”Wonderful Dreams Shinkansen” Train

Set G25 of JR Central N700A series EMU, “Wonderful Dreams Shinkansen”

Do you remember when I introduced you to JR East’s “Magical Journey Shinkansen” train last year? Following JR East, JR Central also launched a special poster train “Wonderful Dreams Shinkansen” this year.

To start, let me explain how things came about. On June 6th last year, Tokyo Disney Resort held its grand opening of Fantasy Springs. To promote tourism to this new theme park, JR East started to operate a new poster train named "Magical Journey Shinkansen" jointly with Tokyo Disney Resort. 8 months later, JR Central also launched a new poster train under the name of "Wonderful Dreams Shinkansen" on the Tokaido Shinkansen for the same purpose. You can see characters of Fantasy Springs on the side bodies of Wonderful Dreams Shinkansen. They are Peter Pan, Elsa and Anna of Frozen and so on. The impressive thing was that many inbound tourists were taking pictures of this poster train at Tokyo station. JR Central releases the timetable of Wonderful Dreams Shinkansen on their website (in Japanese only).

Incidentally, Wonderful Dreams Shinkansen is Set G25 of the EMU JR Central N700A series. The 700A series was commissioned in 2016 as an improved version of the N700 series. The main difference between the N700 and the N700A series is their brake performance. New disc brakes were adopted by the N700A series. As you may know, the braking system on a bullet train is quite important in Japan, since we have to stop the train steadily without derailment as soon as an earthquake hits a railway.

Side view of the “Wonderful Dreams Shinkansen”

Official information by JR Central (English):

https://global.jr-central.co.jp/en/news/_pdf/2025/0003.pdf

Official website by JR Central (Japanese):

https://recommend.jr-central.co.jp/wdshinkansen/

Reunion with the Old Express Train

EMU JR Kyushu 787 series (left) at Miyazaki Airport Station

I visited Kyushu Island again, and this time my destination was Miyazaki Prefecture in the southeastern part of the island. I flew to Miyazaki Airport and transferred to a JR Kyushu train.

As soon as I arrived at Miyazaki Airport Station, what caught my eye was a distinctive train: the EMU JR Kyushu 787 series (see the top photo), operating as the limited express Hyuga (named after the old province of Miyazaki). This renowned train entered service in 1992 for 1,067 mm gauge tracks under a 20,000 V (60 Hz) AC electric system. It has a maximum speed of 130 km/h. A total of 140 units were built between 1992 and 2002 by Hitachi and Kinki Sharyo. Its metallic body and futuristic front-end design have made it stand out and remain popular among passengers. The 787 series even won the 1993 Blue Ribbon Prize from the Japan Railfan Club as the best new train of 1992.

More than 30 years have passed since then, and the trains are showing their age. For example, the side destination indicators are still traditional rollsigns (see the photo below), as LED destination signs were never installed. By the way, what do you think of this European-style design today? Does it still look cutting-edge, or does it feel outdated? Personally, my impression of the 787 series changes every time I see it. Sometimes it looks modern and stylish; other times it seems a little old-fashioned. At times its face even looks intimidating, while other times it appears almost charming. Quite a mysterious train! Anyway, it’s been a while—nice to see you again, 787 series.

Side view of the EMU 787 series

A Serendipitous Reunion with Tobu 8577F

Set 8577 of the Tobu 8000 series EMU on display at the Railway Museum

I’m not a native English speaker, so I often come across unfamiliar words. The latest example was “serendipity.” It’s not a common word, but I wanted to remember it through a real experience. As I mentioned in my last post, I recently visited the vast Shirley poppy field in Saitama Prefecture. When I saw this vermilion-colored field, it reminded me of Tobu Railway’s vermilion-colored train—set 8577 of the 8000 series EMU (hereafter 8577F), which I introduced in 2016. Two hours later, I stopped by the Railway Museum in the same prefecture and unexpectedly came across 8577F. What a coincidence! This is truly serendipity, isn’t it?

Why was the Tobu train on display at the Railway Museum, which is owned by JR East? Here’s the story: in 2023, the Railway Museum formed a partnership with the Tobu Museum in Tokyo. The two museums now collaborate to promote railway culture. As part of this effort, the Railway Museum temporarily exhibited Tobu Railway’s 8577F in its outdoor yard. According to the museum, 8577F was displayed for only one month.

