Ohanajaya Station お花茶屋駅

Shitamachi vibe beyond the crowds

How many times I've read social media posts from visitors saying just take a train and get off and wander. Well, Ohanajaya Station fits the bill for a random walk. The train station on the Kesei line is tiny, adorned with a samurai helmet. It's modern, and remarkably, made by one of the few female Japanese blacksmiths. The shotengai is narrow and not that long, open to pedestrian traffic on weekends, and crammed with cafes, sweets shops, and at least two old-fashioned tofu shops. It looks modern but preserves a bygone atmosphere. Nearby is Hikifunegawa Water Park, a narrow heritage waterway. Along the waterway is the Katsushika City Museum with an excellent planetarium and astronomical observatory.