Saturday 12 April 2014

2014 Sakura Season in Tokyo: Part 3

EMU Tobu 50050 series stands at Kudanshita Station on the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line
 
The season of full-bloomed Sakura (cherry) in Tokyo has passed all too soon. I am going to show you a picture of full-bloomed Sakura from this year. It was taken in front of the British Embassy in the downtown Tokyo area. You can see the faint pink colored blossoms against a Union Jack and the blue sky backdrop. Many Sakura trees are seen there along the street and the moat of the Imperial Palace. Tokyoites felt the herald of mid-spring.

To get to this beautiful Sakura viewing spot, the nearest station is Hanzomon on the subway Hanzomon Line. Tokyo Metro-Hanzomon Line connects Shibuya and Oshiage. There are 14 stations on the 16.8 km route. Trains on the Hanzomon Line directly operate into the Tokyu Line through Shibuya and the Tobu Line through Oshiage station. As a railfan, I like this route, because we can ride many kinds of trains that belong to Tokyo Metro, Tokyu and Tobu.

The orange colored EMU, Tobu 50050 series is a major fleet on the Hanzomon Line. It was launched in 2006. Currently, 18 sets, a total of 180 units, are operated on the Tobu-Isesaki, Tobu-Nikko, Tokyo Metro-Hanzomon, and Tokyu-Denentoshi lines. The 50050 series is a new standard commuter train on the Tobu Railway. Its brothers, namely 50000, 50070 and 50090 series, are operated on the other Tobu lines. Universal design, energy conservation, and maintenance-free are three major concepts adopted for the train. It also became a seed for the brand new EMU 60000 series on the Noda Line.
 
Full-bloomed Sakura is seen in front of the British Embassy near subway Hanzomon Station
 
More information about the EMUs of Tobu Railway (in Japanese):