In the Edo period, Shinagawa was the first post town a traveler would reach after setting out from Nihombashi on the Tōkaidō highway from Edo to Kyoto. The post-town function is retained today with several large hotels near the train station offering 6,000 hotel rooms, the largest concentration in the city. The Tokugawa shogunate maintained the Suzugamori execution grounds in Shinagawa. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen began serving Shinagawa Station from 2003, and the nearby Shinagawa Intercity office complex will be served by a new subway station in a few years’ time. - Wikipedia
Aside from my rather dubious quoting from Wikipedia, Shinagawa’s (品川) a quiet business ward/city located in Central Tokyo. I say quiet because even though a large number of major corporations and shipping activity occur in Shinagawa, the city’s a lot more laid back than Shinjuku. I was in Shinagawa earlier this week to apply for my work permit. I don’t know if I’m actually going to get a part-time job here (バイト baito, short for arubaito/arbeit) but it definitely doesn’t hurt to be prepared! I have to return by Nov 13 to pick up my permit.
It’s a long journey from Takadanobaba Station, where I live, to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau. It’s not in Shingawa itself, but in a little branched-off island of sorts (it’s separated by a rather wide river) and the nearest stations are either the Tennozu-Isle monorail or rail station. Being a little adventurous, I decided to take the monorail into Shinagawa. It was about 15 minutes from the monorail station to the Immigration Bureau and involved lots of container-trucks.
On the mainland, facing Shinagawa.
The bridge I had to cross.
For nearly an hour long wait, my application only took less than five minutes to process. There’s something seriously wrong with Japanese efficiency here. I have to rinse and repeat soon.