It is late autumn in Japan. We can see beautiful autumn leaves here and there in the Tokyo metropolitan area. One day, I visited Yamanashi Prefecture with my family. Our destination was Kai-Ueno on the JR Central Minobu Line, which is located about 150 km west of Tokyo via Kofu on the JR East Chuo Main Line.
After getting off at Kai-Ueno Station, we started strolling in the countryside. We saw many ears of reed rustling in the wind. They were very beautiful backed by the autumn-colored mountains. The rice field has already changed to a gold color, and it was time of the harvest, so rice reaping machines were making a roaring sound. When we walked along the Minobu Line track in the rice field, a train passed by us. It was a 3-car train, the limited express Fujikawa, the EMU JR Central 373 series. It was shining beautifully in the autumn sunlight. The contrast between the silver-colored stainless-steel bodies and the blue sky was also fantastic.
The Minobu Line penetrates the mountainous area along Fuji River in the central part of Japan. Connecting Kofu in Yamanashi Prefecture and Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture, the total operating length is 88.4 km. The whole route is electrified. The section between Fuji and Fujinomiya is a double track, and the other interval is a single track. The track gauge is 1067 mm, and the electric system is 1,500V DC overhead. The EMU 373 and 313 series are main fleets on the Minobu Line.
