Tuesday 10 September 2019

2019 Summer Memories: Twilight Walking in Kanazawa

Set G20 (2nd butch) of the EMU JR West 521 series stands at Kanazawa station

It was very hot this mid-summer in the Hokuriku area. The maximum daytime temperature was often over 35 degrees Celsius. Kanazawa City was no exception. During my family vacation, we suffered from intense heat every day, so that we enjoyed strolling in the twilight time after sunset instead in the daytime. What's up?

We found a beautiful stained glass on the front gate of Oyama Shinto Shrine in the central part of the city. It was beautifully illuminated backed by the evening glow. This unique gate named "Shimmon (God gate)" was constructed in 1875 mixing traditional Japanese and Western-style architectures. We were lucky, as it was the perfect timing to see this beautiful gate.

Before strolling in the city, I stopped by Kanazawa station to take photos of local trains. I often came across the EMU JR West 521 series, which was the representative commuter train in the area. The photo shows set G20 of the 521 series on the Hokuriku main line. Set G20 was launched in 2009 as the second batch (G group) of the 521 series to modernize the commuter transportation in the Hokuriku area. A total of 30 sets, 60 units of G group trains, were built by Kinki Sharyo and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Three sets of these 30 sets were, then, transferred to IR Ishikawa Railway in 2015. The 521 series is an alternate current (AC) - direct current (DC) dual electric system, since AC and DC tracks are mixed in the area.

A gate with stained glass windows in Oyama Shrine near Kanazawa station