Preserved Electric Locomotive in Hitachi City

Electric locomotive Hitachi Mining Railway No. 13 preserved in Hitachi City

Hitachi is known as the city where Hitachi Ltd. was founded. It’s located in the northern part of Ibaraki Prefecture, about 150 kilometers north of Tokyo. The origin of this city traces back to the Hitachi Copper Mine, which was discovered in the late 16th century. The area developed rapidly in the early 20th century after the introduction of machinery such as rock drills, but this historic mine was unfortunately closed in 1981 after its resources were exhausted.

The Hitachi Mining Railway played an important role in the modernization of the Hitachi Copper Mine. This railway opened in 1908 to transport passengers, materials, and ore. Connecting Sukegawa (present-day Hitachi) and Daiou-in, its total operating length was 5.4 kilometers, and its track gauge was 762 millimeters. In 1957, the line carried 6,500 passengers per day, but it was unfortunately abolished in 1981 as part of streamlining efforts.

Please look at the top photo. This is Electric Locomotive No. 13, which is preserved at the Nippon Mining Museum in the city. It was built by Hitachi in 1926 and was mainly used for freight trains. The locomotive weighs 8,000 kilograms and is equipped with two 33 kW direct current motors. Its wheel arrangement is Ao-Ao. After 34 years of operation, it was retired from service in 1960.

What impressed me most was its pantograph—it looks like a tower! I wondered how the engineers insulated it to prevent current leakage and short circuits. It remains a mystery to me. Anyway, I enjoyed observing this precious electric locomotive from the early days of Japanese industrial history.

Pantograph of Electric Locomotive No. 13

Official website, "Nippon Mining Museum": https://www.jx-nmm.com/english/museum/

2025 Sakura Season on the Gotemba Line

Limited express "Fuji-san (Mt. Fuji)" running on the Odakyu line

The sakura (cherry blossom) season has already passed in Tokyo, but the front line of blossoms is still moving northward across Japan. A person traveling with this “sakura front” could enjoy the flowers for more than two months. The front also climbs into the mountains. I recently visited the foothills of Mt. Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture.

I got off at Suruga-Oyama Station on JR Central’s Gotemba Line. My destination was Fuji Reien (Fuji Cemetery), where my grandmother’s grave is located. As I approached the cemetery, I was greeted by fully bloomed sakura trees on the mountain slopes. Their light pink blossoms created a vivid contrast with the blue sky and snow-capped Mt. Fuji.

Taking this opportunity, I’d like to give an update on the limited express train Fuji-san (Mt. Fuji) that runs on the Gotemba Line. The Fuji-san departs from Shinjuku Terminal on the Odakyu Line and continues directly onto JR Central’s Gotemba Line. The train used for this service is the EMU Odakyu 60000 series, MSE (Multi Super Express). The MSE normally consists of ten cars, but the formation can be divided into six- and four-car sets for greater operational flexibility. For the Fuji-san service, a six-car trainset is used.

I found a special “Mocoron” sticker on the front of the MSE. Mocoron is Odakyu’s mascot character. The sticker is part of Odakyu’s initiative to support child-rearing. For this purpose, the MSE includes a special lavatory equipped with a baby bed.

Fully bloomed sakura trees and snow-capped Mt. Fuji

Preserved Tramcar in the Open-air Architectural Museum

Unit 7514 of the Toei 7500 series tram preserved in Koganei City

The Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum is a lovely place where you can see many historic Japanese buildings. It’s located in Koganei City, about 30 kilometers west of central Tokyo. Since the 17th century, Tokyo has lost a number of precious old buildings because of fires, floods, earthquakes, and even wars. To protect and share what’s left, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government opened this museum in 1993 as an annex of the Edo-Tokyo Museum. The museum’s goal is to relocate, rebuild, and preserve buildings of great cultural value, and to hand down these treasures to future generations. One of my favorite spots is the public bathhouse Kodakara-yu (see the photo below).