Another question is: how was 8577F transported to the Railway Museum? The answer is as follows. The tracks of Tobu Railway and JR East are connected at Kurihashi Station yard. Moreover, JR East’s line is linked to the tracks at the Railway Museum, so 8577F was hauled from Tobu Railway to the museum by locomotives. Long time no see, 8577F! How have you been?

The JR East line connected with the Railway Museum tracks

Enjoy Saitama: Shirley Poppies and a Shining Locomotive

Unit 61 of the electric locomotive Class EF58 on display at the Railway Museum

My spring outing is still going on. Next destination after the rose garden in Kanagawa Prefecture was a Shirley poppy (corn poppy) field in Saitama Prefecture. It's located on the Arakawa riverbed in Konosu City, about 50 kilometers north of Tokyo. As soon as I reached the embankment, what jumped into my eyes was a vast vermilion-colored field. It was second to none, even compared to the other famous Shirley poppy fields in the metropolitan area such as Matsudo and Chichibu. Oh, hold on please. Please look at the photo below. This field is different from the others. Light-purple-colored flowers are mixed. What are those? The answer was “Hazerisou (Phacelia?)”. No problem. Mixing of vermilion and light purple flowers was more beautiful.

I can't finish here as this is a railway blog. On my way home, I got off at Omiya station and stopped by the Railway Museum for the first time in 6 years. What was new with this holy place for rail-fans? I found that a new exhibit was added. Please look at the top photo… Unit 61 of the electric locomotive Class EF58 (hereafter EF58 61). EF 58 61 was Japanese National Railways’ special locomotive. It was built by Hitachi in 1953 for VIP trains. For example, the King and Queen of Norway took a train pulled by EF58 61 with the Emperor and Empress of Japan in 2001. Regarding the technical specifications of the Class EF58, please review my past post.

I enjoyed the flowers and the locomotive in Saitama Prefecture on the same day.

Shirley poppy (vermilion) and Hazerisou (light purple) field in Konosu City

Official information, The Railway Museum: https://www.railway-museum.jp/e/

Stop and Smell the Roses on the Daiyuzan Line

Set 5506 of the Izu-Hakone Railway EMU 5000 series, “Harumeki Train”

I can’t believe it’s already late May—I feel as though I just celebrated the New Year not long ago. Well, no use making a fuss! Let’s stop and smell the roses. This year, I visited the Odawara Flower Garden in Kanagawa Prefecture. As soon as I stepped into the rose garden, a lovely breeze carried the sweet scent of roses through the air. I enjoyed seeing roses in shades of red, pink, white, and yellow in full bloom. It truly feels like the height of spring.

To reach this attractive tourist spot, the nearest railway station is Iidaoka on the Daiyuzan Line of the Izu-Hakone Railway. On my way back home, I spotted an unfamiliar pink-colored train—set 5506 of the EMU 5000 series. This set was originally painted blue, but its body color was recently changed to pink to support community revitalization along the Daiyuzan Line. It’s now called the “Harumeki Train.” As I mentioned in a previous post, Harumeki-zakura is an early-blooming cherry blossom variety developed by local people 25 years ago. Its pink blossoms have since become a symbol of the area.

Incidentally, the 5000 series forms the main fleet on the Daiyuzan Line. It was introduced in 1984 to replace aging stock, with a total of seven sets built by Tokyu Sharyo. Only the first set (5501) has a steel body, while the other six sets, including 5506, are stainless steel. Each set consists of three cars. My favorite is car number 2 of set 5506, because it is equipped with comfortable cross seats.

Odawara Flower Garden near Iidaoka Station, Daiyuzan Line

EMU 315-3000 Series: New Model in the Shizuoka Area

Trainset U12 of the EMU JR Central 315-3000 series at Atami station

As I posted before, Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture is well known as a marine resort city. Visitors can enjoy hot springs, seafood dishes, and fireworks festivals. But there’s more—rail fans can observe many kinds of trains at Atami Station. These include Shinkansen, JR East limited express trains, JR East and JR Central commuter trains, Izukyu trains, and JR Freight trains. Oh, wait a second—I almost forgot one more: the overnight sleeper train “Sunrise Express”. Watching these trains is one of the perks of being a rail fan.

When I visited Atami Station the other day, I found an unfamiliar train standing at the platform. What was that train? The answer is JR Central’s new model, the EMU 315-3000 series. The 315 series was originally introduced as an 8-car train in the Nagoya area in 2022. In 2024, a new 4-car version, named the 315-3000 series, was also introduced in the Shizuoka area. Currently, a total of 12 sets (48 cars) are operated on the Tokaido Main Line in the Shizuoka area. The 315-3000 series has laser-welded stainless-steel bodies with a beautiful finish that shone under the spring sun. Thanks to the high ceilings, the interior feels spacious and open. A wheelchair-accessible restroom is also provided.

