After enjoying autumn in Nara, we started our homeward journey. Taking the Kintetsu Osaka line, we went to Nagoya by the Meihan Limited Express train. This train travels between Osaka (Namba) and Nagoya via Nara Prefecture with a maximum speed of 130 kilometers per hour. It's of course much slower than that of JR Central's Tokaido Shinkansen, but is more luxurious and inexpensive. Our vehicle was the EMU 21000 series, "Urban Liner".
When we arrived at Nagoya station, I found a new Meihan Limited Express model, the EMU 80000 series, Hinotori, on the adjacent track. Hinotori means "a firebird or phoenix" in Japanese. The 80000 series was commissioned in March, 2020. 11 sets (8-car and 6-car trains) in total were built by Kinki-sharyo. Its streamlined shining bodies are very vivid and definitely my favorite. The interior of the 80000 series is gorgeous. For instance, all seats in the premium car have back shells, so, you don't need to worry about disturbing a passenger sitting behind you. With regard to the technical specifications, the premium car has an active suspension system, which is a special device to minimize the lateral swinging movement of the train.
The EMU Kintetsu 80000 series, Hinotori, was elected as the 2021 Blue Ribbon Prize train. The Blue Ribbon Prize is an annual award presented by the Japan Railfan Club (JRC) since 1958, awarded to the best train that launched in the previous year. I also voted for the 80000 series as a member of JRC.
