Thursday, 9 April 2015

Cherry-filled Night Sky on the Toei-Shinjuku Line

Set number 230F of the EMU Toei 10-000 series stands at Sasazuka Station on the Keio Line
 
The peak sakura (cherry blossoms) season came in Tokyo last week. We could see fully bloomed cherry trees here and there. I visited Chidorigafuchi Greenway near my office for viewing Yozakura as had happened in the past. It was different from previous years, because I saw more and more foreigners there this year.

What is Yozakura? It is a fully bloomed cherry tree illuminated at night. In some famous sakura spots, we can enjoy Yozakura viewing. Look at the following picture. It is artfully illuminated sakura along Chidorigafuchi Greenway. It was fantastic and dreamy. The cherry-filled night sky with a half-moon would be my best memory in the 2015 sakura season. For your information, all illuminations are supplied by solar photovoltaic power generators in consideration of the environment.

To visit Chidorigafuchi Greenway, it is convenient to get off at Kudanshita Station on the Subway Toei-Shinjuku Line. The Toei-Shinjuku Line was opened in 1978 as Tokyo's 10th subway route. Connecting Shinjuku, a subcenter of Tokyo and Motoyawata, an interchange station with the JR East Sobu Line, the total operating length is 23.5km.

Set number 230F is the oldest active train on the line. It was manufactured in 1988 as a part of the fourth batch of the EMU 10-000 series. Different from the current standard commuter trains in Tokyo, the electric control system of the 10-000 series is a little old... the armature chopper, but I like this train, specifically its nostalgic corrugated stainless steel body.
 
Cherry-filled night sky near Kudan-shita Station on the Toei-Shinjuku Line
 
More information about the Toei Trains (in Japanese):