ayase station towards the U shaped higashi-ayase park: September 6 ...

there was no agenda, i just wanted to walk. and the more i walked, the more my direction was leaning to some place i haven't been too. since it was a friday, i wanted to go far and to go bold. (i just want to use bold in my blog entry.) the trip got clearer, i wanted to go to the next stop after kita-senju along the joban line. i wanted to continue this entry below.

the joban line nightwalk : August 30 2024

sadly, it takes so much time following the same trail; i had to find a shorter path. so here i crossed the sumida river towards a second bridge and just followed the river banks towards a second bridge eastward. it was so tempting to ride a bus, but this nightwalker has to stay true with the branding. i am not a nightrider.

it was a long walk along a dark river bank. but i know it was safe, there were jogger and bikers also on the same path i was on. only the lights from the nearby houses lit the paved path i was on. this continued for a long 15 minutes until i reached the senjushin bridge which crosses the arakawa river. it was my first time on this road, everything from here on is a first time. at the bridge's end was a dedicated walking and bicycle path going down the elevated bridge.

as a residential area, it was quiet along the roads. sometimes you wonder if there really are people living in such a quiet neighborhood. i was mostly alone in this journey. went through some tunnel and walked on some wooden pathway beside this small water canal. i'm pretty sure this was made for the sakura blooms in spring; most of the trees lined along the path were sakura trees. i will have to come back in spring.

this path eventually lead to the ayase river, another tributary of the great arakawa. it was not that wide and had no signs of plant life. the highway was running right beside it.

finally reached the ayase station, the next stop after kita-senju on the joban line. like other area surrounding a station, this area was also very commercial. stations brings money to an area. but instead of stopping, i proceeded to a park a few hundred meters ahead. the entrance had a huge sundial, something not common. this marked the entrance of the higashi-ayase park.

higashi-ayase park (東綾瀬公園)

i was drawn to this path of greenery because of the unique shape it had on the map, an inverted "U". land area wise, it was not that wide. but what it lacked in width, it made up in length, around 2 km long, and this totaled to 160 square kilometers. opened in 1966, this park was a collection of square patches linked by walkways.

one of these square patches had a baseball field, a tennis court, and a pool. there was a small gathering at this place of families with their kids. having parks like this definitely helps with the socialization, and in turn builds a community. these kids will soon be the pillars of this neighborhood.

one structure that caught my attention was this grand looking staircase. it had a circular shape, one was a ramp meant for bicycles to go down. this staircase led to a foot bridge which crosses the street below it.

the next patch of square had an herb garden. someone happened to walk past me and i honestly thought that he smelled like a coconut oil liniment. i am so sorry, it was a mistaken judgement, not him but the herbs planted in here smelled like that.

the herb garden lead to another patch with some small stream at one side. it had a wooden bridge, which i got frustrated with. i wanted to take a picture but it doesn't look like a bridge from afar at all. zoomed a bit and it didn't help. in the end, i took a picture while on the bridge, the small stream was no longer visible.

large trees were more concentrated in this area by the stream. i don't know if you can walk on the waters but it looked scary to try at night. the whole tiny walkway to the next bigger square patch had this similar feature, more trees beside a stream of water. red spider lilies were also known to grow in one portion, and maple trees in another, making this park enjoyable all year round.

there was an adventure corner on one portion, and i would have loved to take pictures and even enjoy the area. however, there was a couple sweetly in embrace while laying on the adventure apparatus. i do not want to bother them at all, hope they will produce offspring for the next generation, that is my help to increase japan's ageing population.

the stream of water finally ended at another raised walking bridge, kawachi bridge. this had perfect lighting and quite a good shape resembling like walking over a hill. just had to take pictures, i am a sucker for warm lights.

the next patch had a building, a uniquely designed one. from my perspective, it looked like a mountain range from a distance. tokyo budokan (東京武道館) is a place to learn martial arts. i have read that many forms of martial arts are taught in the halls inside this building. i initially thought that it was used for concerts because of a similarly named building somewhere else.

the next patches was more like resting spaces with more benches and some trees on the sides. we are nearing the ayase station once again which means that more people will need more benches to rest. from here, i hopped on the train feeling joyful to complete the journey. it was such a long walk, but walking surrounded by trees gave me such a happy pill.

that took me around 3 hours to complete, but definitely no complaints here. for those who wants to start walking, a good pair of comfortable shoes helps.

as always, stay safe.
AMPING KANUNAY!