From early June to mid-July, the Tokyo metropolitan area has a hot and humid rainy season, called Tsuyu. It is a gloomy period for Tokyoites before midsummer, but it is a pleasure to see some kinds of beautiful flowers which only bloom in this season. Along with hydrangeas, irises are typically seen during the rainy season in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The large colorful blossoms are gorgeous, but elegant as well. It is said that the practice of viewing iris flowers began to spread throughout Japan in the 13th century by flower-loving Samurais.
Last month, I visited the famous iris garden, called Someya Iris Garden, in Saitama City. The nearest station was Nanasato on the Tobu Noda Line, but it was a bit far from the station (about 4 km). The garden was a 60 minute walk from the station. Although it was inconvenient to get to, but I saw many flower lovers there.
In the meantime, the Noda line is a circular route in the eastern half of the Tokyo metropolitan area, connecting Omiya and Funabashi. The route length is 62.7 km. The track is mostly double and the gauge size is 1,067 mm. Along with the 8000 and the 60000 series, the EMU 10030 series is operated on the Noda Line. It was originally operated on the other Tobu lines and has been moved to the Noda Line since 2013. It has stainless steel bodies with blue and light green colored stripes after moving to the Noda Line.
