French Garden on the Izukyu Line

Uncoupling scene of the EMU JR East E257-2000 series "Odoriko" at Atami station

It's the end of May already. This year's rainy season is approaching day by day in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Before the gloomy season, I traveled to the Izu Peninsula to feel the clear early summer.

My destination was Kawazu Bagatelle Park, about 160 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. It's famous for its French garden with various roses. When I visited there, the peak season of spring rose blossoms was over, but still many kinds of roses were blooming. The French-styled garden was also impressive. It was geometric and symmetric... completely different from Japanese gardens. A palace-styled building in front of the garden and a spire beside the garden were also beautiful. I fully felt the atmosphere of France.

To get to Kawazu Bagatelle Park, the nearest railway station is Kawazu on the Izukyu line. It takes about two hours from Tokyo station on the JR East Tokaido main line by limited express train, "Odoriko". This convenient train is directly operated onto the Izukyu line via Ito station. So, passengers can go to Kawazu station from Tokyo without changing trains. My vehicle was the EMU JR East E257-2000 series. One set of the E257-2000 series is composed of 9 and 5 cars. The 9-car train is called the main set, and operated between Tokyo and Izukyu-Shimoda; meanwhile the 5-car train is called a sub-set, and operated onto the Sunzu line of Izu-Hakone Railway to Shuzenji. Passengers can observe coupling and uncoupling scenes at Atami station on the JR East line.

Kawazu Bagatelle Park near Kawazu station on the Izukyu line

Final Chapter of the Tokyu 9000 Series

Trainset 9007 of the EMU Tokyu 9000 series (July, 2022)

On May 11th, 2023, Tokyu Railways announced their investment plans for fiscal 2023, in which new-model cars for the Oimachi line will be built to replace the deteriorated EMU 9000 and 9020 series. The final chapter of the 9000 and 9020 series has eventually begun.

Tokyu has a labyrinthine railway network in the southwestern part of Tokyo Metropolis and Kanagawa Prefecture. The Oimachi line is just a short commuter route connecting Oimachi and Futako-Tamagawa (10.4 kilometers), but all trains are directly operated onto the Denentoshi line through Futako-Tamagawa station. The EMU 9000 series is a major fleet on the line. It was commissioned in 1985 mainly for the Toyoko line. 75 cars (15 trainsets) are currently operated on the Oimachi line. On the other hand, the EMU 9020 series is a small group on the Oimachi line. It was commissioned in 1992 mainly for the Denentoshi line under the original name of the 2000 series. 15 cars (3 trainsets) are currently operating on the Oimachi line under the new name of the 9020 series. Technical specifications of the 9000 and 9020 series are more or less the same. The photo is trainset 9007 of the EMU 9000 series with special decorations. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Tokyu Group, the company operated this special poster train from April, 2022 to April, 2023.

I don't know how many years more until the retirement of the 9000 and 9020 series, but hope that they'll be operated as long as possible.

Trainset 9007 stands at Jiyugaoka station on the Tokyu-Oimachi line (July, 2022)

2023 Cherry Blossom Season in Oyama Town

EMU Odakyu 60000 series, limited express "Fuji-san"

It's late May already. The cherry blossom season this year ended a long time ago, but I would like to introduce you to some more cherry blossom scenes in 2023.

I visited my grandmother's grave last month, and offered flowers for the first time in two years. She lived a long and healthy life, and passed away several years ago at the age of 103. Her grave is located in Fuji Reien (Fuji Cemetery), in Oyama Town, Shizuoka Prefecture. It's at the southern foot of Mt. Fuji, and known as a vast cemetery surrounded by beautiful forests. The main street of the cemetery is very wide and famous for its cherry trees. They were in full bloom when I visited there. A flurry of cherry blossoms blowing in the wind was really romantic. It was a shower of cherry blossoms.

To visit Fuji Reien, the nearest railway station is Suruga-Oyama on the JR Central Gotemba line. For passengers from downtown Tokyo to Suruga-Oyama, a direct train, "Fuji-san (Mt. Fuji)", is convenient. Fuji-san train starts from Shinjuku terminal on the Odakyu line, and is directly operated onto the JR Central Gotemba line to Gotemba terminal. My vehicle was the EMU Odakyu 60000 series, "MSE (Multi Super Express)". MSE was launched in 2008 as a multi-purpose limited express train. I found a special sticker on the front of the train celebrating the 15th anniversary of MSE. Congratulations on the 15th anniversary! I wish MSE will be active on the track for a long time.

