The Toden Arakawa Line operates a fleet of streetcars that are the last of their kind in Tokyo. The line started operations back in 1911 and faced closure in the 1960’s due to the influx of automobiles on the roads after WWII that saw the number of streetcar riders drop off dramatically. Thanks to some of the local residents, who resisted the closure of the lines in their neighborhood, you too can enjoy a nostalgic trip on the Toden Arakawa Line, affectionately know by the locals as the chin-chin densha, or “ding-ding train”, a name derived from the bell rung twice at each crossing, through some of Tokyo’s older neighborhoods.
In 1942 there were 41 streetcar routes operating in Tokyo and almost 2 million people used the streetcar transportation network daily at its peak in 1943. Eventually most of the lines were closed and replaced with the more modern subway and train transportation system that we see in the city today. In October of 1974 the Toden Arakawa Line was born when two of the remaining routes were merged. Today you can travel the 12.2 kilometer route between between Minowabashi and Waseda in around 50 minutes (route map).
Why not combine a journey on Tokyo’s newest subway line, the Fukutoshin Line, to Nishi-Waseda with a nostalgic trip back to Minowabashi on one of the last remaining streetcars in Tokyo? The fare is nostalgic too, it only costs Y160, about US $1.50, per person to ride any portion of the Toden Arakawa Line.
Sights along the Toden Arakawa Line include the beautiful campus of Waseda University where you can visit the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum that specializes in materials related to the history of the theater and arts in Japan, the Kishimojin (map), home to a beautiful 600 year old Ginko tree, the Arakawa Amusement Park and the Susanoo Shrine which are all included in Tokyo Tourism’s guide to the Toden Arakawa Line.
Image Credit: Wikimedia, TokyoStockExchangeWithStreetcar1911 & Flickr, Toden Arakawa Line
译文:
东京最后的有轨电车
都电（见译者注1）荒川线上行驶着一列东京最后的有轨电车。这条运输线的运营使命始自1911年，而二战后，汽车的大量涌入使得有轨电车的客流量急剧下降，也就导致该线在20世纪60年代面临关闭的威胁。有些住在该线路周围的居民坚持抵制该线的关闭， 而最后也正是多亏了他们，你方能在今日踏上这条被当地人亲切地称为“当当电车”（见译者注2）或“叮叮火车”的线路，一享怀旧之旅。列车在到达老城区的每个交叉口都会响两下铃，“当当电车”和“叮叮火车”的名字也就因此得来。
1942年时东京共有41条有轨电车线，而在1943年，每日高峰时间有轨电车的流量更是达到两百万人次左右。最后，几乎所有的有轨电车都被我们今天所看到的更为先进的地铁及铁路运输系统所替代。在1974年十月，都电荒川线由两条余存的有轨电车线合并而成。今天，大约50分钟左右你便能穿梭于三之轮桥停留所（见译者注3）与早稻田之间，享受这12.2公里的旅程。（线路图）
何不踏上旅程？既体验东京最新的地铁线——副都心线（见译者注4），又享受日本最后的有轨电车自西早稻田至三之轮桥停留所的怀旧之旅。怀旧之旅的费用也很是“怀旧”，不过160日元一人（1.50美金左右）即可畅游都电荒川线。
都电荒川线的沿途风景包括：美丽的早稻田大学校区，在那你可前往坪内博士纪念馆，欣赏与日本戏剧与艺术相关的展品； 鬼子母神（见译者注5），那里有一棵600岁的古树；荒川游乐园及素盏鸣神社（见译者注6），相关信息在东京旅游指南之都电荒川线介绍篇都有涵盖。
图片来源：维基百科, 东京有轨电车股票交易1911,Flicke网站之都电荒川线