As for technical specifications, the train adopts a hybrid SiC-IGBT VVVF inverter (variable-frequency drive) traction control system, achieving a 35 percent reduction in electric power consumption compared with the 211 series.

Incidentally, the old EMU 211 series was retired from the Shizuoka area in February this year. Thank you, 211 series, for your years of hard work.

EMU JR East E257-2000 series (left), EMU JR Central 315-3000 series (right)

Official information about the EMU 315 series by JR Central (in Japanese):

https://railway.jr-central.co.jp/315s/

Visit to Kumamoto: A Must-See Spot

Unit 9202 of the Kumamoto City Tram 9200 series

Following my post from March 29, 2025, I’d like to share the rest of our trip to Kumamoto.

Looking back, I realize that most of the places I visited this time were off the beaten path. Still, there was at least one must-see destination in Kumamoto Prefecture: Mt. Aso, in the northeast of the prefecture. This massive active volcano is famous for its enormous caldera, which measures about 25 kilometers across and is considered one of the largest in the world. The central cone group includes five peaks, among them Taka-dake (1,592 meters, the highest) and Naka-dake, which remains active today (see the photo below). The Nakadake trail is often closed when volcanic gases are too strong or when the activity level rises.

But I can’t end here, since this is a railway blog. So let me also introduce one more tramcar of the Kumamoto City Tram. Please look at the top photo. This is Unit 9202 of the 9200 series. The series was introduced in 1992 to strengthen transport capacity, and only five units were manufactured by ALNA. Each car is mid-sized (13.5 meters in length) and mounted on two bogies with double axles. They are equipped with a variable-frequency control system and two 100 kW induction motors. Note the inclined front glass, which also functions as a panoramic window. This design closely resembles that of the Toei 8500 series, which entered service in the early 1990s, suggesting that such styling was a popular trend at the time.

In Kumamoto, I was able to enjoy both a must-see natural wonder and a distinctive tramcar.

Active Naka-dake crater, Mt. Aso

EMU Tokyu 9000 Series: 2025 Update

Trainset 9015 of the Tokyu 9000 series (revival color), Oimachi Line

Do you remember when the Odakyu 8000 and Tokyu 9000 series EMUs were sold to Seibu Railway last year? Eight months have already passed since then. The other day I posted about the latest status of the Odakyu 8000 series, so today I would like to give an update on the Tokyu 9000 series.

First, let’s review the background. On September 26, 2024, Seibu Railway issued a press release announcing that it would purchase a total of 100 trainsets from Odakyu Electric Railway and Tokyu Corporation. Since a major railway company (Seibu) bought secondhand trains from other major railway companies (Odakyu and Tokyu), this news came as quite a surprise to railfans. Eight months later, I found that the former Odakyu 8000 series had been modified into the “EMU Seibu 8000 series” and had already begun test runs.

Now, let’s get to the main topic. The Tokyu 9000 series EMUs have not yet been transferred to Seibu. They are still in preparation. Although the details are unclear, it is said that major renovations will be required. In the meantime, Tokyu has been reflecting on the history of the 9000 series. They restored the original red front stripe on trainset 9015 (see the top photo) and 9001, replacing the orange-to-yellow gradient that had been applied later (see the photo below). I still vividly remember seeing the 9000 series with its red stripe at the old Shibuya station on the Tokyu Toyoko Line back in 2013. Time really does fly.

I truly enjoyed seeing the revival-colored trains of the Tokyu 9000 series.

Trainset 9014 of the Tokyu 9000 series (current standard color), Oimachi Line

The 100th Anniversary of Atami Station

Izukyu “Kurofune Train” displaying a “100th Anniversary of Atami Station” plate

On March 25th, Atami City celebrated the 100th anniversary of Atami Station. To mark the occasion, the city and railway operators held several events.

Let’s start with a quick look at Atami City and Atami Station. Atami is located about 100 kilometers southwest of Tokyo and is well known as a seaside resort city. I often visit there with my family to enjoy hot springs, fresh seafood, and fireworks festivals. Furthermore, Atami serves as a gateway to the Izu Peninsula, which is famous for its beautiful national park. Atami Station was opened in 1925 by the Japanese Government Railways. Today, the station is jointly managed by JR East and JR Central.

