Sunday 10 May 2020

2020 Sakura Season in Tokyo: Part 4

Set N5 of the EMU JR East E233-8000 series travels on the Nambu line

After uploading my previous post, I remembered that there is one more street lined with beautiful sakura (cherry) trees in Kunitachi City. It's Yagawa-dori (Yagawa Street) near JR East Yagawa station.

Yagawa is an area with a friendly atmosphere. It's densely packed with houses and apartments. There are many common shops and restaurants along the street. The width of Yagawa Street is narrower than that of prestigious University Street in the same city, but the cherry trees along Yagawa Street form a beautiful tunnel. Please look at the photo, and feel the herald of spring there.

Incidentally, Yagawa is a JR East Nambu line station. The Nambu line penetrates the western part of Tokyo Metropolis and the eastern part of Kanagawa Prefecture. The route is composed of the 45 kilometers-long main line and the 4 kilometers-long branch line. A brand new train, the EMU E233-8000 series, has been operated on the main line since 2014. A total of 35 sets, 210 units, were built by JR East Niitsu Factory; meanwhile, 1 set, 6 units (also known as the E233-8500 series), were built by Tokyu sharyo.

The specifications of the E233-8000 series are basically the same as the other E233 series being operated on the Chuo, JobanKeihin-Tohoku, Keiyo, SaikyoYokohama and Tokaido lines, but the E233-8000 series is a 6-car train made up of 4 motorcars and 2 trailers (4M2T). It has stainless bodies with yellow, orange and brown-colored stripes. Special logos for the Nambu line can be seen on the sides of the train.

"Cherry tunnel" near Yagawa station on the JR East Nambu line