It was very hot this summer in Japan. I was very busy at work but could manage to take a 4-day holiday in the middle of August. I visited Akita Prefecture in Tohoku District with my family.
Oga Peninsula is a major resort area in Akita Prefecture. Being located in the Oga Quasi-National Park, Oga is famous for the joys of its marine view and mountains with hot springs. On August 14th, a fireworks event was held in Oga City, which is located in the southern part of the peninsula. About 10,000 gorgeous and well programmed fireworks were set off on the beach. Japanese people have a love of fireworks so that more than 180,000 people flocked to the beach and added a sort of poetic charm to the summer season. I was also one of them.
To get to this resort area, the Akita Shinkansen is convenient. The EMU JR East E6 series is a high speed "mini-shinkansen" train for the Akita Shinkansen. The E6 series is coupled with the E5 and H5 series. It is operated from Tokyo to Morioka Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen. The E6 series is, then, detached after arriving at Morioka Station, and travels by itself to Akita Station, because the route between Morioka and Akita is constructed as a so-called mini-shinkansen. It means that the standard sized shinkansen trains, such as the E2, E4, E5, H5 and the E7 series, are unable to enter the mini-shinkansen sections. The maximum speed of the E6 series is 320 kilometers per hour.
Oga Peninsula is a major resort area in Akita Prefecture. Being located in the Oga Quasi-National Park, Oga is famous for the joys of its marine view and mountains with hot springs. On August 14th, a fireworks event was held in Oga City, which is located in the southern part of the peninsula. About 10,000 gorgeous and well programmed fireworks were set off on the beach. Japanese people have a love of fireworks so that more than 180,000 people flocked to the beach and added a sort of poetic charm to the summer season. I was also one of them.
To get to this resort area, the Akita Shinkansen is convenient. The EMU JR East E6 series is a high speed "mini-shinkansen" train for the Akita Shinkansen. The E6 series is coupled with the E5 and H5 series. It is operated from Tokyo to Morioka Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen. The E6 series is, then, detached after arriving at Morioka Station, and travels by itself to Akita Station, because the route between Morioka and Akita is constructed as a so-called mini-shinkansen. It means that the standard sized shinkansen trains, such as the E2, E4, E5, H5 and the E7 series, are unable to enter the mini-shinkansen sections. The maximum speed of the E6 series is 320 kilometers per hour.
Official information about the Akita Shinkansen:
Official information about the EMU E6 series (in Japanese):