The main street of Fuji Reien (Fuji Cemetery)

The Preserved Seibu SL in Shinagawa Ward

Steam locomotive Unit 7 of Seibu Railway is preserved in Higashi-Shinagawa Park

I recently found a precious steam locomotive (SL) in Shinagawa Ward of Tokyo Metropolis. It was being displayed in a public park, named Higashi-Shinagawa Park, within an apartment complex. I'm going to introduce you to this SL today.

The SL Unit 7 of Seibu Railway was built by Pittsburgh Locomotive and Car Works, the United States, in 1897 as the product number 1,711. It was ordered by Iga Railway, but the inauguration of that railway had failed to obtain the shareholders' approval. The SL was then taken over by Hankaku Railway (later the Ministry of Railways) under the name of Unit 3 of the Class A1. After being operated by several railways, it was transferred to Seibu Railway in 1943 under the new name of Unit 7. After 22 years more, this SL was eventually retired from the track in 1965, and stored and displayed in Higashi-Shinagawa Park in 1969.

Unit 7 is a 2-6-0 (Whyte notation) type tank locomotive. It's 8.967 meters long, and weighs 27,350 kilograms. This SL was quite unique, because it doesn't have trailing wheels. As you know, standard tank SLs have trailing wheels (for example 2-6-4). It implies that the rear part of this SL was too short to put a water tank and a coal storage box with appropriate sizes. Unit 7 SL may have been lacking in terms of usability. It's fun to learn technical specifications of railway vehicles. I fully enjoyed to observe this precious preserved SL on that day.

Unit 7 is a 2-6-0 (Whyte notation) type tank locomotive

Peony Garden on the Odakyu Line

EMU JR East E233-2000 series travels on the Odakyu line

After cherry blossoms falling from the trees, peony flowers have started to bloom in Tokyo. I went to Machida Peony Garden in Machida City, about 40 kilometers southwest of the center of Tokyo Metropolis. Along with the garden of Nishiarai-daishi temple, Machida Peony Garden is famous for its beautiful peony flowers from April to May. What jumped into my eyes there was various colored flowers. They were red, pink, yellow, purple and white-colored. Specifically, my favorite ones were the large yellow and pink-colored flowers, which were fully blooming and shining under the spring sunlight. The red-colored Japanese traditional parasol matched these peony flowers.

I can't be written off here as this is a railway blog. To get to this beautiful peony garden, the nearest station is Machida on the Odakyu line. Taking this opportunity, I'm going to show you one of the trains being operated on the Odakyu line. The JR East E233-2000 series is a commuter train directly operated from the JR East Joban line onto the Odakyu line via the subway Chiyoda line. It was commissioned in 2009 to replace the old 207-900 and the 203 series. A total of 18 sets, 180 units, were built by Tokyu Sharyo. The E233-2000 series has narrower bodies than those of the standard E233 series. It's because the vehicle limit of the subway Chiyoda line is smaller than that of the JR East and Odakyu lines. I hope that you will understand the variety of trains in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Machida Peony Garden near Machida station on the Odakyu line

The 5th Anniversary of GSE

EMU Odakyu 70000 series, "GSE", travels on the Odakyu line

On March 17th, 2023, Odakyu Electric Railway celebrated the 5th anniversary of the GSE operation. Time really flies.

Let me review the Odakyu GSE. EMU Odakyu 70000 series, "GSE", is the latest model of the "Romancecar" fleet. "Romancecar (one word)" is the brand name of the Odakyu limited express train in English. It's operated between Shinjuku, a sub-center of Tokyo and Hakone, a famous resort in the metropolitan area. GSE is a 7-car train with upper-deck cockpits, so, passengers can enjoy the view ahead. It's the same as the previous models such as NSE, LSE, HiSE and VSE, but GSE is more elaborate. For instance, it has larger windows to secure a clear visual field for passengers. Regarding the technical specifications, an electrohydraulic full active suspension system is notable. It's a special device to minimize the lateral swinging movement of the train. The electric control system is a state-of-the-art full SiC-various frequency drive. On the other hand, GSE are not articulated cars but a standard EMU. It's probably because the articulated cars require more maintenance cost. When disconnecting the articulated cars for an inspection, it's necessary to support the vehicle body by a crane.

