Japan, Nakano - Railway

Rail has played the role of a crucial means of transportation since the early 19th century with the invention of the steam engine. 

Today, rail transportation no longer runs on steam engine except for a very few select lines around the world who still provide this service, usually to cater to the tourism industry. Typically, such lines are operated as a form of luxury travel for the select few customers who can afford to fork out huge sums of money to enjoy the unique experience. 

For normal folks like myself, rail transport refers to modern electric trains. And nostalgia typically refers to the older models of the trains still running. Apart from the trains, the tracks on which the trains run on can be very photogenic subjects during our travels. Whenever I traveled, I usually enjoyed photographing the trains and also the tracks on which the train operated. This is especially when I visited places in rural areas, away from the main city and business centres where the train, tracks and even the stations are generally not so modern. These older trains, tracks and stations provoked a sense of nostalgia, a kind of invisible link between the old and the new, an imaginary pathway to a bygone era.

Railway track, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan (2017)

In Nakano, I got the chance to photograph a railway track where the frequency of trains was low. The relatively low frequency between trains arriving at the station provided me with the opportunity to literally take quick photographs of the train tracks while I was positioned on the track itself. Nakano ward is near to Shinjuku and is considered as part of greater Tokyo area. 

The design of the tracks, their symmetry and the way everything blends in with the surroundings is simply magical. A throwback to a time when rail was the main mode of land transportation.

Part of the rural rail station of Nakano, ,Tokyo, Japan (2017)

Older model trains are still in use for many small suburban rail lines around the country where passenger traffic is not as heavy as those in the bigger suburbs and cities, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan (2017)

Author's note: The position on the track on which I had stationed myself for the photographs also served as a crossroad. Thus, when a train is approaching, safety barriers will be lowered, blocking pedestrian access to the tracks. It was entirely safe for me to be taking photographs there as any approaching trains will be accompanied by the sounding of an alarm, followed by the closing of the tracks with the safety barriers. I am never a person who takes risks with regards to safety. It is simply not wise to do so. :-)