写真集 CRP 西日暮里駅界隈 2022年7月 PHOTO BY TERUYO FUKUMOTO NISHI-NIPPORI ST. TOKYO JAPAN 山手線周遊

山手線周遊06　西日暮里界隈 2022年7月
池袋から始まったC R P山手線周遊撮影も早いもので既に６番目の駅、西日暮里駅界隈が７月の撮影地です。
この駅も今回初めて降り立った馴染みのない場所、ネットを調べても居酒屋さんやカフェの案内ばかりで目ぼしい撮影スポットは見当たらない。　特筆すべきは、西日暮里という地名がつく地域はかなり広く、地名も古くからあったようだが、地上２階にある西日暮里駅の開業は１９７１年と遅い。広域な西日暮里の一丁目に位置するのは、常磐線三河島駅；　この駅構内で信号を見落として、貨物列車が脱線、その貨物列車に旅客列車が多重衝突し、多数の死傷者を出した“三河島事故”から６０年、この事故を教訓として、鉄道システムが整備され、改善されて、現在の鉄道の安全は支えられている。時間がなかったので、駅構内には入らなかった。黙祷。
写真を撮りながら西日暮里に戻り、坂道を少し登って見渡すと、無数に線路が走っている。歩く人の姿はあまり多くない。

Teruyo Fukumoto
It is now July, and I find myself at Nishi-Nippori Station, the sixth stop on the CRP
Yamanote Line photo shoot which began at Ikebukuro.
This is also my first time getting off at this unfamiliar station; even after checking the
Internet, all I could find was information on pubs and cafes. Nothing caught my eye as a
potential location to take photos. It should be noted that while the district of Nishi-Nippori is
quite large and seems to have been around for a long time, the JR station which bears the
same name that is elevated above a roadway and various shops was opened relatively
recently in 1971.
Just a short hop east in Nishi-Nippori-ichome along the JR Joban Line, which branches off
just south from Nishi-Nippori Station, is Mikawashima Station. It is 60 years to the year
since the ‘Mikawashima Accident’, one of Japan’s worst rail disasters in which a missed
signal by a freight train led to it derailing and subsequently causing the derailing and
collision of two passenger trains, resulting in scores of casualties. The lessons learned from
this accident have been used to develop and improve the rail system and ensure safety on
Japan’s extensive railroad network. Running out of time, I did not venture inside the station,
but did take a moment to offer a silent prayer.
Meandering back to Nishi-Nippori station, I walked up a hillside to get a better look at the
numerous trains going this way and that on the lines that crisscross the area. Many trains,
but not many people are about on this summer’s day.