HIBIYA LINE

Naka-meguro with a huge apartment block is more like a 'bedroom community' I did not see any efforts to make it commercial, not even around the station which is unusual. I guess being at the end of the Line it does not matter much. Ebisu is less sleepy, the tree lined main avenues help. Then there is Hiro-o which has been a favorite haunt of expatriate executives, hence the up-market shops, galleries, international dining outlets which all carry the smell of money, and why not.  Roppongi is where the action is, no ifs or buts. However the star on the Line is, to me, Tsukiji after Ginza & Higashi-Ginza and who would dare to contest that claim? Hibiya Line stops here, exclusively and it owns the traffic. It is a 'must' for tourists to experience, and locals to shop. The next few stops are less well known ... except Shintomicho where Sensei lives, which will soon be famous if the 'Likes' in TripAdvsior continues its trend. Ueno is being written up in travel books as a stop with good food, I guess it depends on how one defines good food, but Ueno?

Now comes the surprise, Kita-senju, dominated by the 0101 mall on the right. After Naka-meguro I was not hopeful when I arrived at this terminus, and I was so wrong. I spent almost 2-hours walking, talking (sign language mostly), sniffing ... I saw energy, helpful folks, shops opening late, restaurants with boisterous and happy clients that Ginza venues would die for. I even found a Robatayaki joint, run by a bunch of dedicated and good looking young man and women chefs, that I must take Dora when she visits next week. The ambiance reminds me of Inakaya at Roppongi which I blogged earlier. Kita-senju may seem to be at the edge of civilization but trust me, it has class and will rise to recognition one day.