On March 25th, Atami City celebrated the 100th anniversary of Atami station. In commemoration, Atami City and the railway operators held several events.
Let's take a quick look at Atami City and Atami station to start. Atami is located about 100 kilometers southwest of Tokyo and well-known as a marine resort city. I often visit there with my family, and enjoy soaking in the hot spring, fish dishes and fireworks festivals. Furthermore, Atami is a gateway to Izu Peninsula, which is famous for its beautiful national park. Atami station was opened in 1925 by the Japanese Government Railways. Currently, JR East and JR Central jointly manage this station.
Let's get down to the main topic. Please look at the photos. There are anniversary plates on the front of the 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 the trains with the 100th anniversary plates caused Atami station to instantly thrive… but wait a moment. Atami is not Izukyu Railway’s station. Why does Izukyu celebrate the 100th anniversary of Atami station? It is because Izukyu trains are directly operated onto the JR East Ito line and come to Atami station. Thoughtfulness to the colleague company is important, isn't it? In contrast, I haven’t seen any anniversary plates on the bodies of JR East and JR Central trains. Hasn’t their attitude been a bit chilly? Is that none of their business?