In commemoration of the 5th anniversary, a special sticker is being displayed on the front of the train. Whenever I come across GSE, its rose-vermilion-colored bodies make my heart race. It's definitely my favorite color. Congratulations on the 5th anniversary of GSE! I wish GSE will be active on the track for long time.

A special sticker is displayed on the front of Romancecar "GSE"

Official website, Odakyu limited express, Romancecar:

https://www.odakyu.jp/english/romancecar/

Mini Tokyo Station on the Takasaki Line

The entrance of Fukaya station, JR East Takasaki line 

It takes about 90 minutes to get there from Tokyo station. You can see a distinctive station building there. It looks as if it's made of bricks, and similar to Tokyo station. What's that?

The answer is Fukaya station on the JR East Takasaki line. Fukaya is a medium-sized city in Saitama Prefecture, about 80 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. The population is about 130,000, and famous as an area producing Fukaya leeks. The current station building was completed in 1996 imitating Tokyo station. It's because Tokyo station is made of bricks, which were produced in Fukaya City. Actually, Fukaya station is a steel-frame building, and its concrete walls are ornamented by brick-like tiles. Exactly, they're not real bricks. It's because JR East was afraid of a fall of bricks onto the tracks. When I visited Fukaya station, there were many people around the station. They were admiring both the beautiful station building and cherry trees in full bloom. It served a double purpose for them. I was also one of them.

To get to Fukaya station, my vehicle was the EMU E233-3000 series with Shonan-colored (orange and green-colored) bodies. It's one of the direct current trains on the JR East lines, and widely operated in the Tokyo metropolitan area. It was commissioned in 2008 to replace the old models such as the 211 series. A total of 525 cars were built by Tokyu Sharyo (present J-TREC), Kawasaki Heavy Industries and JR East Niitsu Factory from 2008 to 2017.

EMU JR East E233-3000 series arrives at Fukaya station on the Takasaki line

The Best Season for Photography: Asakawa Bridge

EMU JR East E231-3000 series crosses Asakawa Railway Bridge

I still enjoy Tama riverside walking. After observing many kinds of trains from Sengen-jinja shrine near Tokyu-Tamagawa station, I went upstream another day. My next destination was Hachioji City in the western part of Tokyo Metropolis.

After arriving at Hachioji station, I headed to Asakawa, which is a tributary of Tama River. As soon as I reached the embankment, I found a single-track railway bridge across the river. It was Asakawa Railway Bridge on the JR East Hachiko line. It's an idealized place for railway photography. Why? Firstly, the bridge doesn't have windbreak fences, so, we can get a whole train image. Secondly, catenary poles stand on the downstream side only, so, there's no obstacle to shoot the trains, if photographers shoot from the upstream side. The only problem is that the time for photography would be limited to keep in the front light condition. I studied in advance the direction of the sun, and found out that the chance of the photography would be in the late afternoon of clear days from late spring to early autumn. The time was now.

Ten minutes later, a train passed the river. It was the EMU JR East E231-3000 series, which consisted of four cars with orange and light-green-colored stripes. Its stainless-steel bodies were shining under the spring sun. Five more minutes later, I shot the other trainset from a sandbank of the river. It was beautiful against the blue sky. I fully enjoyed the railway photography on that day.

A view of Asakawa Railway Bridge on the JR East Hachiko line

Shimbashi SL Square: Revisit

Steam locomotive C11 292 is preserved at Shimbashi SL Square

Do you remember Shimbashi SL (steam locomotive) Square, which I introduced 11 years ago in this blog? I revisited there after a long time.

To start, let me quickly review Shimbashi SL Square. It's located next to JR East Shimbashi station, and is a famous meeting spot among businesspeople in Tokyo. They meet up at the square after office hours, and enjoy drinking, chatting and singing Karaoke for relieving stress from work.

