I have not walked much in Saitama Prefecture, although I do not avoid it. Looking at the map, I decided to walk along the Musashino Line this time, because it seemed that I could walk a lot in Saitama Prefecture if I walked along the Musashino Line.
Koremasa
The original Musashino Line runs from Tsurumi Station to Nishi Funabashi Station. However, passenger trains start and end at Fuchu Honmachi Station, so I decided to walk from Fuchu Honmachi Station.
Koremasa Station
I could have taken the Musashino Line or Nambu Line directly to Fuchu Honmachi Station and started walking, but I wanted to see the area around Fuchu Honmachi Station, so I decided to start from Koremasa Station on the Seibu Tamagawa Line (aka Koremasa Line).
Koremasa is named after Koremasa Ida, a vassal of the Hojo clan.
The Seibu Tamagawa Line from Musashi Sakai Station on the Chuo Line to Koremasa Station was a one-man operation.
Koremasa Bridge
This cable-stayed bridge is Koremasa Bridge. It spans the Tama River.
Originally, the Seibu-Tamagawa line was used to transport gravel from the Tama River.
Chuo Expressway
As I walked northwest, I could see the Chuo Expressway.
On the other side of the Chuo Expressway, you can see the patrol tower of Tokyo Racecourse (Fuchu Racecourse).
This is exactly where the song “Chuo Freeway” by Umin is sung.
I found the remains of the Musashi Government Office!
Dedicated walkway from Fuchu Honmachi to the racecourse
There is a nice walkway from Fuchu Honmachi to the racecourse. You can get to the racecourse without getting wet.
Fuchu Honmachi ticket gate
The ticket gate at Fuchu Honmachi is empty today.
I guess it must be crowded on race days.
Looking at the way the Braille tape is attached, it seems that the line of traffic is designed to lead you back to the source once you have bought your ticket. I think it would be more friendly to direct people to the leftmost vending machine and turn left directly toward the ticket gate.
Torii Gate of Okunitama Shrine
The torii gate of the Okunitama Shrine came into view.
National Historic Site: Musashino provincial government
Discovered the remains of Musashi Government Office, a national historic site!
It was designated as a national historic site in 2009, but I didn’t notice it before when I walked along the old Koshu Kaido in 2012.
I had time, so I decided to take a look around.
Restored residence of one-tenth the size
First of all, there is a reconstructed residence that is one-tenth the size of the original, so you can see the whole picture.
There is a crack in the foundation, but it doesn’t indicate a river or a cliff, does it?
Musashi Kokufu Scope
If you write your name and address at the management office, they will lend you a Musashi Kokufu Scope. It’s free.
There are five points with numbers written on them, and if you look through the scope near them, you can feel as if you were placed in the scenery of the past in VR (virtual reality).
If you turn around in the spot, the scenery in the vicinity will turn along with it, and even if you look up or down, it will follow. It’s very well done. The volume of the earphones is also just right, so you can learn comfortably.
Remains of the pillars (the third point of the VR can be seen on the far left)
I found the remains of Kokubunji!
Fuchu City Hall
When I got to Fuchu Kaido, I found the Fuchu City Hall.
Fuchu City is supposed to be a rich city, with a horse race track, a boat race track, and some big companies. However, the building was more modest than I expected.
Old Koshu Kaido Message Board
This is a place to post a notice board of the old Koshu Kaido. There are several streets in this area that are considered to be Koshu Kaido.
This place is also a resting place for the portable shrine of Okunitama Shrine.
Guards of Keio Line
Go through the guard of the Keio Line.
Kitafuchu Station
I came to Kitafuchu Station. It’s finally the first stop from Fuchu Honmachi Station.
Toshiba Building
On the west side of Kitafuchu Station, you can see the Toshiba building.
The tall building is supposed to be the research building for elevators. They are very careful when doing research because they can see their surroundings from a high place.
Site with a wall
This is the facility where the people inside the fence are located.
The fence was high, but there were no sharp objects attached to it to prevent people from climbing over it.
After the walk, I found out that the road I turned right along this wall was the site of the 300 million yen incident.
Tohachi Road
This is the Tohachi Road. It is also called the 30-meter road because of its width.
Ruins of Kokubunji Temple
I came to the ruins of Kokubunji Temple, which I wanted to visit since I was in Kokubunji City.
The stones were piled up nicely, and the pillars were slightly raised.
Stone monument at Kokubunji Temple
There was also an old stone monument, but it seemed to be standing in a slightly different place from where Kokubunji Temple used to be.
The site of Kokubunji Temple was not marked with a sign on the Fuchu Kaido Road, so it did not seem to be positioned as a tourist attraction. There are no stores around it.
