Komagome Station
Azalea station
Komagome is about nature, a unique Yamanote line station with borders of beautiful gardens as soon as you set foot on its quay with the many azalea bushes that are arranged on each side. When they bloom each spring, the view is magnificent from the station!
Komagome Station was built on November 15, 1910, on the heights to the east of Toshima District. It is served by the JR Yamanote Line as well as the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line. Komagome is a small station, very quiet, in a neighborhood that is just as quiet although it does not lack attractions.
The famous fumikiri - a level crossing
From Komagome Station, you can see some high-speed trains of the JR Tohoku Line passing offshore. A must for train enthusiasts!
But the most interesting is the only level crossing of the entire Yamanote line. It is located about 400 meters from the station, in the direction of Tabata station. With the good frequency of the line's trains (they pass very often and regularly), the barriers are often closed, a photo opportunity in the late afternoon when the low sun floods with its warm light!
Next to it, a gigantic golf ball sits impassively, advertising an indoor golf club...
In the Somei Reien cemetery, the most beautiful are all the cherry trees that bring the place to life every spring.
Cherry trees of the famous and popular Somei Yoshino variety, whose blooms make Japan famous all over the world, were first created in the village of Somei, now a district of Tokyo.
- To read: Varieties of cherry trees in Japan
Cherry trees of the somei Yoshino variety at Somei Reien
Flickr Yamauchi
The Rikugi-en Garden and its illuminations
It is a Japanese garden created from 1695 to 1702 by Yanagisawa, a close friend of the 5th Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. The wonderful landscape that emerged from the ground was inspired by Waka poetry, with hills, ponds, forests…
Rikugi-en has stood the test of time and history, avoiding major destruction from the 1923 earthquake or the aerial bombardments of World War II. The symbols of this garden are the azaleas (blooming from April to May), the weeping cherry trees (blooming at the end of March), and the colors of the koyo in autumn (the leaves turning red and yellow), which are then highlighted by illuminations.
- Hours: open daily from 9 am to 5 pm.
- Admission: 300 yen per adult, 150 yen for over 65s, and free for under 12s
