Wednesday, 21 November 2012

Cosmos Field on the Takasaki Line


EMU JR East 211 series arrives at Gyoda Station on the Takasaki Line

Autumn is the season for cosmos blossoms. We can see many cosmos fields here and there in the Tokyo metropolitan area. As I mentioned before, I visited Mt. Fuji (see my blog on September 22nd), Tachikawa (my blogs on October 29th and November 4th) and Kurihama (my blog on November 20th) last year.

This year, I headed north. My destination was the Arakawa River in Saitama Prefecture, some 50km from downtown Tokyo. Along the riverside, we can see a vast cosmos field there. They are white, pink and yellow colored. Among them, what particularly took my fancy was the dark pink colored Akatsuki (dawn) blossoms. Full blooming cosmos were shaken with the wind in the sunshine (see the following photo). Many people were visiting to enjoy this autumn event.

To get to this flower lover's paradise, JR East Takasaki Line is convenient. I got on the Rapid Service train from Shinjuku Station on the Shonan-Shinjuku Line, as it was directly operated into the Takasaki Line. After one hour or so, I could reach Fukiage, the nearest station to the field. It was good to see the EMU 211 series again on the way back home (see the top photo), as the 211 has already been retired from the Tokaido Main Line. I had no chance to see this "white face" at Tokyo Station near my office.

The gorgeous cosmos field and the rare train... rail-fans always get additional gain. This is killing two birds with one stone, isn't it?

Cosmos "Akatsuki" Field near Fukiage Station on the Takasaki Line