Hardly anybody makes use of the North Exit of Maihama Station, however we did.
Tokyo and the encircling areas simply outdoors town limits have a well-deserved fame for being among the many most crowded locations in Japan. Nevertheless, proper outdoors Maihama Station on the Keiyo Line, solely about quarter-hour from Tokyo Station, we stumbled throughout a pocket of unusual solitude.
This isn’t as a result of Maihama doesn’t get a variety of passenger visitors, both. On common, about 76,000 individuals a day go by the station. Of these 76,000, although, greater than 90 p.c of them use the identical exit, the South Exit.
Why? As a result of to the south of Maihama Station is the place you’ll discover the Tokyo Disney Resort, the collective identify for Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Sea, Ikspiari purchasing/eating/leisure advanced, and the assorted motels catering to vacationers making their go to to Japan’s hottest amusement park an in a single day tour.
The outflow of individuals from the station is so predominantly pointed south that Maihama’s different exit, the North Exit, is usually jokingly known as the “Fallacious Exit,” since for therefore many individuals getting off the prepare right here utilizing the North Exit can be a mistake.
▼ Maihama’s South Exit has over a dozen ticket gates to accommodate the massive variety of individuals passing by…
▼ …whereas the North Exit has solely three.
However the North Exit does exist, so there’s received to be one thing on the market, proper? With our opposite curiosity piqued, we determined to do some incorrect exit exploring, and so we rode all the best way to Tokyo Disney Resort’s entrance doorstep, then turned and went the other method as we left by the North Exit.
As you step out of the North Exit, you’re on an elevated pedestrian walkway. In distinction to the hustle and bustle of the South Exit, issues are very quiet. There’s no taxi stand and even a lot as a single bus cease. As an alternative, there’s a fairly large bicycle parking zone, however in the midst of the day we didn’t see anybody coming or going, implying that these are commuters’ bikes left right here after they took the prepare to a different station for work or faculty earlier within the day.
We saved strolling straight on the elevated walkway, and shortly got here to a fork within the path, with an indication telling us to veer left for the Maihama District 2 and Higashino neighborhoods, or proper for Maihama District 3 and Benten.
On a whim, we picked the left path.
▼ Bicyclists are imagined to get off and stroll their bikes on the elevated walkway, which is why these divider pylons are in place.
This path takes you over the Nationwide Route 357 expressway, and when you’re on the opposite aspect there’s one other option to make, left for Maihama District 2, or proper for Higashino and Fujimi.
This time we went to the correct, and eventually received down off the elevated pathway and onto the common avenue sidewalk.
Maihama Station, and Tokyo Disney Resort, are technically on an island, separated from the mainland by a pair of rivers, and strolling on this route we got here to one in every of them, the Miakegawa River, and the Bentenbashi Bridge that goes throughout it.
There’s a stairway for getting again down earlier than crossing…
…and on the far aspect is a sloped walkway.
It was right here that we bumped into among the solely individuals we handed by, together with a bunch of teenagers on their method dwelling from sports activities apply, most certainly on the close by Tokai College Urayasu Junior & Senior Excessive College.
We then determined to go again to the final fork within the highway and take a look at going left, to Maihama District 2.
Taking the slope right down to the floor avenue, we ere greeted by some lovingly maintained sidewalk flower beds.
A brief stroll previous that, we discovered ourselves in a pleasant, quiet, residential space…
…and in addition handed by the Urayasu Maihama department of 7-Eleven.
▼ Bear in mind this place. It’ll be vital later.
Subsequent, we retraced our steps all the best way again to that first fork within the elevated walkway we talked about, and this time we turned proper, in direction of Maihama District 3 and Benten.
We had been rapidly introduced with yet one more selection, although, as the trail cut up once more, left for Benten, and proper for Maihama District 3, and we selected to go proper first.
Stepping down the floor, we got here throughout a quaint, quiet park…
…and on the opposite aspect of the park is a residential neighborhood with neat rows of barely upscale homes, very like the one we are saying in Maihama District 2.
Heading again to the purpose on the sidewalk earlier than we crossed by the park, we saved strolling down the highway…
…which ultimately took us to a bottom parking and transport entrance for Ikspiari…
…and past that, a residential space with newer, fancier houses.
▼ This can be a actually huge avenue by Japanese residential requirements.
Previous the residential space, we as soon as once more reached the Miakegawa River from earlier, however at some extent nearer to the place the river meets Tokyo Bay.
Turning left and strolling away from the bay, we noticed a staircase…
…and climbing it put us on a path to the Bentenbashi Bridge from earlier.
At this fork we headed left, towards the Benten neighborhood…
…the place there was some soothing greenery and an uphill path that follows the Tokyo Bay Highway.
By the best way, keep in mind how we stated that 7-Eleven was going to be vital? That’s as a result of in all this strolling, we didn’t go by a lot as a single restaurant. So for those who’re exploring the world, you’ll need to seize any snacks you could be planning to eat within the discipline there.
▼ Urayasu Maihama 7-Eleven
With our toes now beginning to get drained, however our coronary heart calm, we headed again to Maitama Station. This was, by far, the quietest day we’d ever spent at Maihama. Whereas we didn’t have the joys of curler coasters or squealing enjoyable of parades that Disneyland gives, it’s arduous to beat a protracted, peaceable stroll for de-stressing, and for those who’re on the lookout for a spot to do this, the North Exit is, truly, the correct exit, not the incorrect one.
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