Friday 16 December 2022

The Historic Garden and the Train on Shikoku Island

EMU Kotoden 1080 series (ex-Keikyu 1000 series) stands at Ritsurin-koen station.

After arriving at Takamatsu City, I stayed overnight there, and visited Ritsurin Park next day. Ritsurin Park is a large historic Japanese-style garden, which was completed in 1745. It had been a private garden for local feudal lords, but was opened to the public in 1875. I'm specifically fond of the southern garden, where visitors can appreciate a beautiful pond and an arched bridge. When I passed by the pond, newly-weds were taking commemorative photos on the bridge before their wedding ceremony. They looked good in a kimono (traditional Japanese cloth). Congratulations on your wedding! Best wishes for a happy marriage.

To get to this garden full of happiness, the nearest railway station is Ritsurin-koen on the Kotohira line. This local line is operated by Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railway (hereafter Kotoden). My vehicle was a direct current EMU, named 1080 series. This retro train was transferred from the Keikyu line around the year 1990. The former name was the EMU Keikyu 1000 series. As you know, Keikyu is one of the major private railway companies in Tokyo. Both Keikyu and Kotoden have standard gauge (1,435 millimeter-wide) tracks with a 1,500 V direct current electric system; therefore, it was easy to transfer the Keikyu trains to the Kotoden-Kotohira line. 20 cars in total of the Kotoden 1080 series (ex-Keikyu 1000 series) are currently operated on the Kotoden-Kotohira line.

I enjoyed both the historic garden and the train on Shikoku Island. This is why I love railway travel. To be continued...

The southern garden of Ritsurin Park in Takamatsu City, Shikoku Island

Official information, the EMU Kotoden 1080 series (in Japanese):