Now, let’s get down to the main topic. Please take a look at the photos. You can see anniversary plates on the front of trains standing at Atami Station. They are trainset R-4 ("Kurofune Train") of the EMU Izukyu 2100 series and trainset TB5 of the EMU Izukyu 8000 series. The arrival of these trains with the 100th-anniversary plates instantly livened up Atami Station… but wait a moment. Atami is not an Izukyu Railway station. Why does Izukyu celebrate the 100th anniversary of Atami Station? The reason is that Izukyu trains run directly onto the JR East Itō Line and terminate at Atami Station. Showing thoughtfulness toward a partner company is important, isn’t it?

By contrast, I didn’t see any anniversary plates on JR East or JR Central trains. Has their attitude been a bit chilly? Or do they simply see it as none of their business?

EMU Izukyu 8000 series displaying a “100th Anniversary of Atami Station” plate

Two Topics on the Seibu Railway

Test run of the EMU Seibu 8000 series (ex-Odakyu 8000 series)

I’d like to continue with the topic of Seibu Railway today.

I recently visited Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture. I’m not particularly an airplane enthusiast, but I enjoyed visiting the birthplace of Japanese aviation, as it is the site of Japan’s first airfield. On my way home, I switched back to being a trainspotter when I came across an unfamiliar train at Kokukoen (Aviation Park) Station on the Seibu-Shinjuku Line. What was that train?

It immediately rang a bell—I realized I had seen it before: the ex-Odakyu 8000 series! As I mentioned in a previous post, Seibu Railway purchased 100 secondhand train cars from Odakyu Electric Railway and Tokyu Corporation in 2024. These included the EMU Odakyu 8000 and Tokyu 9000 series. Eight months later, the ex-Odakyu 8000 series was modified into the “EMU Seibu 8000 series” and began its test runs. According to Seibu Railway, the reborn 8000 series is scheduled to debut at the end of this month. I can’t wait!

Just after the ex-Odakyu train departed, a yellow-colored train with a special plate on its front arrived at the station. What was that? It turned out to be the special “130th Anniversary of Kawagoe Railway” train. The Seibu-Shinjuku and Kokubunji Lines were originally inaugurated by the Kawagoe Railway in 1895. I found that the anniversary plate was displayed on the front of train set 2065 of the EMU Seibu 2000N series. The round plate was provided by Sayama City for the celebration. Congratulations on the 130th anniversary!

Seibu Railway is full of fascinating topics.

"The 130th anniversary of Kawagoe Railway" train departs from Kokukoen station

Official information about the 130th anniversary of Kawagoe Railway (in Japanese):

https://www.seiburailway.jp/file.jsp?newsroom/news/file/20250311_headmark_1.pdf

The 4th Generation L-train

The 4th generation L-train arriving at Higashi-Kurume station

Seibu Railway has launched the fourth-generation “L-train.” I’m going to introduce this newly wrapped train today.

Let’s start with a brief review of the “L-train.” The L-train (short for Lions Train) is Seibu Railway’s ad-wrapped train designed to support their professional baseball team, the Saitama Seibu Lions. Its design is based on Legend Blue, the team’s official color, and the train’s body is decorated with team emblems and characters.

Historically, the first-generation L-train appeared in 2010 using the EMU 3000 series. The second generation entered service in 2016 on the EMU 9000 series, and The third generation debuted in 2018 on the EMU 20000 series.

On March 15 this year, trainset 40152 of the EMU 40000 series was introduced as the fourth-generation L-train. The EMU 40000 series is Seibu’s high-end commuter train, launched in 2017. A total of 23 sets (224 cars) were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The first batch of six sets features multi-purpose seats that can be switched from longitudinal to transverse seating via remote control. The remaining 17 sets, including trainset 40152 (the L-train), have only longitudinal seats.

I noticed that the traditional Lions character “Leo” appears on the front of the L-train—it’s the same design used on the EMU 8500 series operating on the Seibu-Yamaguchi Line. Leo, how have you been? It’s been a while!

Incidentally, I recalled that trainset 40152 had previously been used for other ad-wrapped trains such as "Kanahei" and “Moi! Moomin Hanno”. It seems this particular trainset is always busy promoting tourism along the Seibu lines.

Side view of the 4th generation L-train

Official information about the 4th generation L-train by Seibu Railway (in Japanese):

https://www.seiburailway.jp/newsroom/news/20250313_Ltrain/