This is the sequel of my last post. After enjoying the 40th anniversary memorial trains on the New Shuttle line, I shifted my attention to the adjacent track. That's JR East's Joetsu Shinkansen. Let me quickly review the Joetsu Shinkansen to start. It's the main transportation artery between Tokyo Metropolis and Niigata Prefecture. Its operating length is 334 kilometers. The EMU E7 series is the representative model on the Joetsu Shinkansen. Its maximum operating speed is 275 kilometers per hour.
Hanuki station platform on the New Shuttle line is one of the best places to observe the Joetsu (and Hokuriku) Shinkansen trains, because the New Shuttle track and the Shinkansen track are the same height. We can easily shoot the Shinkansen trains, especially southbound ones running with high speed. Trains are operated every 15 minutes on average. For your information, a suitable sunlight condition for photographers is around noon. It's a fairly famous shooting spot among rail-fans.
Another recommended spot is the riverside of Haraichinuma River, 0.5 kilometer southwest of Maruyama station on the New Shuttle line. It's not a famous spot, but I like it. We can observe 3-story tracks there. They are, from top to bottom, the southbound Joetsu Shinkansen track, the northbound Joetsu Shinkansen track and the northbound New Shuttle track. Sitting on the riverside, I could fully enjoy the hurtling Shinkansen train, whose total length is 300.25 meters. Early spring scenery in the suburban area was also my favorite. Spring has sprung in the Tokyo metropolitan area!