The symbol of the square is a steam locomotive, unit 292 of the ex-Japanese National Railways Class C11 (hereafter C11 292). C11 292 was built in 1945 at Nagoya Factory of Nippon Sharyo Company. It had been used for freight transportation in the western part of Japan. After retirement from the track, it was moved to Shimbashi station, and has been preserved there since 1972. As you know, Japanese railways originated in Shimbashi, so, C11 292 must be proud to be preserved in front of Shimbashi station.

Now then, let's observe C11 292. It's a 2-6-4 type (Whyte notation) small tank locomotive. You see box-shaped steam and sand "domes" at the top central part of the locomotive, don't you? Why aren't they dome-shaped? It was because of WWII. Due to the emergency, these box-shaped steam and sand "domes" simplified the manufacturing process at that time. The war had changed designs of the locomotives. That's so sad. After observing the old locomotive, I pulled myself together, and went to a dinner party in a peaceful era with my friends.

Front view of C11 292

2023 Cherry Blossom Season: The Odakyu Line

Odakyu Romancecar EXE-alpha (cab with a gangway in the front)

There is a large variety of cherry blossoms in Japan. Somei-yoshino is a well-known one, but that's not all. Please look at the bottom photo. It's called "Edo-higan" cherry. I found this beautiful tree at Ouju-hiroba (Cherry trees plaza) near Chitose-Funabashi station on the Odakyu line. Edo-higan is a representative early-bloom cherry blossom. We can see the pinkish blossoms from February. Luckily, a mejiro (white-eye) was coming to the tree. Judging from the belly stripe pattern, it's female. She was hanging on a branch, and very keen on sucking the nectar. Its green-colored wings were brilliant.

Well, I can't be written off here as this is a railway blog. Taking this opportunity, I'm showing one of the Odakyu star trains. The top photo is the EMU Odakyu 30000 series, also known as Romancecar EXE-alpha. I've already introduced it several times, but this is the first time to show you an image of the cab with a gangway in the front. The EMU 30000 series was commissioned in 1996 under the nickname of EXE. EXE stands for "Excellent Express". One set of the train is composed of ten cars, and can be broken up into six and four car sections to enhance operational flexibility. After 21 years of its operation, EXE was renovated as EXE-alpha in 2017. The body color was changed from bronze to silver. The interior was upgraded, for example, luggage spaces were equipped. I enjoyed beautiful cherry blossoms and the Odakyu train on that day.

Note: "Romancecar (one word)" is the formal name in English by Odakyu.

A white-eye sucks nectar of cherry blossoms

2023 Cherry Blossom Season in Fukuyama City

Set S09 of the EMU JR West N700-7000 series stands at Fukuyama station

After visiting Shimonoseki, I headed to Fukuyama City in Hiroshima Prefecture, about 790 kilometers west of Tokyo. My destination was Tomonoura, where visitors can enjoy nostalgic streets and lovely views of the Seto Inland Sea. It was the final of the 2023 cherry blossom season. I took a walk on the street, and admired the cherry trees in full bloom.

It was time to go home. I took the Sanyo Shinkansen from Fukuyama station. I found that the EMU JR West N700-7000 series was standing at the station. The N700-7000 series is one of the N700 series fleet. What is the difference between the N700-7000 and the other N700 series? Firstly, the N700-7000 series is only for the Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansens, not operated on the Tokaido Shinkansen. Secondly, one set of the N700-7000 series is composed of 8 cars; meanwhile, the N700 series operated on the Tokaido Shinkansen consists of 16 cars. Thirdly, The N700-7000 series has celadon-porcelain-colored bodies; meanwhile, the N700 series operated on the Tokaido Shinkansen is white-colored. The cross seats of the standard class reserved seats are also different. The N700-7000 series are spacious with a 2+2 configuration; meanwhile, the same class seats for the Tokaido Shinkansen are a 3+2 configuration. For your information, all the N700-7000 series trains belong to JR West. On the other hand, JR Kyushu also owns the same kind of train under the name of the N700-8000 series. I hope that you understand this complicated classification of the Shinkansen trains.

View of the Tomonoura area and the Seto Inland Sea, Fukuyama City

Official information, the Sanyo-Kyushu Shinkansens:

https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/train/shinkansen/sanyo-kyushu-shinkansen/concept/