I started in Uguisudani station, one stop away from Ueno on the Yamanote line. It’s physically closer to the University than Ueno station is (and one stop closer to Ikebukuro), but after trying it from here I think Ranko would probably enjoy walking through the park to Ueno station more. She might use this station if the weather were poor or she were in a hurry.
You can see my outline reflected in the sign, as well as the tracks and platform behind me.
The University actually has a high school associated with the Music Department, and it was the first building I encountered. This is so students can attend high school and continue their music studies at the same time. I didn’t know about it when I wrote “Genma’s Daughter” or I would have worked it in. Still, I think Ranko would prefer to stay at Fuurinkan with all of her friends.
They had a basketball court in the back.
The entrance to the Music division, from across the street. The Fine Arts division campus is behind me. Unfortunately, on this day (February 21, 2001) the guard could not let me roam the campus freely. Both entrance exams for incoming students and the performances by graduating students were in progress. He did let me wander around a bit close to the entrance, however, and gave me a nice brochure for the University. It has an aerial photo of the whole University which I might scan some day.
The guard did let me go inside a little bit, and I took some pictures which I stitched together into a panorama. This is a cylindrical projection.
Turning to the left after leaving the music division, I start on my way to Ueno station. The Fine Arts school is to my right, the Music school to my left.
A sign for visitors during the graduation festivities. The dotted line shows the path I am following, starting at the street crossing shown in an earlier photo. To the right is the Music school campus, to the left is the Fine Arts school campus. The map in the photo is located where the dotted path turns the corner.
The sign notes that there are works by both graduating students and faculty being exhibited (these are works of art, not music). The dotted path is showing how to get to the art museum to see them; I pass by it in the next photo.
Passing by the art museum on the way into Ueno park proper.
A panorama of the plaza inside Ueno park. There are a lot of “ghosts” since people moved between my taking the pictures which make up the panorama. Near the left, the weird building that looks like a spacecraft is actually a police box, or koban.
A clearer view of the police box. The path to the right of it leads to Ueno station.
Directions to the zoo, pointing back the way I came. This sign is immediately opposite Ueno station.
Ueno station.
The ticket machines outside the station.
The automatic gates you put a ticket or fare card into.
There are signs telling you what the next train is and when it will depart. The signs alternate between Japanese and English.
The Yamanote line is a circle line that goes all the way around the downtown, central part of Tokyo. In the U.S. a city might have a beltway, and the Yamanote line serves the same purpose.
A Yamanote line train, bound for Ikebukuro, pulling into Ueno station. The photo is a little blurry because it was dark.
The Yamanote line platform in Ikebukuro station.
This way to the platform for the Seibu Ikebukuro line. I didn't get a photo of the platform because I was too busy worrying whether I was getting on the right train. ^^;;
This is the point where I could no longer follow Ranko on her way home, since Fuurinkan-cho doesn’t really exist (at least not in this world—time for a self-insert? ^_^). I got off in Nerima town, the town for which the whole ward of Nerima is named. It’s where the ward office is.
In front of the station. No fantastic martial artists or Chinese Amazons, but there was a Mister Donut. Fanfics to the contrary, Nerima ward is pretty much the same as any other part of Tokyo.
The culture center for Nerima ward, located near the station. I think Ranko will probably perform here at some point. ^_^
A cute mural that was on the side of the culture center.
A typical neighborhood of middle-class single family homes. Nerima ward reminded me a lot of Queens borough in New York City: quiet and middle class. I grew up in the Bronx, in a neighborhood called Riverdale which was right next to Yonkers.
Some apartments of the kind where Noriko Kobuchizawa and her family might live. Is that Miki I hear up on the third floor?
Nerima station, from the outside. You can see an Ikebukuro line train in the station.
After taking this shot, I had a late lunch (katsudon), and looked for a camera store since I’d cleverly placed my thumb on the lens. I found one, but they didn’t have any lens paper. However, the young woman who worked there, in typical Japanese fashion, said “I’ll be back in three minutes!” and ran down the street to another camera store to get some for me.
It took her a minute to figure out what I wanted, as I tried to describe it in Japanese, and the Japanese phrase for lens paper turns out to be “RENZU PEEPAA.” ^^;;