AUGUST 27, 2023 / JOHNNY

Keisei Tateishi Station in Tokyo. Work began in 2022 to elevate the train tracks so this cityscape no longer looks like this

Trains are an integral part of daily life in Japan, supporting commutes, errands and all other forms of daily life. And while their existence can be taken for granted, their many forms and colors add to the uniqueness of each neighborhood they traverse. Capturing the scenery of the city and the warmth of trains lines that envelop them throughout the seasons is street-walking illustrator Shinjiro Ogawa.

Obayashi Station in the city of Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture. It appeared in the 2011 film “Hankyu Railways – A 15-minute Miracle”

Because trains and their infrastructure are such vital bloodlines for Japanese cities, they are also constantly changing and being upgraded. The nostalgic moments in time that Ogawa depicts are both an homage to the trains but also a testament to how they and their surrounding neighborhoods once looked.[…]

A wintry view of Kugayama Station along the Inokashira Line in Tokyo

More: Trains Intersect with Everyday Life in Nostalgic Illustrations by Shinjiro Ogawa