2025 Merry Christmas from the Inokashira Line

Set 1761 running along the Inokashira Line with its special “Merry Christmas” plate

It’s already mid-December — time really flies. Stores and streets around Tokyo are decorated for the Christmas season. You may find it curious that a Buddhist-majority country celebrates Christmas. That’s understandable, as only about 1% of Japan’s population is Christian. But please don’t take it too seriously. For us, it’s less a religious event and more a seasonal custom. Does that answer your question?

Railway companies join the celebration as well. I recently found that a train on the Keio Inokashira Line is again decorated with a Christmas plate this year, just like in previous seasons. Please take a look at the photos. Set 1761 of the Keio 1000 series EMU carries a special round plate on the front of the train. Its design features a Christmas tree, snowflakes, Santa’s reindeer, and a sleigh. Isn’t it charming?

Incidentally, the Inokashira Line is a short 12.7-kilometer commuter route connecting Shibuya and Kichijoji. The 1000 series EMU is the only model operated on this line. It entered commercial service in 1996 as the first 20-meter-long, 5-car train type introduced to the route.

A hot topic right now is the preparation for ATO (Automatic Train Operation). Modifications to the trains are underway, and I have confirmed with my own eyes that five sets of the 1000 series have already been completed. Keio aims for GoA2-level operation and is conducting verification tests. Under GoA2, only one crew member is required on board, mainly for train starting and safety monitoring.

“Merry Christmas, Inokashira” plate on the front of Set 1761

Sotetsu Line History Train

Set 9703 of the Sotetsu EMU 9000 series, Sotetsu Line History Train

Sagami Railway (Sotetsu) will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Sotetsu Line in 2026. As you know, Sotetsu is one of the major private railway companies in the Tokyo metropolitan area (see my blog from March 20, 2025). To commemorate this milestone, the company launched several special events in September. One highlight was the introduction of the “Sotetsu Line History Train,” using Set 9703 of the EMU 9000 series. Set 9703 is decorated with stickers featuring historical rolling stock from Sotetsu’s past. For example, steam locomotive Unit 3, which debuted in 1926, and the EMU 13000 series, which will enter service next year, are both depicted on a commemorative sticker mounted on the front of the train (see the photos). The excitement for the 100th anniversary is really building, isn’t it? If you have time, please check the URL at the bottom of this post to see the design of the Sotetsu Line History Train. Congratulations to the Sotetsu Line on its 100th anniversary!

This is off-topic, but please look at the top photo again. It was taken at Izumi-chuo Station, my regular photo spot on the Sotetsu Line. The weather was clear and the lighting was from the front, so photographing should have been a piece of cake. But I pressed the shutter too early, and the electrification poles got in the way. I was careless at that moment. In Japan, there is a saying: “Even monkeys fall from trees.” In English, you would say, “Even Homer sometimes nods.” I was the monkey that time (I’m certainly not a great person like Homer).

Commemorative sticker displayed on the front of Set 9703

Related link:

・Official information about the Sotetsu Line History Train (in Japanese)

Dual-Gauge Tracks on the Hakone-Tozan Railway

Odakyu 60000 series EMU on the dual-gauge track

Do you have any dual-gauge tracks in your country? Here in Japan, we actually have a few, and every time I come across one, I feel a little spark of curiosity. Today, let me share one such spot with you — a charming dual-gauge section on the Hakone-Tozan Railway in Kanagawa Prefecture.

First, just a small introduction. The Hakone-Tozan Railway is a dependable mountain climber that makes its way up the slopes of Hakone Volcano. It connects Odawara on the Odakyu Line to the terminal at Gōra, covering about 15 kilometers. The entire line is a single electrified track, but what makes it interesting is that the lower half uses narrow gauge (1,067 mm), while the upper half switches to standard gauge (1,435 mm).

And that’s where the dual-gauge section comes in — connecting the lower and upper parts of the line.

If you look at the photo above, you’ll find a three-rail dual-gauge track — quite a sight if you enjoy the technical side of railways. Running on it is a narrow-gauge Odakyu Romancecar, the 60000-series EMU. This train travels directly from the Odakyu Line onto the Hakone-Tozan Line, following the left rail and the inner right rail as it climbs toward Hakone-Yumoto.

