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| EMU Hankyu 6300 series arrived at Katsura station on the Hankyu Arashiyama line |
I'm going to continue to show you my short stay in Kyoto City last month.
A rickshaw is a human-powered vehicle for transporting people, used as a means of getting around. It was developed in the early 1870's in Japan. The number of rickshaws peaked in the 1920's, and decreased rapidly as it was replaced by other means of transportation. You can no longer see rickshaws in Japan. No, no. That's not right. I certainly saw one carrying tourists on board in the bamboo grove of Arashiyama in Kyoto City. When I strolled in the grove with my family, we came across rickshaws, which have revived as a tourist attraction in the historical city.
In the evening, we came back to downtown Kyoto taking the Hankyu Arashiyama line. Our vehicle was the EMU 6300 series. It's an old model originally developed as a limited express train on the Kyoto main line. The 6300 series is the 1976 Blue Ribbon Winner. As you know, the Blue Ribbon Prize is an annual award presented by Japan Railfan Club to the best train that was launched in the previous year. The 6300 series were then transferred to the Arashiyama line in 2009. The passenger seats were changed from cross to semi-cross (cross and long) seats, as many tourists use this train. Although 45 years have passed since the 6300 series debuted, it's still beautiful. That's Hankyu quality.
The rickshaw and the EMU Hankyu 6300 series... they are evergreen means of transportation in Kyoto City.
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| A rickshaw in the bamboo grove of Arashiyama |