Japan has four distinct seasons. Each season is beautiful in its own way. Cherry blossoms might be famous in spring, but they can't be the only beautiful flowers. In recent years, nemophila has become popular among people. It's an annual herb native to North America. The plant grows only up to 20 centimeters tall, and produces tiny blue flowers. The small flowers mean nemophila usually play a supporting role in gardens, but several parks are famous for nemophila flowers as their stars. Toneri Park in the northern part of Tokyo is one of such places. We can see a vast nemophila field in spring. It looks like a beautiful blue carpet on a gentle hill.
To get to Toneri Park, the nearest station is Toneri-koen on the Nippori-Toneri Liner operated by Bureau of Transportation, Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The route is known as the rubber-tired AGT (Automated Guide way Transit) system. Connecting Nippori in the downtown area and Minumadai-shinsuikoen, its operating length is 9.7 kilometers. Track is double and the electric system is 600V three-phase AC, 50 Hz. ATO (Automatic Train Operation) system is adopted, so there is no driver and conductor on the train. As a result, the front seat on the train is vacant, so passengers can freely sit on it. The EMU Toei 330 series was my vehicle to Toneri Park the other day. Needless to say, I sat on the front seat of the 330 series, and fully enjoyed the view ahead to Toneri-koen station. I felt awesome!