A slope up the Kokubunji cliff line
This photo shows the slope up the Kokubunji cliff line, but the slope is not clear in the photo.
津田町立坑を発見！
Izumicho intersection
At the intersection of Izumi-machi, the pedestrian bridge was crossed.
Is this for design reasons? Or is it because it is a little cheaper to build this way?
If you want to cross diagonally, the distance is 30% shorter, but if you want to cross normally, it is 40% longer. At this intersection, pedestrians are forced to cross the pedestrian bridge, and I’m not very happy if the walking distance is also longer.
Nishi Kokubunji Station
This is Nishi-Kokubunji Station. It is the second stop from Fuchu Honmachi Station.
When you take the Chuo Line and stop at Nishi-Kokubunji Station, don’t you feel trapped because the side of the train is a cliff? That’s exactly what I felt when I saw it from above. In this area, the Kokubunji cliff line juts out like a cape, and the Chuo Line seems to run across the top of it. The Chuo Line seems to have crossed the top of the Kokubunji cliff line, so the Chuo Line passed through a structure like a cut through the cliff line to create a three-dimensional intersection with the Musashino Line. It is very clever.
Kamakura Bridge in Tamagawa josui
Tamagawa josui was crossed at Kamakura bridge.
Behind Tsuda University
The forest on the left of this road is Tsuda University.
The Musashino Line is supposed to run along the border between Tsuda University and the residential area. But I can’t hear it at all.
Tsuda-cho Tachikou
I can’t hear a sound, but we’ve found the Tsuda-machi shaft!
On the silver door, there’s a sign in red saying, “Be careful to open and close the door while the train is passing.
You can see that the Musashino Line runs underneath it!
Local people and railroad enthusiasts may know this, but I think most ordinary people don’t know about it. Unexpected discoveries like this are what makes walking along unknown roads so interesting.
Ome Street
I came to the Ome Kaido road.
It is a relatively thick road in this area, but both sides of the Ome Kaido are still very green. If you look at an old topographical map or an aerial photograph, you can clearly see this. Why is this so?
Probably because in the past, farmers settled along the Ome Kaido, cultivated fields and planted house forests, which still remain today. Later, as the area developed rapidly, farmers cut out the outside of their property and sold it off, so the area away from the highway became a residential area.
Each farmer seems to have had a long, narrow piece of land with the short side facing the street. Looking at the aerial photo, you can see that where the farmers gave up their land, there are two rows of houses in an orderly fashion.
Incidentally, in front of the blue net on the left is an unmanned sales office. This is a common sight in this area.
Shin-Kodaira Station
Shin-Kodaira Station was here.
The Musashino Line in this area is underground, and only the Shin-Kodaira station seems to be slightly above ground.
It was just after 2:30 p.m., but the lighting of the station name made it look like nightfall. I realize that the days are getting shorter.
送電線の分岐
There was a place where the power lines diverged. You have to lower it once vertically and then let it out in a right angle direction. Interesting. The line that branched off was labeled BS Kodaira Line.
Underground power lines
At about the third tower after the fork, the power lines went underground. What’s going on? Where are they going?
Factories in industrial areas
Across the road was an industrial area, and the power lines seemed to be supplying power to these factories.
Actually, the BS in BS Kodaira Line stands for Bridgestone. I couldn’t get a good picture of the Bridgestone factory, so I’ve included a picture of the Dai-Ichi bread factory that I saw nearby. I’m not exactly sure if power is being supplied from the power lines I mentioned earlier. Sorry about that.
I found two dilapidated pedestrian bridges!
Pedestrian bridge across Hagiyama Station
I thought I saw something seeping out of the pedestrian bridge in front of Hagiyama Station, but it was a net to prevent falling objects. The pedestrian bridge was in shambles, with holes in some places, and was banned from use.
Can’t you afford to get rid of it?
Tama Lake Bicycle Path
Crossing the Tama Lake Bicycle Path.
I think this is the third time I’ve seen it in this blog.
Handhole labeled “Road Ledger”
Found the words “road ledger” in the handhole! I saw it for the first time. What does it mean?
Sakaemachi Crossing Pedestrian Bridge
Found another dilapidated pedestrian bridge!
With the recent increase in the number of huge natural disasters, it would be better to remove or repair them as soon as possible for safety reasons.
Kumegawa station
I decided to return from Kumegawa station today.
I wanted to walk around Saitama Prefecture, but unfortunately I couldn’t get out of Tokyo.
Walking data
Course: Koremasa Station, Seibu Tamagawa Line -> Musashino Line (Fuchu Honmachi – Shinkodaira) -> Kumegawa Station, Seibu Shinjuku Line
Distance: 14.7km
Time: 4h3m
