In Japan, people usually spend the New Year holidays with their families, and I’m no exception. I visited my mother’s house in Suginami Ward on New Year’s Day and had a wonderful time with her and my family.
The next day, I went to Omiya-Hachiman Shrine near my mother’s house to pray for a healthy and prosperous year. Omiya-Hachiman was founded in 1063 to ward off evil spirits. After praying, I happened to see a New Year ceremony called Hikime-no-gi being held at the archery range in the precincts. When the special arrow was shot, it cut through the air with a sharp “whoosh,” a sound said to drive away evil. I fully enjoyed watching this traditional event.
To reach this historic shrine, the nearest station is Nishi-Eifuku on the Keio Inokashira Line. Following the “Merry Christmas” headmark, a train on the Inokashira Line was now displaying a “Geishun” (New Year’s greeting) plate on the front for the season. It was Set 1751 of the EMU Keio 1000 series. Set 1751, introduced in 1996 as the very first of the series, has a bluish-green face.
By the way, here’s a small delight for old-school trainspotters. The 1000 series trains vary not only in their front colors but also in their details. For example, the early 15 sets, including Set 1751, have boxy destination indicators on the front, while the later 14 sets feature smooth ones. Finding such subtle differences between trainsets is one of the greatest pleasures for railfans like me.
