Saturday 15 March 2014

Kawazu Sakura on the Keikyu Line

EMU Keikyu 1000 series and Kawazu Sakura blossoms are seen near Miura-kaigan Station
 
As I mentioned before, Kawazu Sakura, otherwise known as "winter cherry" was found by chance in 1955 in Kawazu Town, Shizuoka Prefecture. It is thick and pink-colored, and blooms for longer than standard Sakura. It has been lovingly cared for and planted by local people. Today, visitors can see the beautiful Kawazu Sakura blossoms in February, which is two months earlier than the standard Sakura.

The Kawazu Sakura was, then, replanted in Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture in 2000. Currently, a total of 1,000 Kawazu sakura trees are in full bloom. It is marking the ending of winter and the advent of spring. I visited Miura to enjoy this seasonal gift with my family last weekend.

To get to Miura City, we took the Keikyu Line from Shinagawa Terminal in Tokyo and got off at Miura-kaigan (Miura Beach) Station. The fully bloomed Kawazu Sakura trees were seen along the railway track between Miura-kaigan and Misaki-guchi stations. A crossover on the railway track adjacent to Komatsugaike Park was the best position to take a picture of the blossoms with a Keikyu train. The red colored EMU 1000 series was very vivid backed by the pink colored blossoms and clear blue sky.

After looking the beautiful blossoms, we visited the sandy beach bordering Tokyo Bay. The geologic beds, which protruded out of the ground and dipped north, were our favorite. They exerted our imagination... just like a dolphin jumping.

We enjoyed an early spring mood on the Keikyu Line.

 
Dolphin-shaped geologic beds are seen on the Miura Beach near Miura-kaigan Station