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| EMU Tokyo Metro 15000 series |
On March 14th, the Meteorological Agency of Japan declared that sakura (cherry) blossoms had started blooming in Tokyo. It was the earliest record in history. The agency then reported that they fully blossomed on March 22nd. As I post year after year, Japanese people harbor romantic emotions towards cherry blossoms. We are also reminded of the emptiness of life seeing the beautiful blossoms dropping only a week after they fully blossom. Cherry viewing is a part of Japanese culture.
The other day, I went for a stroll around the office during my lunch time break. My favorite area to walk is around the Imperial Palace, where we can enjoy full-blown trees. I found many female students who have just graduated from a university. They put on colorful "hakama" to graduation ceremonies, and took memorial photos of each other under the cherry trees. Hakama is a traditional Japanese clothing, much like kimono; however, hakama have pleated trousers, instead of one long cloth like a kimono. Congratulations on your graduation!
To visit this cherry viewing spot, the nearest station is Kudanshita on the subway Tokyo Metro Tozai line. Taking this opportunity, I'm going to introduce the EMU 15000 series operated on the line. The 15000 series debuted in 2010 to replace the old EMU 05 series. 16 sets, 160 cars in total, were built by Hitachi Kasado Factory. The most distinctive feature of this commuter train is its wide doors, which enable the safe and smooth boarding of passengers during the rush hour.