The museum doesn’t just display old buildings. Please take a look at the top photo — this is unit 7514 of the Toei 7500 series tram. The 7500 series was introduced in 1962 as a mid-sized (12.52-meter-long) double-bogie tramcar for the Tokyo streetcar lines. Each car had two 60 kW DC motors and could run up to 40 kilometers per hour. After running for 16 years, unit 7514 was retired in 1978.

By the way, unit 7504, which I showed in a previous post, is a “sister car” of this one. You may notice that the color of the body stripe is different. The red stripe on unit 7514 was the original design used when the series debuted in 1962. On the other hand, the blue stripe on unit 7504 appeared around 1975, when one-man (driver-only) operation started.

Kodakara-yu (center) in the Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum

 

Official information about unit 7514 (Edo-Tokyo Open-Air Architectural Museum)

(Please scroll to the bottom of the page)

https://www.tatemonoen.jp/english/restore/intro/outdoor.php

The 12th Generation Sounyan Train

The 12th generation Sounyan Train (westbound) arriving at Izumi-chuo station

On March 31st, Sagami Railway (Sotetsu) launched the 12th-generation Sounyan Train. Today, I’d like to show you this new “poster train.”

Let’s start with a quick review of Sounyan. He’s Sotetsu’s mascot character—a “new species of cat,” according to the company’s website. He was born on March 10th somewhere along the Sotetsu Line, joined Sotetsu in 2014, and has been working in public relations ever since. He’s good at finding new things, and his hobbies are photography and eating out.

He seems like a fine young cat, but he also has a small mental burden—people often mistake him for a raccoon dog! That has apparently troubled him for a long time. What a detailed backstory he has! Well, as they say, no one can live on sweet words alone.

Jokes aside, the purposes of the Sounyan Train are to promote the charm of the Sotetsu Line and to give passengers a relaxing experience.

Trainset 11002 of the EMU 11000 series is used for this 12th-generation version. The 11000 series is Sotetsu’s commuter train that debuted in 2009. To reduce manufacturing costs, it shares most of its technical specifications with JR East's EMU E233 series.

Please look at the top photo. A stuffed Sounyan is sitting in the driver’s cab! It’s so cute—but I feel like I’ve seen something similar before... Let me think—oh, yes, Odakyu’s “Mocoron”!

Incidentally, you can check out my past posts about the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th-generation Sounyan Trains as well.

The 12th generation Sounyan Train (eastbound) arriving at Yumegaoka station

Official information about the 12th Sounyan Train by Sotetsu (in Japanese):

https://cdn.sotetsu.co.jp/media/2025/pressrelease/pdf/r25-50-rpd.pdf

Serving a Double Purpose on the Odakyu Line

Romancecar "GSE" crossing Odakyu Tama River Bridge

It’s mid-spring in Tokyo, and daytime temperatures are now over 20 degrees Celsius every day. The best season of the year has arrived! I recently visited the bank of the Tama River bank on the Odakyu line.

As soon as I reached the embankment, what caught my eye was a double-double track railway bridge—the Odakyu Tama River Bridge. About five minutes later, my photo target appeared: the EMU Odakyu 70000 series, “Romancecar GSE (Graceful Super Express)”.

GSE is the newest model in the Romancecar fleet. It features upper-deck cockpits, allowing passengers to enjoy the forward view from the very front car. It also has large side windows that provide a clear, wide view of the scenery. The body color of the GSE is called “rose vermilion.”

Please take a look at the top photo—the GSE is crossing the Tama River in the morning sun, under a bright blue sky. Beautiful!

After finishing my train photography, I switched gears to another hobby of mine—fossil collecting. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s been my lifelong passion. This time, my hunting field was the riverbed near the Odakyu Tama River Bridge. In this area, we can observe many fossiliferous beds from the Iimuro Formation, which consists of shallow marine sediments deposited about 1.3 to 1.1 million years ago.

Please look at the photo below—this was my find of the day, a fossilized Fusumagai (Clementia vatheleti). It’s a large, thick, rounded bivalve. Welcome back to the world above ground, after more than a million years!

