebrated residents, including writers Natsume Soseki and Lafcadio Hearn and prime minister Hideki Tojo.

Leaving Zoshigaya, the streetcar intersects the Yamanote Line loop at Otsuka before shooting north toward the outer limits of the city.

Walking the maze of backstreets and alleys that comprise these supposedly unappealing neighborhoods is a refreshing experience after the usual hustle of the business and entertainment districts.

The city’s northern districts are home to a high proportion of elderly people, meaning this part of Tokyo has never been too fashionable. It’s considered traditional and boring and the pace of life too slow for the younger generations.

The Arakawa line stations are as simple as the lives many local people seem to lead.

The Arakawa streetcar line, in a sense, mirrors this lack of glamor. Instead of the high-tech subway stations, here you have much simpler affairs -- concrete blocks, a wooden bench for three or four people to sit and no ticket-vending machines or ticket gates.

About halfway from the terminus, the streetcar reaches Asukayama and finally plucks up the courage to join the traffic.

This is a pretty busy intersection and the driver has to reduce his speed to a crawl, offering a good chance to get off again and explore the surrounding area.

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This is a place of great historical and natural interest. Located on high ground, with streams that spill over waterfalls to feed the Shakujii River, it saw large-scale tree-planting in the 18th century by order of the shogun.

Many cherry trees were planted on the hilltops and when they bloomed, hanami (flower-viewing) parties were held, attracting sophisticates from the city center some 8 kilometers to the south.

Some of the oldest trees still remain, together with four of the original seven waterfalls in the garden at the back of the Oji Inari Shinto shrine.

Stark history

This show of endurance is no mean feat, considering that industrialisation destroyed a good part of the natural environment, and in turn made the area a target for heavy U.S. wartime bombing.

Half hidden behind a group of houses there is also a Buddhist temple. Near the entrance there is a small sign that reads Akachan-ji (Babies' Temple).

Many women who can’t conceive or who seek divine protection for their soon-to-be-born child come here and pray. Others seek forgiveness after a termination.

Almost every town has a place like this, easily recognisable by the many dolls and toys piled up in front of the altar.

These bean-paste-filled cakes have been enjoyed by local residents and train otaku alike for decades.

Another place worth a visit while in the area is the Paper Museum, which covers, unsurprisingly, paper history and craft.

Back on the train, there still are a couple of places worth a visit -- one at Kajiwara Station, where next to the tracks there is a shop called Akemi Seika that sells cakes in the shape of streetcars; the other at Arakawa Yuenchimae Station for a visit to an old-fashioned amusement park.