As much as I love Tokyo, Kashiwa will always be home to me. It's the same feeling I have with LA. I love Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Venice Beach, The Arts District...but Torrance will always be home.
Last weekend I decided it was time to bring my camera around Kashiwa and take some pics of the places most familiar to me. Welcome to my hood...
I walk past this car every time I go to the station. I really wanna know who owns this sucker, and why they never drive it?! I wish there was something standing next to it for size reference...it is SO TINY.
Funny story, I bought these shoes from Zara recently and my friend at church was like, "amie I thought you were wearing socks!" as in she thought my shoes were tan socks... LOL.
北柏駅- Kita-Kashiwa station. (Kita means "North" in Japanese) this is my home station, a 7 minute walk from my apartment. It's tiny and cute and I love it.
柏駅- one station over from my home station is Kashiwa station which is a pretty big and busy place. Some people have even dubbed it the "Shibuya of Chiba" and considering there are 3 starbucks within 30 seconds of one another and hundreds of students filling the streets...I'd have to agree.
This is the main exit where a lot of people wait to meet up with friends. Whenever I walk through this part of the station, especially on a weekend, there is a 95% chance I'll see one of my students. All high schoolers in Japan wear uniforms but every school is different so I've become an expert at spotting my students blue uniforms in a crowd!
I always walk this way to Asahidori to go to my Japanese lessons!
Three major lines run through Kashiwa station...the Joban local line, the Joban rapid line, and the tobu urban park line. From Kashiwa, if i take the rapid line I can get to Tokyo or Ueno station in 30 minutes.
Japan life = train life
A day is not complete w/o a bathroom selfie...haha jk.
I also spend a lot of time at Kashiwanoha and Nagareyama-Ootakanomori (longest name ever).
Down this street you'll find a ton of restaurants, Kashiwa shrine, a DonQuijote (like target on steroids) , my fav place white gyoza, and eventually the Kashiwa Reysol stadium where the soccer games are held.
At Kashiwa station there are a bunch of malls...Soho, Takashimaya, Marui, Vat...and they're all sort of connected but hold a variety of stores. I get lost all the time when I'm like..."wait was the Disney store here or in the other mall?" "Was it on the 2nd floor...or 8th floor?" Malls in Japan are tall and narrow so often times there are 10 floors to get lost on. haha
So there you have it folks...the place I call home and the station that will always feel the most familiar to me. There are a lot of station in Japan, all with their own character and vibe, but I love that I get to call this one home.