Spring is here in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The maximum daytime temperature is nearly 20 degrees Celsius. I visited the Daiyuzan line of Izu-Hakone Railway to find the advent of spring.
I got off at Wadagawara station, and visited a cherry-tree-lined path, named Harukimichi for the first time in five years. It's famous for Harumeki-sakura, which were developed by the local people a quarter of a century ago. The blooming season of Harumeki-sakura is earlier than that of the standard cherry, so, many cherry lovers flock to this path to feel the herald of spring as soon as possible. I'm also one of those people. This time, I could luckily enjoy not only the cherry blossoms but also snow-capped Mt. Fuji far away.
I can't be written off here as this is a rail-fan's blog. Taking this opportunity, I'd like to show you what Set 5501 of the EMU Izu-Hakone Railway 5000 series is now. The 5000 series is basically a blue-colored train, but the body color of Set 5501 was changed to vermillion last year cerebrating the 100th anniversary of the Daiyuzan line. The vermillion is known as the color of Tengu, who is an imaginary goblin living deep in the mountains around the Daiyuzan line. It is said that he has a vermillion-colored face, a long nose and wings on his back. You can see his feather fan on the front of Set 5501. Incidentally, the Daiyuzan line is the 9.6 kilometers-long local line in the southwestern part of Kanagawa Prefecture.
