International Railroad Discussion > Cafe Between Busy Main Lines (Japan)

While riding the JR Chuo Line to/from Tokyo last March, I noticed something unusual between Kanda and Ochanomizu Stations, a glass building between two tracks, with chairs and tables inside. In the past, this area was usually covered in grass, the remnants of the now-abandoned Manseibashi Station. FYI, Kanda and Ochanomizu are the next stations after Tokyo Station travelling west on the Chuo Line.

On September14, 2013, "mAAch ecute Kanda-Manseibashi" opened for business on the old Manseibashi Station, filling the historic brick building with boutique shops. Upstairs on the abandoned platform became Cafe N3331, sitting right between the JR Chuo Line, where during the rush hour, trains rumble by on 2 minute headways. "ecute" is a brand for JR East's retailing subsidiary, where they promote small shops within their train stations - (e)ki, (c)enter, (u)niversal, (t)ogether, (e)njoy, is what ecute stands for, and eki = train station. Yet another senseless English acronym by the Japanese? Don't know what "mAAch" stands for, but my guess is that it's got something to do with the arches on the brick building, and the first two letters of Manseibashi? (Japanese pronounciation of arch lacks the "r" sound)

Manseibashi was also the location for the old Railway/Transportation museum, which closed in May 2006, and relocated to a much larger facility in Omiya, which I'll try to report on later. Anyway, I had planned to visit LittleTGV one more time before returning to the U.S., and since Cafe N3331 was within walking distance from Akihabara, I dropped by here first for a quick meal, photos, and videos.

- At the entrance of Cafe N3331, with Chuo Line E233 EMU. The subtitle says Cafe and "Japanese wines."
- Cafe N3331 viewed from the cab of an E233 EMU, looking west.
- Video of the trains passing by, described next.

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In the first two clips of the video, I'm standing on the east side of N3331, next to the access stairs from below. First train is an eastbound to Tokyo, and second train is a westbound to Takao.

In the third and fourth clips, I'm inside Cafe N3331, sitting on the west end looking toward Ochanomizu. First train is another eastbound to Tokyo, and the second is another westbound to Takao. At the end of the video, the third train in the distance is a Sobu Line E231 EMU, heading east across the bridge to Akihabara.

Patrons inside the cafe were suddenly chatting about how this is a great location for Tori-tetsu (photo-taking railfans) once they saw me sit down and take my cameras out. The waitress was smiling because she knew why I was there, but otherwise, most railfan activities (especially with kids) occurred outside the cafe at the east end by the access stairs and the elevator. Unlike LittleTGV, it seemed the patrons visited here for the city view and the drinks, and not for the trains.

- My order, hashed beef with rice, and home made ginger ale - less sugar, more ginger, delicious.

- MOW vehicle parked on a spur, and Akihabara in the background, view from Cafe N3331.

- The brick arches of the old Manseibashi Station, viewed from the namesake bridge, Manseibashi.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/14 07:22 by cchan006.

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interesting little place and a hop skip and a jump from my usual haunts. Thanks for posting.

Mike Massee
Tehachapi, CA
Photography, Railroading and more..

The dish looks like the old favorite "Station Curry".

milepost180 Wrote:
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> The dish looks like the old favorite "Station
> Curry".

Hehe, it does, without the spiciness. Japanese name for hashed beef with rice is "hayashi rice."