It's a bit of an unseasonal topic, but I'm going to show you a traditional event. The 5th of May was Children's Day in Japan. In this season, parents celebrate their children's birth and pray for their healthy growth by putting up carp-shaped banners, named "Koinobori", in their gardens. When a carp heads upstream, he (or she) uses his (or her) power to jump over obstacles, even waterfalls, so, Koinobori is a symbol of power for children to grow up. In recent years, Koinoboris are not only put up in private gardens, but also stretched above rivers as local events. I found plenty of Koinoboris at Higashi-Asakawa River in Hachioji City, some 50 kilometers west of the city center of Tokyo. They were flying above the stream whipping in the gentle breeze. It seems like they were feeling pretty good.
To visit this local event, the nearest railway station is Nishi-Hachioji on the JR East-Chuo line. Taking this opportunity, I'm going to show you an unusual train stopping at Nishi-Hachioji station. That's a local train, the EMU JR East 211-3000 series, bound for Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture. It has stainless-steel bodies with light blue and emerald-colored stripes, which are called “Nagano colors”. Different from the standard commuter trains, the 211-3000 series consists of only 6 cars, as it's operated mainly in the sparsely populated countryside. It takes 4 hours 10 minutes from Nishi-Hachioji to Matsumoto terminal, but never mind. Sitting on the comfortable seat, you will enjoy beautiful mountain scenery inland. Have a fun trip!