Then, in the next photo below, the view becomes even more fascinating. At Iryuda Station’s yard, you can see three types of tracks lined up together: a narrow-gauge track (right), a dual-gauge track (center), and a standard-gauge track (left). There’s also a red, standard-gauge Hakone-Tozan 2000-series EMU resting quietly in the shed.

So the purpose of this dual-gauge stretch is quite simple:

1. to let the narrow-gauge commercial trains pass through, and

2. to give standard-gauge trains a path in and out of the yard when they’re not in service.

For a rail fan like me, small scenes like these always feel like hidden treasures. I can’t help but stop and watch for a moment. Perhaps you feel a little of that excitement too?

Left: standard-gauge, Center: dual-gauge, Right: narrow-gauge

Tracing the Fate of an “Urban Secluded Station”

The special poster train, Yumegaoka SORATOS, arriving at Yumegaoka Station

Do you remember my post from three years ago about the urban secluded station, Yumegaoka? Today, I’d like to share a little update on how things have changed since then.

Let’s start with a quick look at Yumegaoka Station. It is located in Yokohama City on the Sotetsu (Sagami Railway) Izumino Line. When I visited in 2022, there were no shops or houses around the station at all. The daily ridership was only about 1,000 passengers. It really lived up to the name “urban secluded station.”

So, what does it look like three years later? Please take a look at the photo below. Yes — that’s a giant shopping mall, SORATOS, standing right in front of Yumegaoka Station. It was opened by the Sotetsu Group in July 2024. With more than 130 shops, restaurants, a theater, and much more, Yumegaoka now sees over 8,500 passengers per day.

Sotetsu is actively promoting shopping at SORATOS. In the top photo, you can see a special poster train called the Yumegaoka SORATOS, using Set 10707 of the EMU 10000 series. It commemorates the cumulative 3 million riders at Yumegaoka Station since SORATOS opened. The train features Sotetsu’s mascot character, Sounyan, on both the front and the sides — and it looks absolutely adorable!

I really enjoyed seeing the Yumegaoka SORATOS train and exploring the new mall. But at the same time, I felt a touch of sadness, because the once quiet, secluded station has transformed into a lively hub you might find anywhere in the city. Being a rail fan is a mixed bag, isn’t it?

Interior of the SORATOS shopping mall in front of Yumegaoka Station

Related link:

・Official information about the Yumegaoka SORATOS train by Sotetsu (in Japanese)

Autumn Visit to the Silent Tracks of the Ahina Line

An abandoned track of the former Seibu-Ahina Line

Are there any ruin enthusiasts in your country? In Japan, there are quite a few. They love exploring deserted towns, mines, factories, and things like that. I’m not exactly a ruin enthusiast, but I’m at least fond of abandoned railway tracks. Let me share one of my memorable abandoned tracks with you today. My thanks go to the Chairperson of the KuHa 703 Preservation Society, who kindly told me about this heartfelt ruin.

The Ahina Line was opened in 1925 as a branch line of what is now the Seibu-Shinjuku Line. The route originally functioned to transport gravel from the Iruma River riverbed to large cities for construction. Connecting Minami-Ōtsuka and Ahina, the route length was 3.2 kilometers. The track was single and electrified. After 38 years of operation, the Ahina Line was closed in 1963.

Please take a look at the photo above. This is the former Seibu-Ahina Line. The track has been left untouched for a long time, and in this season it was covered with fallen leaves. It would be impossible to revive it now. I felt sad as a rail fan, but at the same time, the abandoned track looked beautiful and somehow made me feel calm. It was different from other abolished tracks I have visited in urban areas, such as the Sagami Branch Line, parts of the Toyoko Line, and the Yokohama Harbor Line.

Finally, I have to say that ruin enthusiasts must follow rules when visiting abandoned tracks. Many dangerous spots lie in prohibited or private areas. Please be careful.

The former Ahina Line (left, a green area) and the Shinjuku Line (right) at Minami-Ōtsuka Sta.