TOKYO POSTAL CODE SERIES #123-2

This issue marks the final installment of my exploration of Adachi City.

Of the three spots in postal code 123 that had caught my attention, one was introduced in the previous issue. This time, I set out to visit the remaining two.

I began my walk from Nishi-Arai Station.

Near the station, I overheard a couple having a conversation.

“Someday, it’d be nice to get a place around here and settle down, wouldn’t it? There are parks, shops, and it’s close to the station.”

Unlike other parts of Adachi City, this area has undergone redevelopment, and large apartment complexes now line the streets.

It feels like a convenient place to live—not just for the couple I overheard, but for many people who might be considering moving here.

As I moved beyond the Nishi-Arai area, the scenery shifted to rows of low-rise houses.

Nestled among these homes stands Nishi-Arai Daishi.

From 2017 to 2018, the temple was undergoing restoration work on its aging Sanmon gate.

Perhaps to preserve the visual atmosphere, the gate was covered with a protective sheet printed with an image of the completed structure. I still vividly remember how strange it felt.

Combined with the retro Showa-era atmosphere of the approach leading to the temple, the sheet looked almost like a stage backdrop.

I found myself imagining that I had wandered in as an extra in some unfolding story set at Nishi-Arai Daishi.

Now that the construction has been completed, the sheet has been removed, and the real gate stands there, welcoming visitors.

That theatrical atmosphere is gone, and the imaginary play that had quietly continued in my mind has finally come to an end.

From Nishi-Arai Daishi, I passed through Yazaike and headed northwest. My destination was the Arakawa riverbank—I wanted to find the view I had once seen from the expressway.

Along the Shuto Expressway Central Circular Route, which runs near the river in Adachi City, there is a point where you can see the Arakawa, the skyline of high-rise buildings, and beyond them, both Tokyo Skytree and Mt. Fuji appearing side by side in the distance.

It’s a view I always want to take in slowly, but since it’s a highway, there’s no way to stop. The scene simply slips past the car window every time.

I began to wonder—was that view only visible from the expressway?

If there were a point where the height of the embankment matched the height of the road…

This walk was also an attempt to find an answer to a question I had carried with me for years.