Sunday 3 March 2013

Superb View of Mt. Fuji on the Tokaido Line


EMU JR Central 313 series, local train bound for Shimada stands at Atami Station

Tokaido has been one of the most important transportation routes in Japan since the 7th century. Connecting Kyoto and  Tokyo, the route length was about 500 kilometers in the Edo era (1603-1867).

There are several great viewing points on the Tokaido route, but the superb view of Mt. Fuji from Satta Pass has been especially rocking the souls of travelers (see the following photo). The Fuji of Hiroshige Utagawa's "ukiyoe painting" is particularly well known among Japanese. It was believed to have been made around the early 19th century. Satta Pass had been famous for being a bottleneck point as well as a superb viewing point for a long time. It is located in the steep mountain area, which directly faces the Pacific Ocean. This precipitous topography had been giving travelers a brutal patience.


Using trains or automobiles, modern-day travelers can pass through this bottleneck easily. While it is convenient, it also leaves something to be desired for current travelers. Probably, Japanese people these days need a latitude to enjoy magnificent prospects. To visit this superb viewing point, take a local train on the Tokaido Main Line, and get off at Yui Station. It is a less-than-two-hour journey from Tokyo. A stylish EMU, JR Central 313 series will offer an enjoyable ride (see the top photo).

Satta Pass, it is a superb viewing point of Mt. Fuji, and the place where you can understand the struggles of ancient travelers.

 
Superb view of Mt. Fuji (3,776m) from Satta Pass near Yui Station on the Tokaido Main Line
 
More information about EMU JR Central 313 series (in Japanese):