I truly served a double purpose that day on the Odakyu Line.

Fossil "Fusumagai (Clementia vatheleti)" found near the Odakyu Tama River Bridge

2025 Sakura Season on the Keio-Inokashira Line

A round "Sakura" plate displayed on the western side of trainset 1780

The sakura (cherry blossom) season in the Tokyo metropolitan area is almost over. Feeling a little sad to say goodbye to the 2025 blossoms, I’d like to keep sharing a few more scenes of this year’s cherry blossoms in Tokyo.

I recently visited Takaido on the Keio-Inokashira Line, just as I do every year. Beautiful cherry trees were blooming along the Kanda River and beside the railway track. I admired the blossoms in full bloom from the platform of Takaido Station. This place is filled with memories for me because I went to kindergarten in Takaido when I was a child. I remembered how we used to walk along the stream and track with our teacher. Where has the time gone?

About five minutes later, a westbound express train approached the station. It was the perfect timing for taking a train photo with the full-bloom cherry trees in the background. Now or never! I pressed the shutter—and thank goodness, I got it! Please take a look at the top photo. It’s trainset 1780 of the EMU Keio 1000 series. During the cherry blossom season, trainset 1780 displayed special round plates on the front and back of the train. The design of these plates was inspired by “Sakura (Cherry)”, a once-famous overnight sleeper train operated by the former Japanese National Railways. You can see the original Sakura plate design in my post in 2020. That really brings back memories!

I fully enjoyed the combination of the full-bloom cherry trees and the special “Sakura” train plate on the Keio-Inokashira Line.

Another "Sakura" plate displayed on the eastern side of trainset 1780

2025 Sakura Season on the Tama Monorail Line

EMU Tama Intercity Monorail 1000 series approaching Shibasaki-Taiikukan station

I’ve been introducing my favorite sakura (cherry blossom) viewing spots on this blog for many years. Following the Sakurayama Park in Zushi City the other day, today I’d like to show you the cherry blossoms in full bloom in Tachikawa City.

Please take a look at the photo below. Negawa Greenway is a hidden gem located about 40 kilometers west of central Tokyo. The walkway along the stream is lined with cherry trees bursting into full bloom. Local people are gathering under the blossoms, enjoying food and drinks together — couples, families, and close-knit groups of friends. The atmosphere feels so warm and cheerful.

To reach this beautiful spot, the nearest station is Shibasaki-Taiikukan Station on the Tama Monorail line. Taking this opportunity, let me also introduce the trains that run on this straddle-type monorail. The EMU 1000 series is the only model operated by Tama Intercity Monorail Co., Ltd. It was introduced in 1998 when part of the line first opened. A total of 16 sets were built by Hitachi and Kawasaki Heavy Industries between 1998 and 2005.

Each trainset consists of four 15-meter-long motorcars, though the first and last cars are somewhat unusual. One bogie is powered while the other is not, resulting in a formation equivalent to 3M1T. The electrical system uses 1,500 V DC, and traction control is managed by an IGBT-VVVF (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor variable frequency drive) system.

I fully enjoyed both the beautiful cherry blossoms and the graceful trains running along the Tama Monorail Line.

Cherry trees in full bloom along the Negawa Greenway

Shooting the Cruise Train, "Shiki-shima": Part 2

JR East's cruise train, the E001 series "Shiki-shima", approaching Odawara station

Continuing from last time, I’m going to show you more about JR East’s E001 series, Shiki-shima.

After photographing Shiki-shima at Kozu Station yard, I returned to Odawara Station to catch its arrival again. At 10:40, Shiki-shima returned from Kozu to pick up passengers. Let me explain the train’s composition: it has 10 cars. The first and last are observation cars; the remaining eight include six sleeping cars (Cars 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9), a lounge car (Car 5), and a dining car (Car 6). Car 7 is the top-tier sleeping car, featuring the Shiki-shima Suite and Deluxe Suite, both with cypress baths. Everything is truly top-notch!

