Yugo's Yokohama Walker #10
The showa, retro tram carriages are perfect Instagrammable spots!
Doesn't this Yokohama Transportation Uniform Cap, which has a bit of retro feel, fit me well? A while ago, I went to a facility called Yokohama Tram Museum. There is an area called Takigashira here, which was a depot for trams and a factory for railroad cars 48 years ago. The museum is located at the ground level of a public apartment building and displays seven Yokohama trams that were actually in operation. As we are allowed to enter the carriages, I tried going into each of them and they were so cool~. The wooden floor and seats covered with velvet fabric give an additional charm to the trams. I love how they give the trams an antique feel. As it is too good an opportunity to miss, I decided to pose like I am taking a photoshoot. This will definitely turn out to be an "instagrammable" photo!
At the history exhibition corner, they displayed photos of running trams from 1904 (Meiji 37) to 1972 (Showa 47). It was an interesting read. Even though I was bad at geography when I was a student, the photos and information contained many names, such as Yokohama Station, Sakuragicho and Bashamichi, which are places that were familiar to me having grown up in Yokohama. Although they were photos from 100 years ago, I can recognise them just by a look. Normally I pass by those places while driving in my car or bike, so I can recall the scenery.
What I was surprised about is that the current Yokohama Station is the third one and that the second one was located in Takashimacho. I knew that the first one was in Sakuragicho though... Other than that, I learnt many things from the exhibition, such as the tram drivers' licenses were in the form of wooden tags and the female tram conductors' uniforms were very fashionable.
If I had visited a similar kind of exhibition in some other places, I probably would have just taken a look and been done with it, but since it's located in my hometown, I feel touched by it. I realised that it is fun to learn history and geography while connecting it to my experiences. I might brag a bit about the knowledge of Yokohama's streets that I have learnt this time when I meet up with my hometown friends (LOL). I thoroughly enjoyed myself on this adult's social studies field trip.
Golden Week is going to start soon, I hope that everyone does not forget to wash their hands and wear masks. I am being more careful than usual too. And for the next issue, let's meet again "with a smile"!
--Yokohama Walker May 2020--