After picking up passengers, Shiki-shima departed Odawara Station at 10:50. Two local “samurais” in armor and kabuto (decorative helmets) saw it off—a thoughtful gesture for the passengers. According to JR East, passengers and crew celebrated together upon arriving at Ueno Terminal in Tokyo. The crew clearly went above and beyond what the passengers expected.

You might ask, “Don’t you ever ride this luxury cruise train?” Good question! I would love to travel on Shiki-shima someday—but I’m always busy. It’s extremely popular, reservations are hard to get, and it’s very expensive… so, lots of excuses!

Local "samurais" (right) sending off Shiki-shima cruise train from Odawara station

Official product descriptions about the E001 series, Shiki-shima, by J-TREC (in Japanese):

https://www.j-trec.co.jp/company/070/06/jtr06_088-093.pdf

Shooting the Cruise Train, "Shiki-shima"

JR East's cruise train, the E001 series "Shiki-shima", standing at Kozu station yard

Do you remember when I introduced JR West’s sleeper train, “Sunrise Express” last year? That’s the only “regular” sleeper train left in Japan. But are there any others? Yes—there are the so-called “cruise trains.” Today, I’m going to show you one of these luxury sleeper trains.

The Shiki-shima (“Four Seasons Island”) is JR East’s cruise train, officially named the E001 series. Only one set was built, jointly by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and J-TREC, and it debuted in 2017. The E001 series consists of 10 cars. It uses an EDC (electric/diesel hybrid) propulsion system: on electrified tracks, it runs as an EMU (electric multiple unit), while on non-electrified tracks, two diesel generators—located in the first and last cars—power the traction motors.

JR East does not publish the detailed timetable for Shiki-shima, because it operates as a special group tour train. As a rail fan, it’s not easy to photograph. Recently, I found some hints about the train’s schedule online and visited Odawara Station on the Tokaido Main Line—but I couldn’t find it! Why? According to a station attendant, Shiki-shima is temporarily housed in the Kozu Station yard, about 6 kilometers east of Odawara. Oh my goodness!

I rushed to Kozu Station and just barely managed to photograph Shiki-shima on the detention track. Look at the photos—Shiki-shima was shining brilliantly. Mission accomplished!... but I was completely exhausted. To be continued… 

Shiki-shima approaching Kozu station yard

Official information about "Shiki-shima" by JR East:

https://www.jreast.co.jp/shiki-shima/en/

2025 Sakura Season on the Yokosuka Line

Set F29 of the eleven-car EMU E235-1000 series running on the Yokosuka Line

On March 24th, 2025, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that this year’s sakura (cherry) blossoms had started blooming in the metropolitan area. Spring has sprung! As I write every year, Japanese people have deep, almost romantic feelings toward sakura blossoms. Seeing their fleeting beauty — the petals falling just a week after reaching full bloom — also reminds us of the transience of life. Enjoying sakura viewing during this short period is truly part of Japanese culture.

This year, I took the JR East Yokosuka Line to see cherry blossoms in Kanagawa Prefecture.

My destination was Zushi City, about 50 kilometers southwest of central Tokyo. When I arrived at Sakurayama (Cherry Mountain) Park, it was full of visitors — families with children, couples, and groups of friends, all enjoying themselves in their own ways under the fully blooming sakura trees.

What left the strongest impression on me was a couple taking maedori photos (a bridal photoshoot before their wedding day). Congratulations to the happy couple!

On my way home, I stopped by Higashi-Zushi Station to enjoy some train photography. I was delighted to capture an eleven-car E235-1000 series train shining in the sunlight. But at the same time, I suddenly remembered its elder “sibling,” the E217 series, which had been retired from the Yokosuka Line on March 14th. I hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye before the retirement.

The E217 series… I’m truly sorry I missed your last run — and thank you so much for your years of hard work on the Yokosuka, Soōu-Rapid, and Tōkaidō lines.

Fully bloomed sakura trees in Sakurayama Park near Higashi-Zushi Station